Harriet
the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh was quite different to me than the past two
novels that we have had to read for children’s literature. The books The Birchbark House and Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry both have
protagonists that have to deal with rather serious problems in their lives.
Omakays from BBH helps her family with their daily life and eventually helps
most of her family survive a smallpox epidemic. In her daily routine Omakayas’
chores are not just busy work but provide essential things such as hides for
clothing or food for the family. Cassie must learn the harsh lessons of racial
bigotry and struggles to reconcile with the status quo in RoT. Although her family is landowners they are
still very poor and struggle to pay bills, which is a crucial part of the plot.
Harriet on the other hand does not really have any serious issues to deal
within her life. Her family appears to be at least upper middle class and
everything she needs is provided for. She has a nursemaid and the household has
a family cook who begrudgingly makes Harriet her favorite sandwich for lunch
everyday.
In the BBH and RoT neither Omakayas
nor Cassie create their own problems. Both of their concerns are come from
external forces that they could never had control over in the first place.
Omakays and Cassie did not create disease, colonialism or racism. Abd those are
some pretty issues to deal with as children. Harriet on the other hand created
her own problem and the problem is not even that serious. As I was reading HtS
I had no empathy for her situation whatsoever as I did with Cassie and Logan. I
felt that she was just a spoiled brat who got herself into trouble by writing
mean things about the people around her. I’m not going to feel bad for a gossip
getting caught. The ending somewhat surprised me in that the big lesson for her
to learn was empathy but it was too anti-climactic.
One thing I did like about Harriet the Spy was the character of Ole
Golly. My toes hurt with joy from her quote dropping.
Harriet seems pretty much the epitome of the "spoiled little rich girl" archetype. I like your comparisons between Harriet and Okayama and Cassie, and your note on how neither characters created their own problems. Part of why I enjoyed her story so much was how modern and relate-able it was, dealing with the mistakes we make in our adolescence and the lessons we shouldn't ignore.
ReplyDeletePoor Harriet-not! I agree, infact I pretty much thought that her friends were to forgiving. I don't think the book teaches the right lessons. Although, I don't see Harriet as a bully, necessarily, I think her character has no filter. She doesn't recognize that just because you think something, doesn't give you the right to say it or write it. The power in the word remain whether they be spoken or written. Harriet, as you state, creates her own problems. They are not real problems, they are manufactured and completely avoidable. It's hard to have sympathy for a character who is snarky and rich.
ReplyDeleteAngela Robinson
Although I agree that Omakayas and Cassie arguably had more serious and difficult issues to deal with, I would also argue that Harriet had serious issues to deal with too. It's hard to compare Harriet's situation to Omakayas' and Cassie's situation because they are completely different situations. Harriet is the way she is because of her family issues. Although she doesn't seem to be aware of the issues consciously, she constantly makes remarks about her loneliness when everyone leaves, and how Ole Golly is the only one that actually listens to her. She has two parents who don't really pay attention to her, and her only parental figure leaves out of the blue. She might be living a comfortable life financially, but emotionally she has a lot going on. Although I wouldn't say that her situation is equally as difficult as Omakayas and Cassie's situation, I think that Harriet's issues are still important and present in many households today. Family life plays an important role in the development of a child, and this novel touches on these issues.
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