Invisible Clothes in Messud’s the Emperor’s Children

Abstract

The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud observes many different characters leading up to the fall of the Twin Towers on 9/11. These characters—all writers—seem to be following their own paths, but what they have in common is that of exposing truth. This essay explores the theme of truth being exposed by using the analogy of the children’s story The Emperor’s New Clothes to augment this subject. In this tale, it takes a child to reveal the truth that the emperor is not actually wearing any clothes when he fools the adults into thinking otherwise. Who the emperor and the child are changes repeatedly within each of the characters’ given pieces. The novel contains excerpts and descriptions of the characters’ writings, which are examined and compared to scholar’s writings in our world that cover similar topics. This illustrates the truths that are being revealed about the writers and others through the characters’ works. The climactic event of 9/11 is also related to the children’s tale proving the overall novel itself to be an additional example of unmasking truth. Each are examples of an external force that exposes the truth of the emperor’s nakedness. In comparison, society must strive to recognize the state of its clothing before the truth is glaringly exposed to the world.