"If you are not already mad, you will be."

It’s amazing how quickly Louisa May Alcotts story, A Whisper in the Dark, can draw you into the narrative. Playing off of gothic tradition this text introduces suspense, horror, insanity, and sexual themes that parallel women’s freedom in a larger sense. Sybil is a beautiful girl with an attitude who is imprisoned in a private insane asylum by her uncle who desires control of her property. The introduction of insanity has the potential to alter our reader reception of the message and I think it can challenge our previous ideas about the important mother/daughter relationship in nineteenth-century society/fiction.

The introduction of the concept of insanity changes the text because how can you trust opinions and ideas of what is going on in the “real” world if the person describing them is unstable. It makes it hard to trust everything said throughout the text because we do not know if things are actually “what they seem”. The text is completely altered also because it is from first person narrative and this person relating the entire story, as we know it, is going insane inside a little locked up room. “To me this room possessed an irresistible fascination. I could not keep away from it by day, I dreamed of it by night, it haunted me continually, and soon become a sort of monomania, which I condemned, yet could not control, till at length I found myself pacing to and fro as those invisible feet paced overhead” (234). Alcott uses the condition that Sybil is put into by her uncle and Dr. Karnac to create the effect of what is real becoming imaginary. Even though Sybil is going insane I questioned the truth of her accounts of life but I did not completely give up the trust I had in her as a character. “You came here for your own pleasure, but shall stay for mine, till I tame you as I see you must be tamed” (212). I did not realize how crucial some parts of the text were in foreshadowing the future until I re-read it. It is made obvious from the beginning of the text that her uncle was going to take control and for once she was not going to be able to have her way. “My uncle stopped laughing, his hand tightened its grasp, for a moment his cold eye glittered and a grim look settled round the mouth, giving to his whole face a ruthless expression that entirely altered it. I felt perfectly powerless. All my little arts had failed, and for the first time I was mastered. Yet only physically; my spirit was rebellious still” (212). I think this passage from the text is specifically important because the Uncle’s and doctors goal after Sybil is admitted to the insane house is to kill and crush her spirit. “Both were apply gratified, and I, poor victim, was given up to be experimented upon, till by subtle means I was driven to the insanity which would give my uncle full control of my fortune and my fate” (240). Even though our main character was going “insane” and it was hard to understand the real world from her point of view only we are shown at the end that she was not mad in the beginning.

Pertaining to the mother/daughter relationship I believe it is just hidden but is still just as strong as any other relationship we have seen. Sybil still longs for her mother and makes that obvious through the text. “My eyes filled as I looked, and a strong desire seized me to know what had defaced this little picture of the mother whom I never knew” (221). Mothers and daughters have a connection and even though her mother is not present it is made obvious that the love and care is still there. “I believed her dead, yet I had seen her, knew where her solitary grave was made, and still carried in my bosom the warning she had sent me, prompted by the unerring instinct of a mother’s heart” (240).

Overall the narrative provides us with a very short view of the “world” in which the characters of the novel are living in because it’s only one persons opinions and beliefs. I think that we are able to trust Sybil because of her character before her controlling Uncle took her life away. I do believe that this story shows the strong relationship between mothers and daughter and the “motherly” instinct overall.

Uncle Tom's Cabin- A Novel Of Hope

“I have lost two, one after another, -left ‘em buried there when I came away; and I had only this one left. I never slept a night without him; he was all I had. He was my comfort and pride, day and night; and ma’am, they were going to take him away from me,-to sell him,- sell him down south, ma’am, to go all alone, -a baby that had never been away from his mother in his life!” (280). After reading only the first chapter of Uncle Tom’s Cabin I saw drastic differences from the previous novels we have read such as The Wide, Wide World. Even though this novel complicated some of the assumptions we’ve made about children and childhood in American literature it still presents symbols of hope and potential within the horrors of slavery.

A text about the institution of slavery does complicate the theories and ideas we have presented because it is hard to find the good prevailing over evil, how the country is a better place to raise children, and the didactic way to teach children morals. “Look here, now, if you give me one word out of your head, I’ll smash yer face in. I won’t hear one word-not the beginning of a word! I say to ‘em, ‘This yer young un’s mine, and not yourn, and you’ve no kind o’ business with it. I’m going to sell it, first chance; mind, you don’t cut up none o’ yer shines about it, or I’ll make ye wish ye’d never been born!” (260). After reading this passage in the text said by a slave trader named Tom Loker it really shocked me that people like this and the diction chosen were made for children to read and to teach them. Even though passages and ideas such as slavery and the lives children are growing up into challenge our basic theories they also support them because the children are an image of hope and potential.

“The boy wondered and grieved that she could not eat; and when, putting his arms around her neck, he tried to wedge some of his cake into her mouth, it seemed to her that the rising in her throat would choke her” (245.) In The Wide, Wide World Ellen would do anything for her mother and to make her happy. This is the same case with Eliza’s son; he is seeing her suffer and wants to take care of her. “It was a real pleasure; she had the greatest satisfaction in seeing that the little her mother could eat was prepared for her in the nicest possible manner” (Warner, 26). Even though these words are much softer and pleasant than the words used in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the same message is being spread that children are to love and care for their parents. I think this novel even shows the idea of potential more so because the conditions these people are in are so beyond horrific and even though this is true they are still pushing on through life and performing their duties. One of my favorite parts of the novel is another part that shows good will eventually prevail over the evil of people and slavery during this time. Senator Bird is the perfect example of good prevailing over evil because even though he just passed a law further supporting slavery he could not turn over Eliza when she was in desperate need for help. This white man is showing the potential and hope of this new ‘American” society by proving that people know slavery is wrong and they will help people in any way they can when they are suffering. “Why, there’s that old bombazin cloak, that you keep on purpose to put over me when I take my afternoon’s nap; you might as well give her that, -she needs clothes” (278). This senator who just voted for the advancement of slavery laws is telling his wife that this poor woman needs clothes and to help her.

There are a billion other parts throughout this novel showing that there is hope and potential for children and people as a whole throughout these terribly desperate times. Stowe is able to create characters such as Eliza who will fight for her child no matter what the cost and her son to show that children are to still be good to their parents. It also shows that people’s morals need to change and for them to be “good” and to take care of people no matter what the case. Every piece of literature we have read so far has a good message and moral, along with this one. Even though the basic theories we have examined are definitely challenged because of the way this novel is presented and written they are also supported. These were only a few examples of how children and adults represent symbols of hope and potential.

The Hidden Hand

Each novel we have read so far has challenged and agreed with the various theories for analyzing children’s literature and children within literature. Drawing on both MacLeod’s “Children’s Literature for a New Nation” and Sanchez-Eppler’s introduction to Independent states we are able to create ideas for how we expect these novels to play out and what their purpose is for. Progressively the novels have strayed farther away from our basic ideas of children’s literature and left us with my second favorite story, The Hidden Hand. I still cannot give up my love for kick butt Gerty but Capitola seems pretty awesome and I already love the story line Southworth has created in her novel. In The Hidden Hand the ideas of strangers and good prevailing over evil is very obvious.

As we have all seen the idea of helpful strangers has been presented to us in the two previous novels and now this one. I loved the question we were asked in class by a lead respondent because I had to really think about why Southworth introduced our stranger, Old Hurricane, before our heroine, Capitola. After thinking about this question I think it was imperative that Capitola’s past and Old Hurricane’s description was put before the introduction of our main character. “In person, Major Warfiel was tall and strongly built, reminding one of some iron-limbed Douglas of the olden time. His features were large and harsh; his complexion dark red, as that of one bronzed by long exposure and flushed with strong drink. His fierce, dark-gray eyes were surmounted by thick, heavy black brows that, when gathered into a frown, reminded one of a thunder cloud, as the flashing orbs beneath them did of lightning” (151). This description of Capitola’s stranger and hero is absolutely wonderful. The diction used allows you to picture this man in your head and lead to an understanding of why he has the nickname of Old Hurricane. Major Warfield, Old Hurricane, is a helpful stranger on a mission for a reason we are unaware of to save this girl, which he does. Even though the layout of this novel is different it is still evident that with the help of strangers our main character will have a better life.

This also leads into the idea of good prevailing over evil. “There came a day when my meal, even the last dust of it, was gone. Then I kept life in me by drinking water and by sleeping all I could. I slept deeply, from exhaustion, and then I’d dream of feasts and the richest sorts of food, and of eating such quantities; and really, sir, I seemed to taste it and enjoy it and get the good of it, almost as much as if it was all true!” (177). Capitola has been through some obvious and major struggles in her life such as starvation, loosing shelter, worrying of evil men in the streets, finding work, and more. These various struggles led her to dressing as a boy so that she could find work and be able to live. “And from that day forth I was happy and prosperous! I found plenty to do! I carried carpet-bags, held horses, put in coal, cleaned sidewalks, blacked gentlemen’s boots and did everything an honest lad could turn his hands to” (179). Even though there was all of this terror in her life she has been saved by Major Warfield and is taken to the country where she has her own furnished room, new clothes, fresh food to eat, a new pony, and every thing that a young girl could desire to make her into a lady. The idea of good prevailing over evil is a theme that consistently shows up in children’s literature to show children that even though there are hardships, good will prevail.

The Challenges of Growing Up as a Girl

In Cummins’s The Lamplighter one of my favorite characters, Gerty, is struggling through the hardships of life and to become a good young girl with a balance to handle her anger and to be useful to the ones she now loves. Throughout the history of our society little girls have been dealing with the challenges of growing up, pleasing every one, finding themselves, and a plethora of other issues. After watching a video posted to our blog I was able to compare and contrast an eight year old, Anna, to our spunky character, Gerty.

A very special eight year old was featured on the show we were asked to watch and she really completely blew me away. I have never met an eight year old that is so composed, controlled, mature, and does yoga to become calm so she can collect her thoughts. Anna was asked a question concerning what people should think of when they say the cannot do something and she responded “try your best and try harder.” To hear those words come out of an eight year olds mouth was amazing along with another comment concerning how to react when people are rude or not accepting of others for who you are. Anna believes that girls should be themselves and to not think about what you have to do to have friends because people should want to be friends with you for your true inner self. When she confronts such uses yoga, which is an advanced use of the body and mind, to meditate and clear her mind.

Referring to the issue of caring what others think of you Anna and Gerty are on a completely different level. Due to eight years of intense verbal and physical abuse Gerty is mentally unable to accept love or compliments and thinks very low of herself. “Poor, ragged, and miserably care for, as most of them were, they all knew that Gerty was still more neglected and abused. They had often seen her beaten, and daily heard her called an ugly, wicked child, told that she belonged to nobody, and had no business in any one’s house.” (84). Astonishingly Gerty is able to go to school and love it at first until cruel words make her cave in and act inappropriately. “Did anybody ever drown your kitten? Did anyone ever call your father Old Smutty?” (148). I believe Gerty is on the path to becoming a “good” girl and will learn self-control. “Miss Emily, I mean to try, but I don’t think I can.” Here Anna is different then Gerty because Anna has gained the self-control and understanding to know that at some point you will succeed. Because of comments like these I believe that Gerty would have been very different and would have bashed Nan Grant and had a fit of anger as she usually does when she talks about things like that. I think that our depictions of girls have changed drastically because there is such a bigger movement to be independent in a variety of ways. I think they have stayed the same in the respect that women are expected to do all the domestic duties, stay composed, and to now be an independent providing for themselves. But at the same time I think that they have stayed the same because there is still so much pressure on women and young girls to be almost perfect in every way including looks, intelligence, and more.

The contemporary “girl” compared with our historical Gerty is similar and different as we have seen through the text. There was and still is pressure to be a “good” girl but the pressures have evolved and become greater. As children’s literature makes it obvious to us there are guidelines for girls and if they don’t meet the “good” girl image they will not succeed in life.