The Summer People Analysis
Introduction
Fairy tales come out from the outer regions of imagination. Creating a bridge between real world themes and ingenious plots is the common ground for all fairy tales. Kelly Link sits perfectly in this category using fairy tale characteristics in her story “The Summer People”. The story begins with Fran’s father leaving her while she is suffering severe flu like symptoms. During the school week Fran’s a classmate Ophelia begins to take care of her. Little does Ophelia know there are peculiar, magical people that Fran takes care of. Kelly Link uses various writing elements that have similarities to fairy tales such as the writings that warns Ophelia or the trinkets that the summer people have created. Some critics have argued her …show more content…
A recent study explores the ways children's literature could influence the child's perception of certain life subjects. An academic journal titled “Unsuited To Age Group: The Scandals Of Children’s Literature” states, “The relationship between children and literature is one of disquiet, revealing tensions between the innocence of the idealized child and the competing ideologies of the culture in which it is situated” (Miller 136). The types of sensitive matters that are discussed in mainstream culture should not be talked about to children especially in literature. Kelly Link's stories do contain these types subjects; this is especially evident in her short story “The Summer People” where there are references to drunkenness and homosexuality. Fran states this about her father following his departure to a prayer meeting in Miami, “You've been drinking again” (Link 6). This reference to alcohol can lead the reader to assume her father is an alcoholic, and it has caused many hours of regret. Later in the story a conflict occurs when the main character Fran is scared of Ophelia touching her inappropriately. Fran tells Ophelia, “I'm grateful for the ride home and for the help at the Robertes', but I don't go for girls. So don't lez out” (Link 13). This situation is used to distinguish that there is still a lack of trust in their friendship. Although a particular audience may see this story as a fairy …show more content…
The fairy tale genre is a realm mostly filled with children as fans due to the fact that the stories are about discovering new things that require a thinking process that is uncharted. This idea that revolves around first choices and new thinking can apply to children as well as adults. Ophelia throughout the short story is told to stand up to fear and not be afraid of the unknown. On page 19, Ophelia encounters messages of advice that state, “Be Bold, Be Bold, But Not Too Bold, Lest That Thy Heart's Blood Run Cold” (Link 19). Similar in some ways to fairy tales such as Cinderella, the character is transforming herself into a new woman that is independent and free from her restrictions of servitude. According to an article by Kurt Taroff titled “Home Is Where the Self Is Monodrama, Journey Play Structure, and the Modernist Fairy Tale”, he discusses the similarities between fairy tales and other works of literature that includes adults. Mr. Turkoff states, “In recognizing the possible links between the varied forms of fairy tale, monodrama, and, more obliquely, closet drama, we are offered a glimpse not only of literary and dramatic structure but also of the pattern and experience of personal development, whatever age the spectator or protagonist” (Turkoff 343). The similarities between fairy tales and adult works of fiction can lead one to believe that if one
Fairy tales come out from the outer regions of imagination. Creating a bridge between real world themes and ingenious plots is the common ground for all fairy tales. Kelly Link sits perfectly in this category using fairy tale characteristics in her story “The Summer People”. The story begins with Fran’s father leaving her while she is suffering severe flu like symptoms. During the school week Fran’s a classmate Ophelia begins to take care of her. Little does Ophelia know there are peculiar, magical people that Fran takes care of. Kelly Link uses various writing elements that have similarities to fairy tales such as the writings that warns Ophelia or the trinkets that the summer people have created. Some critics have argued her …show more content…
A recent study explores the ways children's literature could influence the child's perception of certain life subjects. An academic journal titled “Unsuited To Age Group: The Scandals Of Children’s Literature” states, “The relationship between children and literature is one of disquiet, revealing tensions between the innocence of the idealized child and the competing ideologies of the culture in which it is situated” (Miller 136). The types of sensitive matters that are discussed in mainstream culture should not be talked about to children especially in literature. Kelly Link's stories do contain these types subjects; this is especially evident in her short story “The Summer People” where there are references to drunkenness and homosexuality. Fran states this about her father following his departure to a prayer meeting in Miami, “You've been drinking again” (Link 6). This reference to alcohol can lead the reader to assume her father is an alcoholic, and it has caused many hours of regret. Later in the story a conflict occurs when the main character Fran is scared of Ophelia touching her inappropriately. Fran tells Ophelia, “I'm grateful for the ride home and for the help at the Robertes', but I don't go for girls. So don't lez out” (Link 13). This situation is used to distinguish that there is still a lack of trust in their friendship. Although a particular audience may see this story as a fairy …show more content…
The fairy tale genre is a realm mostly filled with children as fans due to the fact that the stories are about discovering new things that require a thinking process that is uncharted. This idea that revolves around first choices and new thinking can apply to children as well as adults. Ophelia throughout the short story is told to stand up to fear and not be afraid of the unknown. On page 19, Ophelia encounters messages of advice that state, “Be Bold, Be Bold, But Not Too Bold, Lest That Thy Heart's Blood Run Cold” (Link 19). Similar in some ways to fairy tales such as Cinderella, the character is transforming herself into a new woman that is independent and free from her restrictions of servitude. According to an article by Kurt Taroff titled “Home Is Where the Self Is Monodrama, Journey Play Structure, and the Modernist Fairy Tale”, he discusses the similarities between fairy tales and other works of literature that includes adults. Mr. Turkoff states, “In recognizing the possible links between the varied forms of fairy tale, monodrama, and, more obliquely, closet drama, we are offered a glimpse not only of literary and dramatic structure but also of the pattern and experience of personal development, whatever age the spectator or protagonist” (Turkoff 343). The similarities between fairy tales and adult works of fiction can lead one to believe that if one