Proceedings of the International scientific and practical conference ―Science, Technology and Culture: Dynamics of Change in the XXI Century‖ (December 1921, 2025) / Publisher website: www.naukainfo.com. – Baku, Azerbaijan, 2026. – 90 p.

58 tunnel, he discovered a world of darkness inhabited by those cursed by the hunchbacked prince-outcast Eldon for mocking him for his passion for reading books, including fairy tales in the royal palace library) over the tyrant. The tunnel in the barn is the initiation (initiation into adult life, full of dangers) of the American teenager Charlie. Thanks to his intellect, unique imagination, foresight, knowledge of psychology, and mastery of the pen, he metaphorises the far from ideal American way of life, reveals a number of problems (crime, police corruption, disappointment in life), and uses dreams (the technique of telepathic suggestion as the transmission of thoughts over a distance through the strengthening of emotional connection; in the novel, in our opinion, this occurs between Charlie's son and his mother with red hair (a symbol of beauty and confidence), dressed in a ‗Little Red Riding Hood cloak‘ – ―плащ Червоної Шапочки‖ [9, с. 8]). An important role in shaping Charlie's worldview was played by his acquaintance with Lindy ( the archetype of a mentor ), who is moderate and sensible: the father's sobering up was a miracle but miracles are not magic, recovery from alcoholism is not an exact science – ―батькове протверезіння було чудом . ... Але чудеса – не магія‖ [9, с. 22], ―одужання від алкоголізму – не точна наука‖ [9, с. 22]. The author's repeated emphasis on Charlie's so-called deal with God is telling, because the teenager had a feeling that if he broke his promise, ― Бог забере своє диво і тато знову зап'є” [9, с. 22]. He explains that childhood prayer contains a lot of... magical thinking, and that God heard it and answered it, just like in one of those sentimental films on cable's Lifetime channel that they show between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The miracle (in the story of Christ's birth) – the miracle in prayer – the miracle in fairy tales – the miracle with Charlie's real father, the miracle in American holidays, the miracle with Mr Howard Adrian Bowditch, the miracle with the dog Radar, the barn are different projections of ‘miracles’ in real life and fictional art.