The Downside of Dead Parents

Stephen Bakanec 124168600

English 285 Professor atherine Bell

Bakanec 2 !o"e#$er 18% 201& Parental fig'res are one of the constants in #ost children(s li"es) E"er* child has a person that the* ad#ire and possi$l* wish to e#'late as the* grow) Parents are a tre#endo's infl'ence on how a child de"elops ph*sicall*% e#otionall*% and #entall*) agan states that +the

i#portance of identification for personalit* de"elop#ent #eans that the parents, personalit*% talents% and character% as the* are percei"ed $* the child% are of significance -to their growth.+ /1640) 1ith s'ch an i#portant role in a child(s life% it wo'ld see# o$"io's that parents sho'ld $e present in al#ost all children(s and tween literat're) 2owe"er this is not the case% instead #ost tween no"els not onl* distance the parents fro# their children $'t in #an* cases% o'tright kill the# off $efore the stor* e"er $egins) These +parents( deaths contin'e to pla* a role in children(s $ooks3 fre4'entl* these see# to occ'r less as a warning a$o't death than as a plot de"ice designed to place children in new% often precario's% sit'ations 5 or to free the# for ad"ent'res+ /6a'ch and 7aid#an 2&20) Two s'ch $ooks are 8e#on* Snicket(s The Bad Beginning and !eil 9ai#an(s The Graveyard Book) Both of these no"els feat're #ain characters whose parents die in tragic and #*sterio's circ'#stances) The #ost o$"io's reason for this a$r'pt eli#ination of a'thorit* is to allow the #ain characters to #ake their own decisions witho't the infl'ence of a higher a'thorit*) This #irrors a tween reader(s growing independence fro# their parents and their first interactions with the ad'lt world) 2owe"er% the 'se of +a$sent+ parents also ca'ses a n'#$er of negati"e effects on the te:t) B* eli#inating the parental fig'res of their #ain characters% $oth The Bad Beginning and The Graveyard Book force these characters into a position that can distance the reader fro# the te:t) Specificall*% the protagonists( adopti"e stat's and their e:perience of a lo"ed one(s death $oth act as $arriers to the tween reader% disengaging the# fro# the te:t(s narrati"e)

Bakanec 3 Parental a'thorit* is one of the #ost consistent and co##on forces in a person(s childhood) E"er*one has parents and al#ost all of those parents had so#e or a lot of interaction with their children) The e:istence of parents is a co##on attri$'te that allows children to $ond #ore easil* with each other) This #eans that a child with adopti"e parents is #ore likel* to see hi#self;herself as separated or different fro# those children who do ha"e parents as +$* 6 *ears of age -#ost. children -differentiate. $etween $irth and adoption as alternati"e paths to parenthood+ /Brod<insk*% Singer% and Braff 8=60) 8ikewise children with parents #a* see their adopted co'nterparts as a for# of +other+ as the* are in a different sit'ation) This does not #ean that children with parents $elie"e the#sel"es to $e s'perior $'t >'st that the* will #ost likel* see the#sel"es as different fro# the adopti"e child) This perspecti"e 's'all* leads to a sense of co#passion or sadness towards the other child) This is a nat'ral progression as the reg'lar child $elie"es that the* wo'ld also feel 4'ite sad witho't their parents and then applies this logic to the adoptee) The res'lting e#otion of pit* also occ'rs in $oth The Bad Beginning and The Graveyard Book) The reader pities the Ba'delaire si$lings and Bo $eca'se he;she has so#ething that the* do not and in doing so% separates hi#self;herself fro# the#) ?an* other stories feat'ring orphans also foc's on their adoption as a ke* characteristic of their e:istence as children) @n $oth of the te:ts% the protagonist(s parents die tragicall* and lea"e the# orphaned) @n The Bad Beginning this leads to the #ain characters% the Ba'delaire si$lings% $eing #o"ed fro# g'ardian to g'ardian in an atte#pt to find so#e se#$lance of a ho#e again) The a$sence of their parents forces the# to grow and adapt to a changing world) 2owe"er% their adopti"e stat'e forces the reader to see the# as +different+ and this p'shes hi#;her awa* fro# the narrati"e) This does not #ean that he;she cannot identif* with the si$lings at all $'t will ha"e a harder ti#e doing so $eca'se of the difference in parents) This effect is also #'ltiplied in The

Bakanec 4 Bad Beginning $* the constant switching of g'ardians for the Ba'delaire si$lings) !o ad'lt character is e"er gi"en a chance to ass'#e a parental role in the reader(s e*es) This #eans that the reader(s disengage#ent is constant thro'gho't the te:t) An the other hand% The Graveyard Book(s #ain character% Bod% also loses his parents tragicall* at the start of the no"el) 2owe"er% not onl* is he #'ch *o'nger then the Ba'delaire(s $'t he also #anages to get so#e adopti"e parents that sta* with hi# thro'gho't the no"el) These new parents are ghosts% co#pletel* different fro# the li"ing Bod) This again ca'ses the reader to distance the#sel"es fro# the narrati"e) 2e;She cannot reall* identif* with ha"ing ghosts for parents) This does not co#pletel* rep'lse the reader $'t does #ake it harder to connect with the character of Bo) Both The Bad Beginning and The Graveyard Book's a$sent parents p't the #ain characters in positions% the Ba'delaires with their g'ardians and Bo with his ghost parents% that ca'se the reader to disengage fro# the# and #ake the no"els a slightl* less en>o*a$le e:perience) Death is an i#portant part of $oth The Bad Beginning and The Graveyard Book) Bll of the e"ents in $oth te:ts are a res'lt of the #ain characters( parent(s death% the Ba'delaires go fro# g'ardian to g'ardian and Bod gets adopted $* a gra"e*ard) The 'se of +parents( deaths -is a co##on. role in children(s $ooks3 fre4'entl* these -deaths. see# to occ'r less as a warning a$o't death than as a plot de"ice designed to place children in new% often precario's% sit'ations 5or to free the# for ad"ent'res+ /9i$son and 7aid#an 2&20) 2owe"er% the 'se of dead parents can also alienate the tween reader as the* will #ost likel* not ha"e an* e:perience with death in their i##ediate fa#il*) 8e#on* Snicket descri$es this sit'ation perfectl*C +if *o' ha"e e"er lost so#eone "er* i#portant to *o'% then *o' alread* know how it feels% and if *o' ha"en,t% *o' cannot possi$l* i#agine it+ /Snicket and 2el4'ist 100) B reader will ha"e a #'ch harder ti#e e#pathi<ing with a character if their circ'#stances are different) @n this case% #ost readers will

Bakanec 5 not ha"e an* e:perience with losing their parents and will ha"e tro'$le connecting with Bod and the Ba'delaires $eca'se of this) The contin'al 'se of dead parents also weakens the e#otional i#pact of a their deaths in a narrati"e) 6eaders can $eco#e e#otionall* n'#$ed to the loss of a character(s parents as the* are forced to contin'all* read stories that feat're this de"ice) E"ent'all* the* #a* "iew the death of parents as a la<* atte#pt to force the protagonists on an ad"ent're and add traged* to the narrati"e) This dislike can also p'sh the# awa* fro# the te:t and #ake it harder for the# to care a$o't and connect with the characters) Dor these reasons $oth The Bad Beginning and The Graveyard Book are #'ch #ore likel* to distance their readers fro# their narrati"es $* killing their protagonists( parents) To concl'de% the a$sence of parents in a te:t is nor#all* seen as a #eans of freeing the #ain character and allowing the# to ha"e an +ad"ent're+ that the* otherwise co'ld not ha"e) 2owe"er% the erasing of parents also restricts the te:t in a n'#$er of wa*s) @t #akes it harder for readers to connect with characters that are orphaned or adopted as #ost readers wo'ld ha"e no e:perience with these sit'ations) Anl* a few readers wo'ld ha"e e:perience with adoption like in The Graveyard Book and e"en the* wo'ld not $e a$le to connect well d'e to Bod(s parents $eing ghosts) 8ikewise% #ost readers wo'ld not ha"e an* e:perience with the death of their parents and again wo'ld ha"e a harder ti#e connecting to the #ain characters) Eer* few children e"er e:perience the tragic death of $oth their parents and the s'$se4'ent change in a'thorit* to a g'ardian as in the case of the Ba'delaires) These negati"e points do not #ean that dead parents sho'ld not $e incl'ded in tween literat're as the* are a "er* 'sef'l narrati"e tool) 2owe"er% it wo'ld #ost likel* $e $eneficial if #ore tween $ooks incl'ded the protagonist(s parents as a rele"ant part of their li"es) @t wo'ld allow tween readers to connect these te:ts to

Bakanec 6 their li"es #ore easil* and gi"e the# an e:a#ple of how to interact with their parents as the* grow)

Bakanec 7 Works Cited Brod<insk*% Da"id ?)% 8eslie ?) Singer% and Bnne ?) Braff) +Fhildren(s Gnderstanding of Bdoption)+ Child Development Eol) 55% !o) & /1H840C 86HI8=8) JSTOR) 1e$) 25 !o") 201&) 9ai#an% !eil) The Graveyard Book) !ew JorkC 2arperFollins% 2008) Print) 9i$son% 8ois 6a'ch and 8a'ra ?) 7aid#an) +Death in Fhildren(s 8iterat'reC Ta$oo or !ot Ta$ooK+ Children's Literature Asso iation !uarterly 16)4 /1HH10C 2&2I2&4) "ro#e t $%S&) 1e$) 18 !o") 201&) agan% Lero#e) +The 6ole of Parents in Fhildren(s Ps*chological De"elop#ent)+ "ediatri s 104)S'pple#ent 1 /1HHH0C 164I16=) Print Snicket% 8e#on*% and Brett 2el4'ist) The Bad Beginning) !ew JorkC 2arperFollins% 1HHH) Print)

1ord Fo'ntC 15&&