“Forever” Young – A Grandmother’s Influence

In Judy Blume’s Forever, which is set in the 1970s, Katherine Danziger straddles the transitional moment between adolescent teenager and mature adult. During the novel, she graduates from high school and gets her first job, all while navigating her first serious relationship. Through her experiences, Katherine accurately depicts the consuming nature of adolescent life and the teenager’s striving for a fully developed self-identity. Throughout the novel, she utilizes the narrative as a confessional, establishing an intimate relationship with her audience and a unique archetype of the typical teenage experience: Katherine is immature, inexperienced, and inconsistent.

In her struggle to achieve self-knowledge and self-definition, Katherine undergoes moments of progress followed by revealing setbacks while imitating the model of maturity presented to her by her adult family members. More specifically, Katherine’s grandmother establishes a model of maturity defined by openness, responsibility, and wisdom. By presenting maturity as tolerant and accepting, Katherine’s parents and grandmothers are characters upon whom Katherine can depend and understand and whom Katherine subconsciously models in her journey towards adulthood.

Katherine’s grandmother, Hallie Gross, provides the novel with a definition of maturity that includes both frankness and impartiality. She is a lawyer and a feminist rights activist, which comes across most apparently in her direct and unembarrassed view on sex. On multiple occasions, Hallie advises Katherine to be careful with sex and with her body in open conversations. She refuses to hedge around the potentially awkward ‘sex talk’ and treats Katherine like an adult – it is this treatment that forces and enables Katherine to gain maturity in her mindset and in her actions.

Also, by not treating sex as a taboo subject, Hallie importantly establishes herself as a trustworthy source of advice – both for Katherine and the reader. She also talks directly about the danger of sexually transmitted diseases, which imparts to Katherine the importance in being both knowledgeable and realistic about sex. Importantly, Hallie also recognizes Katherine’s thinly veiled embarrassment in talking about sex. By approaching the subject first, Hallie tries to show Katherine that sex is nothing to be embarrassed about. Hallie does not allow Katherine to pretend that she is not embarrassed: although she doesn’t drag out an uncomfortable conversation, Hallie prevents Katherine from deceiving herself and her grandmother and thus establishes a model of maturity that is self-aware, honest, and open.

By establishing this model of maturity, Hallie indirectly influences Katherine’s ability to handle her first relationship and her first breakup. Although hard to accept and hard to do, I believe that Katherine is ultimately able to move past her breakup with Michael because she has her grandmother’s model and advice to rely on. Where Katherine starts off the novel (i.e. immature and flighty and totally unprepared), she would not have been able to handle the relationship in the first place, never mind the breakup!

What do you guys think? Do you think Blume put Hallie in the novel to push Katherine to grow up?

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Ferris Bueller’s Teenage Model

Ferris Bueller, in John Hughes’s Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, represents the stereotype of teenagers as snarky, arrogant, and disrespectful. Throughout the film, he flouts traditional images of authority, while stringing along his girlfriend and best friend with him. Integral to Ferris’s deviance is his ability to and success in performance, an aspect that allows him to deceive others and excel in getting what he wants.

At the very beginning of the movie, Ferris provides the audience with his first performance, that of being sick. He acts out an entire farce, including sad sniffles and pathetic coughs combined with a falsely heroic attitude, to his seemingly oblivious parents. This scene catapults the movie into a comical recording of his variance performance, all of which have some aspect of defiance against the adult world. For example, Ferris refuses to take his day off alone and, as such, decides that he must get his girlfriend, Sloane, and his best friend, Cameron, to join him. Despite Cameron being actually sick, Ferris is able to not only convince him to come along, but also convinces him to perform as well. In order to get Sloane out of school Cameron pretends to be her father (with an obnoxious, uppity voice and all) and fools the principle in the same way Ferris has. Sloane, too, is drawn into the elaborate performance, mourning for her “dead grandmother.” Even more, Ferris picks Sloane up from school himself, revealing his blatant disregard for potential consequences and his arrogant disrespect and disbelief in the principle as an authority figure: he and Sloane even make-out in front of the school, enacting out a pseudo-incestual scene. This scene in which Ferris successfully convinces and enables his friends to join him comically demonstrates the conception of teenage deviance as rampant, dangerous, contagious, and yet still totally irresistible.

the three delinquents themselves

What do you guys think of Ferris and his “friendly” antics?

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Twilight – More Incest Than Romance

Here’s a clip from the movie that I think demonstrates Edward’s paternalism – he’s patting her on the head!

After writing my thoughts on Fifty Shades of Grey, I started thinking about how E.L. James initially wrote it as a Twilight fan-fic. I hadn’t read the first novel in Stephenie Meyer’s series in years and decided to take another go at it. I noticed some things this time around that I definitely did NOT catch back in my tweenage years.

What struck me the most while reading it now was how creepy the relationship between Bella and Edward actually is. Yes, I can see why it has become such a phenomenon – it is clearly a love story that overcomes all odds. But beyond that, Meyer endeavored to create the perfect boyfriend in the form of Edward and, my question is, why does she portray “the perfect boyfriend” as a semi-pedophilic stalker? Sure, Edward is a vampire so he’s instantly glorified in his stoic mysteriousness, but that does not change the fact that he is so much older and more experienced than Bella – he constantly takes advantage of and condescends down to her because of her unquestionable naïveté! This creates an imbalance in their relationship that, in actuality, gives Edward the role of father more than boyfriend…

Meyer reinforces throughout Twilight that Bella is effectually parentless – her mom lives on the other side of the country and Bella takes care of her dad more than he takes care of her. Thus, Edward takes on the role of Bella’s father as both teacher and protector. He is the one who introduces Bella to new worldviews and experiences. He is the one who, let’s be blunt, stalks her in order to make sure she’s safe. Throughout the first book and the entire series, Edward obsesses over Bella’s safety – he’s really the one with the proverbial shotgun on the porch, not Charlie. He goes to such extreme extents to ensure she’s safe that it even makes Bella uncomfortable at times! Sure, she’s relieved when he saves her from the thugs in the back alley, but she does question why he was there and how he knew where she was. Edward’s vampire ability to read minds only helps him “protect” Bella all the more effectively – in my opinion, this seems like it would be more stifling than reassuring. Through Edward’s obsession as her protector, Bella really loses all personal freedom not only in their relationship, but also in her entire life.

What I find the creepiest of all, though, is Edward’s paternal reluctance to have sex with Bella. Ok, I get it – he’s afraid he’s going to hurt her or eat her alive, but that doesn’t explain his stubborn inability to even talk about sex with Bella. In Twilight, Bella is the one who pushes for sex but, in the only conversation that they actually have about it, they don’t even mention sex! They dance around the word itself, making the conversation feel more like an awkward “birds and the bees” type of talk than a conversation about mutual sexual attraction. Even more, Edward doesn’t really listen to Bella at all – he just resolutely sticks to his own decision on the subject and refuses to even consider Bella’s wants and needs. Does that really sound like a conversation held among equals? I didn’t think so…It gets worse though! During this rather uncomfortable conversation, Edward physically treats Bella like a child – while she expresses her sexual frustrations, all Edward does is pat her on the head. Because, you know, that’s neither paternal nor condescending, right?

Ultimately, I find Meyer’s portrayal of Edward and Bella’s relationship problematic at best. I obviously thought Edward’s paternalism the most disturbing, as it suggests an aspect of incest that I don’t think belongs to “the perfect boyfriend,” but there’s more to it. Even Bella’s extreme dependence and obsession with Edward is disturbing. I can see why Twilight is considered the quintessential love story in today’s pop culture but, after re-reading it, I honestly wish it wasn’t. I also am not sure what I think about the movies – while I don’t think the pedophilic/paternal/incestual aspects of the relationship are on the forefront in the films, I can’t help but feeling that they can’t (and perhaps even don’t want to) escape Meyer’s original vision of Edward as “the perfect boyfriend” completely.

What do you guys think? Am I reading too much into this? Or is the relationship really more creepy and off-putting than it is romantic?

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Not only a background image…

Here’s the background image to Churning Pages – I took it myself and included some of my very favorite reading elements. Firstly, there are books – what a shocker! These are some of the favorites that I have and will read over and over again. Secondly, there is tea – if tea is involved, then I am instantly comfortable and in the mindset to read. And thirdly, there is the perfect quality of light that only happens mid-afternoon – I love to read at this time because it means that I have a whole lot of reading time left to go!

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Milton has the answers

Check out this awesome pic from “Nostalgic For Now” — if that doesn’t perfectly describe a bibliophile, I’m not sure what does

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Fifty Shades of Feminist Debate?

So after about four days, one of which involved 6 hours on a plane from NY to LA, I have finally finished all three of EL James’s BDSM/erotic novels, aka the Fifty Shades trilogy. Sitting on a small, cramped economy class seat on American Airlines while reading all about Ana’s sexual exploits with Christian Grey was something that I can’t say I’ve ever experienced before…and not something I would say I didn’t enjoy. Let’s be honest though, if you get into it, I can’t imagine many places in which you wouldn’t enjoy these vicarious experiences. However, even while reading the books, I have to admit that I did notice some facets of the relationship (and even the characters themselves) that came with a hint of anti-feminism.
Firstly, did anyone else notice that practically every single woman in the novel is described as absolutely gorgeous? Everyone from Ana and Katie to the mothers are just stunning! Granted, Ana doesn’t think she’s very gorgeous, but Christian makes it very clear that he does and, ultimately, his opinion is the one that really matters. Even this inherent self-doubt (along with the whole Ana is a virgin who must be educated by her more experiences and “superior” boyfriend spiel) seems to be an anti-feminist trope — only through the man’s most affectionate attentions can the girl realize her true worth. I mean really? But this mindset doesn’t just end with the relationship between Ana and Christian, even Katie gets wrapped up into it! Even though she starts out as a strong female character (she’s gorgeous, she knows it, she knows how to use it, she knows to be proud of it, and she knows that there’s more to her that her appearances), once Katie meets Christian’s brother Elliot she turns into mush! Honestly, there is nothing in the plot that necessitates Katie to relinquish her strength as a feminine character in order to get the man of her dreams.
And secondly, Ana as a professional sends the reader mixed signals. After landing her job at Seattle Independent Publishing (SIP), Ana fights to keep her work life separate from her admittedly all-consuming…hrm…personal life. In this, Ana actually upholds feminist ideals – she wants to be able to maintain her own financial independence and to achieve her professional goals through her own effort and merit, not through Christian’s obese piggy bank. However, despite Ana’s frequent and usually emphatic complaints and refusals, Christian still goes behind her back and buys SIP! In fact, he not only does it, but gets away with it with not much more than a sulk from Ana — now what is that saying about Ana’s effectual power in the relations? Well…it basically demonstrates that her power is ineffectual at best. Time and time again, Christian wants to do something (i.e. buy a publishing company, give Ana a car, etc.) and Ana refuses, but Christian inevitably wins. Every. Single. Time. Sure, Ana may get some little “triumphs,” but let’s be honest here, they are really consolation prizes in comparison with Christian’s wins. For example, despite all of her initial protestations, by the end of the novels it is implied that Ana accepts Christian’s purchase of SIP and the power that gives her as an “employee.” So here, the Fifty Shades trilogy ultimately demonstrates that Ana’s professional success is contingent upon her relationship with Christian and his money!
Alright, now to take a step back — despite these two setbacks, I don’t agree with some critics who say that the BDSM sex aspect of the novel is anti-feminist. Such critics assert that the BDSM only strengthens the stereotype that women should be submissive, pliant, subordinate, and obedient. I think that these critics might be missing the point — what’s so anti-feminist about a woman exploring her sexuality? In fact, it might be even more oppressive to not allow women the option to explore BDSM! Limiting women’s sexual options is akin to limiting their professional and even health options. Ultimately, isn’t feminism about allowing women to have the ability to choose, whether it pertains to their work, their families, or their sex lives?
I can clearly see some of the drawbacks of the novels, which definitely do need to be discussed. However, just because there are some contradictory and maybe even backward messages inherent within the novels’ relationships, I don’t think that we should write off the trilogy. There are some very empowering aspects to the novels as well, from Ana’s professional aspirations to her ability to protect herself and her friends with a gun to her growth into a self-confident female force. And even being able to see the novels’ limitations can be beneficial — increasing recognition of assumed anti-feminist tropes can be used to decrease the prevalence of these assumptions. As a whole, I think that the trilogy sends a strong and important message of female sexual freedom and fulfillment.

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Hello World!

Well hello there, Internet – this is officially my first post as an official blogger. Just to catch everyone up, I am currently re-reading Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series – and by re-reading the series, I mean the ENTIRE series. I’m also in the middle of 50 Shades of Grey by E.L. James (what a shocker!). I’ll be posting my thoughts soon…

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