: Represented by situations or relationships that challenge social norms, legal boundaries, or moral codes. 2. Common Contexts Literary & Visual Tropes
This is more subtle. This taboo involves telling the innocent the truth. Think of the parent who forbids anyone from telling a child that Santa isn't real, or the nurse who lies to the patient about their terminal illness. The "little innocent" exists in a protected bubble. Breaking that bubble—forcing the innocent to see violence, betrayal, or death—is a taboo because it is seen as murdering their potential. As the poet William Blake wrote, "The child’s prayer is the father’s sin." taboo little innocent
When we read a story about a taboo befalling an innocent, we experience a catharsis. It allows us to safely process two things: : Represented by situations or relationships that challenge