A benefit of children's literature is in providing moral lessons and giving some knowledge, which children might apply later in their life. Different authors choose their own specific aspects that they want to focus on and believe to be the most applicable and important. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle raises the question of how intellect and emotions form individuality and influence choices. Intellect and emotion influence our decision-making, but we have to learn how to take control over them in certain situations. All of the main characters of A Wrinkle in Time go through this process of learning, despite having outstanding intellectual abilities, Meg, Charles, Calvin, Mr. and Mrs. Murry still face all sorts of difficulties. Throughout the book we see that the Murrys will not survive without the powerful force of love, which saves them from the power of IT and gets them through "the dark thing ". Through the adventures, these characters are taught to see not only with their eyes, but also listen to their hearts. .
The novel amplifies the importance of free will and deliberate individual choices without underestimating the power of love and the emotional side of the personality. Instead of focusing on blindly following rationality, L'Engle proclaims that caring for others is the driving force for good deeds by portraying the Murrys as a loving a caring family. Not only she does create a highly moral story focusing on the emotional aspects of her characters, but also provides us with rational explanations of all-even magical-processes. Before tessering Meg to the dark planet, Mrs. Whatsit says, "We want nothing from you that you do without grace, or what you do without understanding " (215). Giving Meg the right to make a choice by herself, the book also emphasizes the equal importance of both grace and understanding. Intelligence and emotion are two strong features of the human nature, and even though some books like The Narnia Chronicles say they are always in conflict with each other, A Wrinkle in Time shows us that in order to lead a meaningful and ethical life, we have to find a balance between those two.
