Things in books you didn't understand as a child

[wanderings]

What things in children's books didn't make sense to you at the time, and only became clear much later?

In The Railway Children, when the children prepare a birthday surprise for Perks, I didn't understand his appalled reaction at all, even when people tried to explain it. I thought that if he was indeed "poor", why would he be anything but grateful? I used to skip that scene when watching the film.

I was blissfully unaware of social class as a child: in Roald Dahl's Danny the Champion of the World, the significance of the obnoxious Mr Victor Hazell driving a Rolls-Royce went straight over my head. Near the end of the book there's a scene where his Rolls Royce is damaged by his own pheasants, and I remember not understanding that scene at all: I thought it was Dahl silliness thrown into one of his more serious stories.

I used to love Judy Blume but I was a bit confused that girls had bangs and played with their cuticle- both sounded rude to me.

I didn't like the scene with Perks either. Not because I didn't understand it though, I just felt so bad for the children.

Not sure it's what you meant but one of my favourite childhood books had a character called Virginia.

I spent a good few years convinced her name was Vagina, without really being sure why somebody would be called that and deciding that it must have been the done thing in America where the story was set

I still think the Petks bit is horrible.

They are rude, then so is he!

I never understood why the famous five used "fathead" (pronounced in my head as "fath-ed") as an insult.
Took me years to realise it meant Fat head = head full of fat = stupid.

I couldn't understand how 'poor' families lived in big (big enough) houses and had servants or at least one. Like in the Railway Children.

I'm sure there's a Bronte of an Austin that confused me the same way. Well more so as I'm pretty sure I recall they had quite a lot, and even put on a fancy party of some sort.

I didn't get the baby was dead in goodnight mr Tom. It was a much happier book in my childhood Re read it with my own children recently and was shocked at how thick I was.

When I was very small I just thought it was nice that the children all got to go back to Narnia at the end.

It was only in my teens that I grasped what had happened. God I'm welling up now just thinking about it. 😢

@RedForShort I agree about "poor" families with their houses and servants. I thought "poor" only meant poor like Hansel and Gretel, or like characters in The Happy Prince.

And speaking of Oscar Wilde, in his story "the Young King": the night before his coronation, he dreams of the terrible slavery behind his fine clothes and crown, so he refuses to wear them, defies everyone's protests and strides up to the high altar in the cathedral, wearing his rags, where sunbeams weave around him, and the bishop says: "one greater than I has crowned you". Although I loved that scene, I didn't realise it was a reference to God.

I also didn't understand a lot of the humour in Fawlty Towers (not a book I know), because it was all about class.
"I just want to keep the riff-raff away, dear."
"Would you mind moving to that table? This is Lord Melbury's table, he always sits here."