The Hidden Hand

When looking at this novel it is very difficult to pick out just one aspect that really caught my attention or just one part that I found particularly interesting. With that being said, there is one specific quote in this literature piece that caught my eye and really contrasted everything we’ve read thus far.
“Yes, sir and the only thing that made me feel sorry was to see what a fool I had been not to turn to a boy before, when it was so easy! 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 hand to!”
This quote really makes you look at the role of little girls through a different lens. Capitola was so passionate about doing the works of a boy, this makes you realize the strict roles that society had placed on little girls. So far this semester we’ve really only looked at little girls and their roles and expectations in society. Some being proper, (Ellen) while some being rebellious, (Gerty) but we have never really had the opportunity to look at a girl this age being able to open her own eyes to the role of a boy. Southworth was really able to completely turn around children’s literature of the nineteenth century which is why this certain piece of literature became so popular at the time.

The Lamplighter

There are many very obvious different expectations that society has placed upon young girls today than in the nineteenth century. With this being said I would like to focus more on the similarities that Gerty and Anna both portray. On the show, a major element that Anna stressed was balance. She seemed to use that not only in everyday life but also in her activities like yoga. This was Anna’s way to relieve stress and meditate. I believe that when Gerty was pushed out of the way by Nan Grant, she also had her way of escaping stress and meditating. “Near the top was a little sheltered recess, overhung by some long planks, and forming a miniature shed, protected by the wood on all sides but one, and from that looking out upon the water. This was Gerty’s haven of rest, her sanctum, and the only place from which she never was driven away.” This in my opinion is Gerty’s version of yoga. I believe that if Gerty had appeared on this show she might have mentioned her hiding spot as her way to keep balance in her life. I think it offered her a safe place to go not only physically but mentally. I do believe that this shows a good example of just how important it was and still is for girls not find their own place in this world where they feel comfortable and welcome. I think this aspect of young girls will always remain the same.

Stowe

When reading a traditional piece of children’s literature, many lessons are being taught. Like we have mentioned before, early children’s literature always had a didactic purpose. Most of the time the author was striving to teach children a moral lesson through the use of good and bad characters. When reading Uncle Tom’s Cabin, this moral lesson being taught by the author through children is mainly thrown completely out of the window. I have not had a chance to read the full novel but from the few chapters I have been able to read, nothing presented in them really shows a moral lesson that is being taught through children or for children. With the horrors of slavery being displayed, it is very hard to be a child and look past the fear of the unknown. In the novel, Harry the young boy is clearly frightened to sleep in the beginning of chapter seven. “But, mother, if I do get asleep, you won’t let him get me?” This statement shows not only the fear that is running through Harry but also the harsh thought of if he is caught what will become of him next. As a child, your mother is one of the only things that you are comforted by. You feel as though they can take on the world. Stowe is not afraid to hide the reality of slavery and really shows this through the fear in both the mother and child. Unlike most of the children’s literature we have read, I do not think this novel at all teaches a moral lesson for or through the children.

The Wide, Wide World Prompt

When considering the role of “parents”, many things come to mind. In our society today the role of parents differs throughout households. Many children today don’t have parents or are left alone to be the parent to a younger sibling. In Ellen’s case this is similar. Even though Ellen had both of her parents present, neither of them seemed to take on what I consider to be a parental role. Ellen was somewhat of the backbone in the family at times. Ellen always seemed to be concerned more with her mother’s health and well-being than herself. An example of this is shown in the text when Ellen is begging her mother to let her go to the store alone to get the merino. “You are not afraid of the wind?” “I should think not,” said Ellen. This shows Ellen’s bravery and motivation to please and help her mother when she is not able. Many other examples are presented throughout the text that shows Ellen’s responsibilities taking on a more “parental” role. A major one that is mentioned several times is when Ellen continues to make tea and toast for her mother.
When reading this text little is mentioned about Mr. Montgomery. Yet, when he is mentioned, it is in a very superior way hinting towards that fact that he takes care of most of the important decisions around the house. Since he is not around much and Mrs. Montgomery is sick you want to assume that he is off at work making a living for his family. When Ellen is crying in her room upstairs she refuses to come down until her dad is gone. “I’ll not go down till papa is gone; he’ll ask me what is the matter with my eyes.” This shows that Ellen perceives her father as someone she does not want to show much emotion towards. With that being said you can assume that Mr. Montgomery is a man with little understanding. When comparing the role of the father and mother in this case, many obvious differences stand out. It seems as though Ellen is more connected with her mother on an emotional level. These roles stand out many times throughout the text when Ellen is comforted by her mother but on the same page is afraid to show any type of emotion in the presence of her father. With this being said the roles of the mother and father are easily portrayed as the father being a strong, solid, superior man while the mother is caring and humble.
I believe that Ellen perceives her parents as most children do in this time period. Even though Ellen herself takes on many of the actual “parent” roles during the day because her mother is not able, I still believe she looks to her mother as a role model like most young girls her age. Ellen thoroughly explains this when she says, “I trust every word you say entirely I know nothing could be truer; if you were to tell me black is white, mamma I should think my eyes had been mistaken.” This is one of the many times Ellen explains her feelings towards her mother. When looking at her father I don’t think she really expects anything more out of him and that him not being around is probably normal to her.

Children's Literature

When analyzing children and children’s literature there are many theories that can be concluded through reading and observing this theme of literature. One main theory in children’s literature that can be observed is the didactic element in most of the stories. In Dependent States: The Child’s Part in the Making of American Culture, this example is presented when Sanchez states that children are being “…taught to conform to social expectations by child-rearing experts, by parents, by schools and by didactic stories.” This seems like authors were striving to teach through literature what parents or schools could not. This brings me to my second theory. With the thought that children’s literature is written with a didactic element, this didactic element was mostly written to teach a moral lesson. Moral lessons seemed to pop up everywhere in children’s literature throughout the nineteenth century. In Children’s Literature for a New Nation, Macleod mentions this lesson many times. “They were written to teach, and more specifically, to teach a moral lesson.” With all of the lessons being taught in children’s literature it seems as though these books were not written at all for entertainment but strictly for education. This was not necessarily true. These pieces of literature had to somehow form a connection with the child in order to grasp their attention. This leads me to my third theory that children’s literature was also written for entertainment. Macleod earlier contradicts this theory by mainly stressing the education side of children’s literature, but Sanchez states that “Assumptions about the most appropriate stories to tell to children varied with these changes in perspective didacticism giving way to humor and fantasy.” With that statement it is easy to conclude that authors were not just writing for education purposes but to also form some sort of connection with the child with fantasy and humor. My last two theories mainly focus on the adult side of children’s literature. This side of it is mainly about what the author as an adult is trying to get through to the child. When analyzing children’s literature you sometimes have to take a different approach. My fourth theory is how the piece of literature for children sometimes turns into training for the “adult world.” Macleod puts this in perspective when stating that “Childhood was wholly preparation, entirely a moral training ground for the adult world.” When authors look at childhood as a lesson for the entire world it seems as though literature was written as a training manual. This brings me to my final point. With having adults in mind, children literature quickly turned into not only training for the “adult world”, but also adults claiming through literature their ideal future society. Macleod states this early on in his writing by saying, “Less directly, but just as surely, the books offer insight into what Americans wanted of and for their society.” With all of this being said, when analyzing children’s literature you have to looks past the entertainment aspect, through the didactic meaning and even sometimes putting yourself in the adults shoes.