The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster tells us about the side of our mind that is bored, doesn’t want to think, and considers knowledge as a waste of time (what do you save time for?). All these qualities form the character of Milo.
Through a mysterious tollbooth, he reaches the Kingdom of Wisdom. He meets Tock and Humbug in his adventure through this mysterious place. He learns the preciousness of time and the importance of knowledge. He goes through Dictionopolis, Forest of Sight, Valley of Sound, and many places to bring back princesses Rhyme and Reason.
Milo sees that there so many things in life we don’t look, hear, smell, or observe and we miss how pleasant life is because we are unwilling to think. The book is an amazing creation, loaded with humor and invention.
Norton Juster takes abstract ideas and words and makes them “real”. He plays with the ideas and creates characters and places embedded with it like Point of View, Lethargians, Gross Exaggeration and Expectations. The book is an intellectual roller-coaster ride as it challenges us to rethink ideas and words that appear obvious. As Milo changes, our inner Milo changes too.
