The Education of Desire

The Faraway Tree

This flow follows how magical lands expose, indulge, and gradually reshape the children's wants.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Wondering Appetite Wondering Appetite from "The Faraway Tree". Wondering Appetite Desire for Experience Dick wants to see the slide, the inhabitants, and the upper land immediately.

Wondering Appetite from "The Faraway Tree". Wondering Appetite Desire for Experience Dick wants to see the slide, the inhabitants, and the upper land immediately.

Wondering Appetite Desire for Experience Dick wants to see the slide, the inhabitants, and the upper land immediately. His appetite is imaginative before it is material. Discovery as Reward The tree teaches the children that curiosity can produce astonishment, but it also prepares them to desire more than they can safely manage.

Unlimited Wishes Unlimited Wishes from "The Faraway Tree". Unlimited Wishes Immediate Fulfillment The land produces six rides, six ice-creams, elephants, trains, and a sea. Private wishes become public reality.

Unlimited Wishes from "The Faraway Tree". Unlimited Wishes Immediate Fulfillment The land produces six rides, six ice-creams, elephants, trains, and a sea. Private wishes become public reality.

Unlimited Wishes Immediate Fulfillment The land produces six rides, six ice-creams, elephants, trains, and a sea. Private wishes become public reality. Pleasures Become Ordinary Once each desire is fulfilled, the group searches for another. The episode reveals that abundance satisfies curiosity briefly but cannot end the impulse to want.

Greed's Consequence Greed's Consequence from "The Faraway Tree". Greed's Consequence Eating Beyond Need Dick continues consuming after the others stop and begins taking parts of houses.

Greed's Consequence from "The Faraway Tree". Greed's Consequence Eating Beyond Need Dick continues consuming after the others stop and begins taking parts of houses.

Greed's Consequence Eating Beyond Need Dick continues consuming after the others stop and begins taking parts of houses. His desire crosses from enjoyment into possession. Social Correction The angry inhabitant confines him. The land exposes greed by making its consequences immediate and communal rather than abstract.

Gifted Desire Gifted Desire from "The Faraway Tree". Gifted Desire Wanting for Others The children discover that the land only grants presents intended for someone else.

Gifted Desire from "The Faraway Tree". Gifted Desire Wanting for Others The children discover that the land only grants presents intended for someone else.

Gifted Desire Wanting for Others The children discover that the land only grants presents intended for someone else. Their wants survive, but their direction changes. Reciprocal Pleasure Fanny gives Dick the chocolates he wants after receiving her necklace. Exchange proves that generosity can provide pleasure without the shame of selfishness.

Homeward Satisfaction Homeward Satisfaction from "The Faraway Tree". Homeward Satisfaction Objects with Meaning The children carry gifts for parents and friends rather than merely hoarding wonders.

Homeward Satisfaction from "The Faraway Tree". Homeward Satisfaction Objects with Meaning The children carry gifts for parents and friends rather than merely hoarding wonders.

Homeward Satisfaction Objects with Meaning The children carry gifts for parents and friends rather than merely hoarding wonders. Each object is attached to a relationship. Desire Integrated The final satisfaction comes from returning home with something useful and affectionate. Imagination and responsibility no longer appear as opposing desires.

during the first tree visit

during the Do-As-You-Please visit

during the Land of Goodies visit

during the Land of Presents visit

after returning from the Land of Presents