Parentless - Not the Life You Expected it to Be

Pippi is a very interesting character. She reminds me a lot of Peter Pan in regards to his desire to never grow up and also in his acceptance, as well as his appreciation for the fact that he does not have parents. While this is true for both of them, Peter and Pippi enjoy taking on responsibility at times. I find this desire very peculiar because neither of them is required to be responsible. Both characters never want to grow up, but both live on their own, without the guidance or protection from their parents. I feel that as much as they don’t want to grow up, they are forced to in some respects, because they have no one to do anything for them. This means they have to perform certain daily duties on their own. Peter takes on the responsibility of “father” and also teaches the Lost Boys how to treat women, while Pippi wakes up and attends to both Mr. Nilsson and her horse. Pippi also cooks, cleans, and attempts to keep track of her gold. I think both of these stories bring out the irony of the idea of not having parents. While it would be nice to do whatever you would like, you may be forced to do things you do not like, which are things that your parents might regularly do if they were around. Peter Pan an Pippi Longstocking force me to cherish the presence of my parents, because by having them around, I feel like I really don’t have to grow up as fast as Peter and Pippi do, who are parentless. In my opinion, it would be difficult to remain a child for very long when your parents are not around to “baby” you or when you are taking on daily tasks in which a child your age would not normally engage.

A Relationship with Harry

Harry Potter is very refreshing after reading the Wizard of Earthsea. While fantasy is all about exploring fictional worlds, I feel that there needs to be at least something within that fictional world the reader can identify with. If there is nothing to be identified with in the fictional world, there should be an “examination” of reality by the author, as done by Rowling when she begins each book in the Muggle world. In the Wizard of Earthsea, it is difficult to form a relationship with Ged, because I feel as if his goal is to be as far from human as possible. In Harry Potter, Harry accepts that he is a human like the rest of us, but just with wizardly powers. Other than having these powers and unique adventures, he represents the qualities you would find in an everyday person. He goes to school (wizard school, but the idea is similar to school we attend), he has two best friends, he has enemies, and he plays sports. The reader is able to form a relationship with Harry, Ron, Hermione, and all the other characters, whether liked or disliked by those three main characters because of these human qualities they all have. Not only do we become involved in examining Harry, Ron, and Hermione’s friendship, but we also become a part of that friendship. I felt myself becoming angry when Harry wouldn’t listen to Hermione or when Ron and Hermione were fighting over something ridiculous. Their friendship is portrayed so well that readers know the characters need each other and it’s frustrating to us to see strife arise between them. Their friendship gets them through each book, just like the reader’s involvement in the lives of these fictional characters carries him or her through the series.

A Little About Me

Hey there. My name is Lauren and I'm an English major and Business minor and have no idea what I want to do after I graduate. My favorite book as a child was Little Bear's Trousers. I can't even tell you how many times I had my mom read that book to me. I can't really describe why it was, and still is so comforting, but even reading it now would put me at ease.