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Can something ever be truly yours unless you are willing to give it up?
Stephen King has this book called “The Talisman”.
(Be patient here you are working with a couple, year-old memory). *Spoilers*
This Talisman is like the Sorcerer’s Stone from Harry Potter (do not like bringing up HP because of JK Rowling, but it was the only reference that came to mind).
So the protagonist has this Talisman that can do a lot of good for the world, and it is his “quest” to (get it?) and also if it is a a one time use thing per person. What counts as the best time to use it. He uses it.
Then some kid (I forget who) asks “can I have it? Because I too need to use the talisman in my life.” And the protagonist goes, “But it is mine. What if I need to use it again?”
Then there is this quote by C.S. Lewis: “Nothing that you have not given away will every be really yours.”
The Talisman can really never belong to the protagonist if he is not willing to give it up.
Wonder if out of the context of this book, does the same principles apply?
Can something ever be truly yours unless you are willing to give it up?
I want to hear your opinion.
I like to ask questions. -
2 Replies
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I think it’s a no from me, but here is just my humble opinion:
On the one hand, the C S Lewis’ quote is often used in context of religion (Christianity from what I can gather after a quick Google).
On the other hand, the Stephen King book sounds more like an epic to obtain something.
I think it’s completely different symbolism, unless you’re referring to the fact that the power of the talisman is for the protagonist to use on others (“giving them,” the receiver, the talisman’s power).
The thing for me is: you can definitely have something in your possession and never give it away. You cannot ‘truly rightly’ give something away if it is not yours (it’s just regular theft to do so if it does not belong to you and wasn’t yours to give), so there’s a kind of literal truth to what C S Lewis says.
However, it’s undeniable that in The Talisman: they who possess the talisman can use it, and not those who do not have it cannot use it.
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I think you can own something without being willing to give it up… however, I think that if you can’t give it up, that something also owns you.
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