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| Disney Princesses |
But have you noticed that there’s a pattern of missing
mothers?
· Snow
White: her mother has died (from childbirth?), so she faces the evils of a
jealous stepmother. Where is her father, the king? Not helping rescue her from
scrubbing floors.
· Cinderella:
her mother has died (cause and timing unknown), so she faces the evils of a
jealous stepmother, pushing forward her own unpleasant daughters. Where is her
father? In some versions, he’s just incompetently unaware; in others (the
Disney version), he has also died before the story begins.
· Aurora (Sleeping Beauty): technically she has
both parents, but she is separated from them at birth, for her own protection,
raised by a trio of good fairies, until she’s old enough to have outlasted the
dangerous curse following her 16th birthday.
· Ariel
(the Little Mermaid): her mother has
died (cause and timing unknown), and she defies her father, who can manage the
entire underwater world except for this headstrong daughter.
· Belle
(of Beauty and the Beast): her mother
has died (cause and timing unknown), and she has mostly raised herself, because
her loving father is preoccupied with his inventions.
· Pocahontas:
her mother has died (cause and timing unknown), and she is subject to her
father, the chief, who is loving, but not listening.
· Jasmine
(from Alladin): her mother has died
(cause and timing unknown), and she is raised by a loving but ineffectual
father, who becomes subject to the evil influence of the Vizier.
· Mulan—a
rare exception, who has both parents, both loving. She doesn’t, however,
emulate her mother, but goes to war as a man, to act in her father’s place.
· Tiana (the Frog Princess)—another
rare exception, but her father has died. She doesn’t emulate her mother, but
strives to fulfill her father’s dream.
· Rapunzel—her
parents are alive, but she was kidnapped in infancy by an evil witch who poses
as her mother, with more scary guilt-inducing manipulation than just about any
arch nemesis. She’s probably going to need therapy after reuniting with her
real, loving parents.
Is there a conspiracy? Not exactly. It is understood that
fiction needs opposition for the main character to face and get through. Lack
of a mother is sufficiently trying that, getting along without a mother and
turning out OK declares character strength in itself.
What would be good to see in literature would be a daughter
growing up with two healthy parents, influencing her appropriately, so she can
face odds with something better than either the lucky timing of a rescuing
prince or having to act like the rescuing prince herself.
And, speaking of princesses, I want to add a couple of other
thoughts. At last week’s book club, we discussed The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale. It was a re-read for me; I read
the whole Books of Bayern series when
there were only three (just learned I’m missing one). In this story, the
princess is sent to marry the prince in a larger nearby kingdom, to ensure
peace. Her lady-in-waiting and some henchmen decide to do away with her and
substitute for the sake of their own power hunger. She escapes and hides out,
becoming a keeper of the royal geese in the kingdom of Bayern. She learns and
grows her own abilities and talents (which include some magic, this being a
fairy tale). Much good is done because she lives as a commoner and comes to
understand their needs and desires.
While I was at the library getting a copy of that book, I
also picked up Princess Academy, Palace
of Stone, the sequel to Princess
Academy. The princess in this series is only a supporting character. The
main character is a (motherless) young girl named Miri, who is learning all she can and
discovering singular ways to help her people. In this second book, she and
friends are spending a year living at the palace and learning according to
their various interests.
There is a fair amount of tyrannical confiscatory taxation
going on in the kingdom, as well lack of freedom of speech, lack of representation,
and other things common in monarchical tyrannies. People are on the verge of
revolution. Miri likes the ideas of changes that will help her people, but she
also comes to recognize how rebellion is likely to affect her friend, the
princess, and others. She seeks a way to persuade people without violence—doing
surprisingly well for a teenage girl raised in the hinterlands. Again, there’s
a bit of magic involved; it’s a fairy tale. I enjoyed the story, quite a lot,
as a light summer read. But, while it shows that character matters for all
individuals, it doesn’t quite leave the princess dream for the American Dream.
I think we tell our girls they are princesses, because we
mean they are special, and valued, and we treasure them. But we don’t mean to be
telling them, “You’re born better than everyone else, so feel free to be
petulant and selfish and look down on others.” We never admire princesses (or
anyone) with those characteristics. Not even in books.
We’re Americans; we believe everyone is equal before the
law. No one is given special treatment because of aristocratic birthright. And
we can move from class to class based on effort, learning, and other measures
of success and character. It is not enough to sympathize with those beneath us.
We need to know that, in God’s eyes, everyone is His child—greater than any
princess, in truth. What we need to do is live up to that birthright, and teach
our daughters who they are and who they can grow to be.
I’d like to see a story, as entertaining and readable as any
fairy tale, that shows the love of God through the example of loving parents in
an intact family—a rare story in literature. And I’d like the egalitarian princess
to come to value her God-given individuality, not the luck of birth or outward
beauty, or the replacement of feminine gifts with male behavior instead.
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