The Representation of Subjectivity and Agency in the Toy Narratives - Assignment Example

The Representation and the Exploration of ivity and Agency in the Toy Narrative in the Works of Milnes Winnie-the-Pooh, Ursula Dubosarskys Abyssinia, Rumer Goddens "The Dolls House" Introduction The world of children is full of fantasies and toys are an integral part of this fantasy world. Children regard their toys as living beings that are part of their lives. They not just play but also form a bond with them. So, numerous children’s books depict toys as living beings that have desires, beliefs and opinions. These books give wings to child’s imagination. The imaginary worlds, created by the author, where toys walk, talk and express their emotions, thrill the inventive mind of children. The books “Winnie-the-Pooh ” by Milne “Abyssinia” by Ursula Dubosarsky and “The Doll’s House” by Rumer Godden present toys as living characters in the plot of the story. The toys are alive and feel the emotions that are experienced by human beings. In the book “Winnie-the-Pooh”, the central character is a bear and the plot revolves around his adventures. The book “Abyssinia” focuses on the lives of two sisters, who bonded very well with each other. They spend their time playing with their doll houses which were built side by side. Doll’s house is the central theme of the book “The Doll’s House”. In this book, the doll family is yearning for a suitable house where they can live happily. Although their wish is fulfilled, the doll family is not happy, as the new member in their family is spoiling their amicable existence. All the three books represent and explore subjectivity and agency through their toy narratives. The feelings, beliefs and thoughts of the toys are expressed in the books. As far as agency is concerned, the toys do not act, they are made to act by the human characters in the play. In this paper we will analyze the toy narratives in these books by concentrating on the use of subjectivity and agency in the plot. Winnie-the-Pooh The book “Winnie-the-Pooh” explores the world of a bear known by the same name. Winnie-the-Pooh is a toy bear who is loved by children all over the world. This book presents this toy as an adventurous bear, also known as Pooh. Pooh looks silly but his actions reveal his wisely knowledge. The opening lines of the book point towards his silliness. “Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump…… It is, as far as he knows, the only way of coming downstairs, but sometimes he feels that there really is another way, if only he could stop bumping for a moment and think of it.” (Milne, pg.4). The narrative employed in the book, looks at Pooh as a bear who is expressive about his feelings and thoughts. “Winnie, the Pooh sat down at the foot of the tree, put his head between his paws and began to think.” (Milne, pg.3). He is inquisitive about the world in which is living. “You don’t get a buzzing-noise like that, just buzzing and buzzing, without its meaning something. If there’s a buzzing-noise, somebody’s making a buzzing noise, and the only reason for making a buzzing-noise, that I know of is because you’re a bee.” (Milne, pg. 4). All the characters in the book are toys, joining Pooh in his adventures. The playful lives of all these characters are presented in a language that attracts children. The adventures in the Pooh’s life may be related to ordinary events but the methods employed by Pooh and his friends can be applied to complex problems in one’s life. “The beauty of Pooh is that the various escapades are usually rooted in the ordinary: birthday presents and parties, feeling hungry and looking for food.” (Ellis). The toy characters in the book are expressing their feelings, solving problems encountered in course of Pooh’s adventures and displaying a variety of emotions. Toys, who behave and think like children, engross the reader, as the subjectivity in the narrative is revealed through an array of emotions. The different views of the character regarding a problem reveal their personalities. The actions of Pooh and his friends may seem childish and hilarious. But when they are seen from a different perspective, their behavior expresses their true self. Each character symbolizes a human trait. “On an even deeper level, these pretty lovable characters can also represent the various parts of self within each of us. At times we act out of one or another of these styles, which together make up the whole of who we are.” (Hove). The subjective view of each character aids in understanding the individuality of the character. These characters with their limited knowledge endeavor to know about themselves and the world surrounding them. Although their learning techniques and the inferences drawn from their experiences may seem very inane, their inferences can be linked to our thoughts and implications of other things in our lives. The narrative is simple so that children can understand the language easily but the characters are so vividly portrayed that even adults are fascinated by the adventures of Pooh and his friends. The author creates the imaginary world of Pooh with such expertise that the reader forgets about the inanimate status of Pooh and his friends, and starts looking at them as living beings who have their own way of looking at the world. The language used to describe the life and adventures of Pooh is rich with imagery. “The words flowed on, sweet as honey. Milne proved an eloquent and sophisticated writer, and the adventures of Pooh perfectly delightful absurdities.” (Torode). Each character is different from the other, and their dissimilarity presents different perspectives of a particular incident. The simplicity with which the views of the characters are elaborated in the book, captivate the reader. As we read the book, the images of Pooh, engaging in ridiculous activities appear before our eyes. “We are enchanted by the stories of Pooh pretending to be a storm cloud, getting stuck in Rabbits hole, and saving Piglet from a flood, amongst other things, and every story has a happy ending.” (Dera). The subjectivity in the toy narrative is represented through the expression of the thoughts by the characters. The individual thoughts of Pooh and his friends aid in comprehending their true nature. Although these characters act and behave in a manner that exposes their idiocy, they are trying to know about their world in their individual ways. Whether it is the tiger, the rabbit or the piglet, each has qualities which make them to differ from others in their views and behavior. The toy characters and the forest they are living are so vibrantly depicted by the author that we visualize Pooh’s world in our mind. “Milne fires your imagination in such a way that you could almost smell the leaves in Hundred Acre Wood or a jar of honey in Poohs house.” (Butcher). The author breathes life in these toy characters and through subjectivity highlights the distinctiveness of each character. The Doll’s House The Doll’s House narrates the story of a Dutch doll, Tottie Plantaganet. “This is a novel written about doll’s house. The chief person in it is Tottie Plantaganet, a small Dutch doll.” (Godden,pg.1). Tottie Plantagenet belongs to two girls Emily and Charlotte Dane. The girls have chosen the other members of Tottie family. “Emily and Charlotte had chosen two other dolls to be Tottie’s Father and Mother; their names were Mr. Plan and Mrs. Plantaganet, but Mrs. Plantagenet had another name and that was Birdie.” (Godden, pg.2). Tottie’s family is complete when a little brother and a dog are added to her family. The dolls in the novel are presented as living beings who behave as human beings. Each doll had its own thinking and behavior. The dolls are presented as if they were alive and breathing. Not only the dolls are animate, they also have a past life which has influenced their present behavior. Mr. Plantaganet was abused by his former owners and this has affected his behavior. He always fears that he may have to face similar abuse in his future, so he is apprehensive about his future. “He was still easily made afraid, afraid of being hurt or abused again. Really you might have thought that Tottie was the father and he was the child; but there are real fathers like that.” (Godden, pg.5). Even Mrs. Plantagenet has a past which makes her head to rattle. The dolls differ from each other as far as their behavior are concerned. Each doll has its own way of thinking. The girls also think and talk of the dolls, as if they are living beings who have their likes and dislikes. When the girls dressed Mrs. Plantagenet, they considered Mrs. Plantagenet’s likes and dressed her according to that. “I think she likes them large and bright” said Emily. Tottie and the other dolls experience the feelings that are characteristic of human beings. The only difference between them and the human beings is their inability to convey their feelings. The dolls cannot act; the human characters in the novel make them to act. “Dolls cannot choose; they can only be chosen; they cannot “do” they can only be done by.” (Godden, pg.3). This inability to act on their own creates problems for Tottie and her family. Tottie yearns for a proper home and as if the girls understood Tottie’s feelings provided her family with a nice house. But Tottie and her family have to deal with the cruel ways of Marchpane, a beautiful doll who arrives in Tottie’s new house. The feelings, worries and fears of Tottie and her family members are very well captured in the narrative of the novel. The thinking of each doll when Marchpane arrives in their family provides a subjective view of a threat to their family. The agency in the narrative is performed by the actions of human characters. They are the ones who carry out the actions of the dolls. They are the ones who make the dolls to feel that they alive and breathing. “The other important fact about those doll people was that they yearned to be played with. That is what made them alive, that is what they were for.” (O’kefe, pg.18).The dolls longed for the affection of the humans; this proves that they thought and acted like human beings. Tottie and her family members share a bond with the girls who own them. In the same way, Emily and Charlotte love their dolls and look after them properly. “But Tottie has been ours always” said Emily. “Even before always” said Charlotte.” (Godden. Pg.6). Tottie and her family members were aware of the fact that Emily and Charlotte cared for their happiness. So when Emily and Charlotte face problems, the dolls wish for the well-being for their owners. “Her first children’s book, The Doll’s House is a about a family of dolls who long for the freedom and independence for the girls who own them.” (Bernice, Cullian & Person, pg.323). The dolls reciprocate the feelings of their owner and are concerned about their happiness. The lives of the dolls are interrelated to the lives of Emily and Charlotte. The hardships that Emily and Charlotte have to undergo due to their family circumstances are represented by the problems of Tottie and her family members. The emotional development of Emily and Charlotte are depicted through the struggles of Tottie to protect her family from the cruel intentions of Marchpane. “The Doll’s House offers a particularly vivid opportunity to consider the lives of the doll characters as representations of the emotional development of the relationships between Emily and Charlotte.” (Rustin). Tottie and her family members have different views about Marchpane; similarly Emily and Charlotte view the adults in their lives from a different perspective. The subjective thoughts of the dolls, Emily and Charlotte are presented in the novel. The dolls cannot act independently; they depend on Emily and Charlotte for carrying out their actions. “Like children, the dolls cannot act independently, but they can feel and wish for rooms of their own and comfortable feather beds.” (Yarrow). They can only desire for a thing strongly and hope that their desires are understood by the girls. “They must wait to be chosen by their human owners and can communicate with them only through the intuitive, almost telepathic vehicle of wishing.” (McDowell, pg.56). Although they cannot express their feelings to the girls, the doll had their own thoughts and behaved differently from each other. The dolls experienced emotions that are similar to those felt by Emily and Charlotte. “The emotion and poignancy of human relationships dramatically mirrored in the personalities and actions of her dolls.” (Silvey, pg. 276). The subjectivity in the toy narrative in the novel is represented, through the varied feelings of dolls, Emily and Charlotte and the agency is represented through the dependence of dolls on the girls for their actions. Abyssinia The tale of two sisters whose lives are connected to their doll houses is depicted in the book. The two sisters, Mary and Grace loved each other, and when Mary disappears suddenly, Grace struggles to cope with the loss of her sister in her life. The situation of Grace is reflected in the doll’s house. The doll’s house embodies the lives of the children, Grace and Mary. After the disappearance of Mary, Grace grapples with her life in a strange world of dolls, bells and whistles. “Intentionally mysterious and difficult to make…. dolls and children, whistles and bells, the novel appears to be mirroring the jumbled mind and emotions of Grace, a little girl who is left alone to make sense of how to go on living after her beloved older sister dies.” (Edwards). The feelings of Grace are depicted through the lives of the dolls in her life. The doll house is a central part of her life and she keeps on remembering it throughout her life. The author refers to Grace as a “very very old lady with nothing to do but sit and gaze at the sea and that she would always remember ‘the doll’s house” and tears would fill those old, old eyes.” (Dubosarsky, pg.72). The memories of her sister are connected with the doll’s house. The subjective views of Grace about her life, disappearance and later death of her sister, Mary, are presented through the actions of dolls. The toy narrative in the book focuses on the haunting aspect of the doll’s house and it’s similarity to the lives of the girls. The circumstances in the doll’s house bring forth the situation Grace finds herself after some mysterious happenings in her life. The dolls are presented as mysterious beings that keep on reappearing in Grace’s life. Conclusion The imaginative world of children is full of improbable things and situations. Children not just play with toys but share a complex relation with them. These relations of children with toys are depicted in the books, “Abyssinia” by Ursula Dubosarsky and “The Doll’s House” by Rumer Godden. The other book “Winnie-the-Pooh” portrays the adventures of a toy bear, the Pooh. These toy characters in the book are alive and have their own subjective views and behave like human beings. They are expressive about their feelings and thoughts. In the “The Doll’s House”, the doll family struggles to save the peace and harmony in their lives. In this family, each doll has its own personality. The dolls can think but cannot act; they can wish but cannot convey their wishes to their owners. The agency in the narrative is influenced by the human characters. Pooh and his friends in the book “Winnie-the –Pooh” try to know about their world through their limited knowledge. Their thoughts point towards their different qualities. The subjectivity in the story is revealed through the varied views of the characters. In the haunting tale, “Abyssinia” the lives of the two sister are connected with the doll’s houses they play with. The subjectivity in the book is presented through the actions, thoughts and feelings of dolls and Grace. Works Cited Butcher, Asa. Forget Disneys hyphenless Pooh. Ovi Magazine. 2 April 2008. 18 November 2008. http://www.ovimagazine.com/art/898 Dera, Deborah. Childrens Books: Winnie-The-Pooh by A. A. Milne. Associated Content. 1 October 2001. 18 November 2008. http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/399277/childrens_books_ winniethepooh_by_a.html?cat=4 Dubosarsky, Ursula. Abyssinia. Viking. 2003. Edwards, Jacqueline. ABYSSINIA Ursula Dubosarsky. Kliatt. 1 March 2006. 18 November 2008. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Abyssinia.-a0143627590 Ellis, Sian. Winnie-the-Pooh (Book Review). HISTORYNET.COM. 18 November 2008. http://www.historynet.com/winnie-the-pooh-book-review.htm Godden Rumer. The Dolls House. 1976. Hove. Jacob. Taoism, Part 1: Pooh & Friends, Seeking Oneness, on the Road to Iraq. 22 September 2002. 18 November 2008. http://www.pbuuc.org/worship/sermons/sermons0203/taoismpartone.html Milne, A.A. The Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh. Dutton Juvenile.1996. McDowell, Kathleen. Kid Culture: Children and Adults and Popular Culture. Pluto Press Australia. 2000. O’kefe. Deborah. Good Girl Messages: How Young Women Were Misled by Their Favorite Books. Continuum International Publishing Group. 2000. Person, Diane G., Cullian, E. & Person, Diane. The Continuum Encyclopedia of Childrens Literature. Publishing Group. 2005. Rustin, Margaret. Narratives of Love and Loss: Studies in Modern Childrens Fiction. Karnac Books. 2001. Silvey, Anita. Childrens Books and Their Creators. Houghton Mifflin Books. 1995. Torode, Sam. Lessons from a Bear of Very Little Brain: The Place of Childrens Literature in Education. 18 November 2008. http://www.boundless.org/2005/articles/a0001152.cfm Yarrow. Rumer Godden, an Author Who Evoked Her Childhood in Colonial India, Is Dead at 90. The New York Times. 10 November 1998. 18 November 2008. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E5DF1E3EF933A25752C1A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all Read More