The Green Word, revisited

So, when class ended today, everybody was pretty much ready to be done discussing things and was (myself included) ready to get out of there. However, I must say that even though we talked about how cute The Green Word was and what a classic fairy tale it was, and even giggled a little about how the Mandrake root came into existence, the conversation was concluded with a discussion of illustrations and cover art. Don't get me wrong, I like taking a break from fantasy to talk about the artwork of the story as much as the next person, but I think that a lot was left out in the discussion of the story of The Green Word, namely, the ideas presented in the character of the king as an antagonist to the people of the trees.

The reason that the king is having so many of the witch's followers executed is because they refuse to convert to the faith of choice of the king and his subjects. Those who refuse to convert represent the bigger notion of resisting the protocols brought on by society in order to stand up for one's own beliefs.

One must take into account the differences between the views of the tree people versus those of the rest of society, to which the tree people are being made to adhere. It's almost as if in executing those who believe in the many gods of nature, the kingdom wishes to squash every trace of fantasy in the story and replace it with good, old-fashioned, boring reality. The king's main goal is to convert all of them to an organized religion which, in the story, is viewed as fairly secular by the tree people who are all about free spirits and becoming one with nature. A symbol of the secularism of the king and his followers appears when the king and his philosopher are meeting in the pleasure garden (an enclosed, artificial form of nature) and the philosopher shows the king the model he has created of the supposed universe, in which everything, the sun, planets, even the stars, revolve around the Earth, which is, of course, the center of everything (Ego? What ego?). The king's society thrives on being the center of attention and having control over everything, even the balance of that which is completely separate from their world. The king himself is overwhelmed with a feeling of power when he is offered the chance to control the universe, even though it is only a model.

When the king sees for the first time the heart of Vertuminus, the witch's tree child, the blue skin of the fruit reminds him of the Earth in the center of the model of the universe. He only becomes more interested in obtaining it when Vertuminus equates the green word with the word of God. Hoping to gain power and perhaps to become holier, maybe to guarantee his passage into Heaven, Pious plucks the fruit from its branch, not even pausing to think what may happen to the warrior with whom he dines. When he has two of the mysterious blue fruit, he offers one to a prisoner to see its effect on her. It grows into a tree and helps the prisoners escape, for the girl who eats it is faithful to the witch and to the gods of nature. The king takes the other blue fruit and eats it, supposedly gaining everything he could ever desire, devouring the world in a few juicy bites. However, because the fruit contains the green word, the magic of the tree people, the king's plan is foiled. He turns a leafy green and his palace is overrun with the makings of a forest. Those who remained true to their beliefs prevailed in the end.

So, any comments? Anything to add? This was just a random rant, I probably forgot quite a bit. Paper topic, perhaps? The secularism and authority of organized religion, a la Church of England, perhaps? No stealing. :)