From: Ginny Kruse <gmkruse>
Date: Mon, 08 Jan 1996 17:06:00 -600

Michele commented that Fanny's father Henry was scary and that Fanny did a terrific job in protecting herself from him.
     I, too, experienced considerable anxiety for Fanny throughout my first reading of Protecting Marie. What were the origins of the tension - for me, as a reader? Why was I so tied up in knots? Most certainly Fanny is a greatly loved child. There is no doubt that each of her parents loves her and that they love each other, as well.
 They are a family of economic privilege. What is there to worry about, anyway? If I had only read Michele's comment out of context without having read the book myself, I could not guess that Fanny is a beloved and safe child. So, I ask myself again: why was the experience of reading Protecting Marie almost as chilling as the weather in it... until the end, that is. I've concluded that one of the stories below the surface of the narrative concerns the absolute powerlessness of all children. Regardless of how loved a child may be, that child's adult(s) have all the real power. The plot strips Fanny of typical childhood alliances: she's an only child = no siblings; the grandparents, extended family = not in the story; her peer group = generally unavailable due to winter vacation and the Florida trip of her best friend; "redcap" = unknown and somewhat ominous at first. It's very clear that even though Fanny is intelligent, independent and sophisicated for her age (remember her gifts to others?), she has no power that matters. This is really scary self-knowledge. Fanny began to understand it years ago when Henry "helped" her clean up her room. Fanny's protection of Marie was possible, but she could not protect the first puppy. If love is extended, can it also be withdrawn - for no good reason? What a scary thing to consider. It also seems to me that more than the plot is involved in creating the tension. Does anyone else agree that the author's characterizations of Fanny's parents, Henry and Ellen, are critical to the development of the tension? Yes, Protecting Marie is a good read, as Michele puts it, but it's more than a one-time pleasure. What contributes to Protecting Marie being one of the children's books offering much more with each re-reading, a book to return to at various ages and stages to discover other stories within its layers? ... Ginny
  ******************************************************************* Ginny Moore Kruse gmkruse at ccbc.soemadison.wisc.edu Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) A Library of the School of Education University of Wisconsin - Madison 4290 Helen C. White Hall, 600 N. Park St., Madison, WI 53705 USA FAX: 608/262I33
Received on Mon 08 Jan 1996 05:06:00 PM CST