On Harold’s ‘translucent reality’: a philosophical and religious interpretation of Harold and the Purple Crayon

Abstract

ABSTRACTIn this paper, one of the most popular children’s picture books, Harold and the Purple Crayon, is examined in terms of philosophical and religious viewpoints. Harold, a young inquisitive boy, seemingly travels in his world in which he finds himself dealing with various situations. Harold’s adventure with his purple crayon reminds us the fundamental philosophical question: What is real, and what is not? The author introduces a new philosophical term, translucent reality, to better understand Harold’s and any other stories in which reality and unreality cannot, and should not, be clearly distinguished. The author proposes that David Johnson Leisk’s story be interpreted as a reformulation of the story of Adam in the Abrahamic religions through an existentialist lens as the story of humanity’s creative recreating itself and its journey in an undetermined environment.