Wow….I mean, wow. First it must suck being the child of a king and queen that absorbed in themselves. It’s not even a case of “because I’m so perfect, it’s only natural that I produce perfect offspring.” It was more like these incredibly narcissistic people were so marvelous, they outshined absolutely everything. Their “beauty” is a lot like Leck’s Grace: it blinds and distorts the minds of people. The queen is just like the Wicked Stepmother from Snow White- obsessed with her own beauty. The father hides behind his Lancelot-like charm- slowly descending into a perverse madness. And like Leck, he craves his daughter. These parents are unnatural, it’s probably a good thing that Lissar had very little to do with them for most of her secluded life.
It’s a good thing that she has Ash. Clearly that dog is her anchor to the real world; Ash keeps her grounded and sane. When she’s afraid, Lissar looks to Ash for protection. When Lissar went into her own form of madness after her father’s…..er….declaration; she disappeared into her mind. Ash was the only real thing she was aware of. And she lost all hope when her father attacked the dog to get to her. I’m hoping that Ash is okay, because even though she’s not human, she’s the closest thing Lissar has got to family. And of course, a best friend.
While I was reading, I also saw the king and queen’s beauty as a power very much like Leck’s Grace. Leck’s power allows him to almost lull his people into a sense of security, while the king and queen have a “radiance and sunlight” about them that blinds people to their actions and numbs them from their own feelings. I think at one point it’s even mentioned that the people were so content with the rulers of this land that it brought peace across all seven kingdoms, as if they used the power of their beauty to strip the public of all emotions aside from their love of the king and queen.
ReplyDeleteLissar in this instance is much like Bitterblue. Although we don’t see Bitterblue until after she is rescued by Katsa and Po, it’s assumed that she was also under her father’s power until she saw his true character. As a child Lissar, too, is blinded by the power her parents emanate: “During those early years of her life she worshipped her parents more than anyone, except, perhaps, her nursemaid.” This power they maintain over their daughter seems to only be dispelled after the queen dies, when Lissar comes to the realization that she doesn’t even grieve for her mother.
Unlike Leck, though, her power does not seem to fade, perhaps because she immortalized herself on canvas. The people are described as feeling a sense of unease despite its magnificence when passing her portrait, as though capturing her beauty served to trap and maintain the power she held in life from beyond the grave.
Hmm . . . a very thought provoking discussion. Why is literature full of violent fathers/abused daughters?
ReplyDeleteI totally agree that Lissars mother is like Snow White’s mother. I think there may be implied connections between Snow White and Lissar that we have obviously picked up on later; for example, Lissar goes through her transformation when she falls into the snow and into the arms of the Moonwoman. This being said, I sometimes wonder if Lissar’s mother was really all that evil; I think that in the first chapter we find Lissar remembering her mother trying to teach her a game. Perhaps her magnetic beauty is just that; magnetic, and not bewitching. If taken in this context, Lissar might simply fear becoming her mother; into a complacent wife who is only recognized for her beauty and not her other traits. This being said, Lissar might also fear her mother’s gaze because it is the visage of the woman who was married to her father, and the woman she is destined to reflect one day. As you said, thank goodness for Ash, though. I think that Ash, like you said, is supposed to be similar to Lissars anchor to reality. To me, if she never had Ash, I doubt that Lissar would find the will to survive later on.
ReplyDeleteCiara, spot on! I would have never seen that, now that I think about it. I always thought of Bitterblue as a kind of wild child in the same way.
Also, Lisa! I find that there are also many examples of strong father/daughter relationships throughout popular and high culture.