"I don't understand this at all. I don't understand any of this. Why does a story have to be a socio-anything? Politics... culture... history... aren't those natural ingredients in any story, if it's told well? I mean... can't you guys just let a story be a story?"

Image Credit: Kateryna Hliznitsova from Unsplash

Over-Analysis

I remember once in my English class where we were reviewing a book. Since I can't recall what book, I will use the popular example of curtains. Our teacher asked for our thoughts on an excerpt where the main character chooses blue curtains over green ones.

As everybody brought up intelligent interpretations of unresolved depression and emotional coldness, our teacher called on one of my friends, who struggled to answer the question. Later, after class, she told me that the only thing she could think of was that the character chose for the curtain to be blue because they liked the color blue, a fact established many times earlier in the book.

In that class, she got a low grade for her supposedly "shallow" interpretation of the blue curtains.

This moment stuck with me. Not because my friend, or even our teacher, was in the wrong, but because it showed me how narrow the space for interpretation has become.

While my friend's take may seem superficial at first glance, she was correct in the sense that the main character had mentioned they liked the color blue several times. She wasn't being stupid or shallow; she was paying attention. But her opinion was dismissed because her answer wasn't abstract enough.

In the modern classroom, text becomes so over-analysed, students begin to believe their thoughts are not valid because it doesn't align with the more intelligent and deeper interpretations of others. Books get picked apart and studied to their demise, when many stories are simply meant to be embraced and enjoyed by the reader. The purpose of text is to understand what we understand, and to embrace how each of us thinks.

Of course, it would be ridiculous to suggest removing all analysis of a book. English is my favorite class, and I personally enjoy learning about different themes, significance, storytelling, and the structure and greater context that goes into these writings. I know better than anyone that literary analysis is a powerful tool and is extremely useful when it helps us to connect with the text.

I mean, Novels aren't real. They're constructions, with many details deliberately being placed there for a specific reason. If all literature were simple dialect, we would grow tired of it. Most readers want to be intellectually challenged - to actually think. Even the most direct literary styles have room for endless interpretations. Double meanings, slight foreshading, and subtle symbolism are what give life to a piece of art. In addition, learning to break down and understand what people say is an essential life skill. The point of this article isn't to say literary analysis should be removed from classrooms.

Image Credit: Andrej Lišakov from Unsplash

Take the Quiz: Religion, Schools, and Equality

Religion in Schools: Teaching Respect, Not Bias.

Losing the Story

However, when every sentence is treated like a hidden message in need of decoding instead of a moment to be experienced, students can be discouraged and stop reading altogether. The classroom becomes less about connection and more about compliance; it becomes more about finding the “right” interpretation, even if it feels forced or disconnected. This continues until the story itself is lost.

In some ways, this obsession with deeper meaning shows a broader discomfort with ambiguity. Literature, like life, often leaves room for uncertainty, for multiple interpretations, or for none at all. In the modern classroom, students learn to second-guess their instincts, always searching for a correct meaning rather than finding what feels true to them.

The books we read reflect life, which is very complex, but in a strange way, also very simple. Sometimes a character wears red just because they think it looks good on them, instead of symbolism for suppressed anger or brewing agitation. There isn't always a "correct" interpretation.

Things don't always have to have a deeper meaning. Sometimes a curtain is simply blue.