What I love about Coco being the Child of Hope is that it’s so literal and kinda mundane when you think about it.
I mean I think that was the whole point of Iguin selling those magical picture books; it was a test to find a child like Coco, who couldn’t let go of that kernel of hope that maybe conventional wisdom was wrong and there’s a possibility her dreams could be reality. And Iguin needed to run that test because a child of unshakable hope is actually rare.
Because how many of us have just accepted out of hand when told that we have no aptitude for something, that we don’t have the talent, that if we were born in a different family or in different circumstances maybe our dreams could come true, but the way we are now? No, not possible. You have to be realistic, you have to have common sense. You have to live in the real world.
So I think that even if Iguin did sell out of their cute magic book and conjuring ink packs, most other kids wouldn’t try to use the books like Coco did, not only because they didn’t have the knowledge, but because even if they did, they would accept the common wisdom that magic is not possible for them, just like we had accepted that being an astronaut or ballerina wasn’t possible for us.
Coco is actually unique in that her love for and fascination of magic persisted even after being told she couldn’t have it; there wasn’t any bitterness in her love, just appreciation. And I think, as was made apparent when Coco passed the first test, the core of this hope and love comes from her mother.
We see Coco’s mother tell her that magic isn’t possible for those not born into magic; effectively she was the one who shattered Coco’s dream and fractured her hope, but we also see that she allowed Coco to talk about magic incessantly, that she didn’t reprimand her or even really become impatient with her. She patiently taught Coco their trade and how to take care of herself, but tacitly encouraged her to dream. Hell, she was prepared to let Coco follow after Qifrey if she wanted, even if the thought terrified her.
Coco’s mother understood something that even good parents struggle with; that her child was an autonomous person and her inner life was something to cultivate, not encroach on. That Coco’s dreams were Coco’s alone to do with what she wanted. That allowed Coco to grow into the type of person who can see the third way when only two paths are presented to her, because unlike so many of us, most of us really, her ability to hope and dream and believe that there’s no such thing as impossible wasn’t curtailed.
I honestly believe that’s what makes Coco special. Nothing more and nothing less than her ability to hope and dream. And the beautiful thing is that, as we can see with how Coco has affected her fellow apprentices and even her masters, is that hope is contagious. It’s a gift that is passed from person to person, spreading to every corner of society, doing so much good for so many already, but ultimately the origin of it all is an unassuming seamstress who raised her child with patience and love and the ability to dream. Mundane and everyday but rare and precious all the same.
Real magic, as Qifrey would no doubt say.
