In Bettelheim’s writing, multiple fairy tales are analyzed and the characters are broken down psychologically. What struck me as insightful is when Bettleheim mentions the “Oedipal” relationship between the daughter, step-mother, and father in snow white. It is mentioned how the mother is jealous of the daughter for growing up to be beautiful and how this affects what happens in the story. This same sort of family dynamic is displayed in “Where are you going? Where Have You Been?” Although both of these stories are completely unrelated, this story also includes a mother resentful of the fact that her daughter is attractive. It’s almost like the author subconsciously takes this element from snow white to implement into her story. Even the father in both stories have a few similarities with how they both sit on the fence and do nothing to diffuse the tension between the daughter and the mother
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4 thoughts on “Toribio Mendez Discussion 15”
Toribio, these are wonderful observations about the Oates story and the fairytale. The adult women seem not to have passed through a necessary stage of development as they are sexually jealous of children. I’m not sure the author Joyce Carol Oates did this subconsciously because the story is full of allusions to fairytales. Some many have noticed references to “The Three Little Pigs” when Arnold Friend says he can destroy Connie’s house and to “Little Red Riding Hood” and his desire to gobble up Connie. There is also a reference to a pumpkin painted on the side of Arnold Friend’s car. Remember that Cinderella goes to the ball in a coach that was once a pumpkin. Arnold Friend’s golden jalopy fills in for the magical coach. I think the author was very cognizant of fairytales as she wrote this story. But I may be wrong about this, and maybe it was subconscious. In any event, your comments are very salient.
I would Definitely have to agree your observation. I have posted my discussion board and failed to mention the resemblance of the mother figure by itself. I was too focused on specific character traits that these stories had in common. While I acknowledge that the stories are unrelated to the plot, I moved away from that topic too fast. I totally missed the point that both stories do contain a mother figure in both positive and negative connotation.
Thank you, Toronto for quite interesting and valuable observations. I like your comparison of characters from a fairy tale and from the story “Where are you going? Where Have You Been?” There are many similarities. Narcissistic daughter, mother, weak and passive father. But unfortunately, there is no happy end here, the author shows, the consequences which can be caused by such oedipus issues. So, I hope that all of us will make their own conclusions
It was interesting to read this because I didn’t even notice that I wondered about the father. When I moved on to the second reading of Snow White, as I read, “About a year afterwards the King married another wife, who was very beautiful, but so proud and haughty that she could not bear anyone to be better-looking than herself” I thought “and he didn’t notice or do anything to stop her?” Also, when his daughter disappears, he doesn’t try to look for her or ask where has she been? I for one love fairy tales/childhood stories but I feel like they should’ve shed a little light as to why he wasn’t more involved.