In the “dead fun palace “ (106) of an abandoned pleasure garden, some of the most crucial thematic elements of Angela Carter’s Bildungsroman, The Magic Toyshop, are revealed. While protagonist Melanie attempts to develop an identity for herself as an orphan in an unstable environment, Finn attempts to rationalize the chaos of his home life and pursue Melanie. The relationship of Melanie and Finn in the pleasure garden as they both endure adolescent development sets the scene for darker themes to emerge. Through their relationship and the setting, the importance of media in adolescent development is revealed as well as the ideal balance of male and female influence in society. In the beginning of the test, naïve Melanie sexual
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When walking on the chequered marble towards the Queen statue in the garden, Melanie only steps on the white squares. She fantasizes that if she manages to do this, her life will revert back to the way it was before her parent’s death. Melanie is lost and uncomfortable in the new role she has been thrust into following her parents’ deaths. Not only is she still adjusting to her own journey through puberty, she now feels responsibility over her siblings in by the morbidly dysfunctional Flower family. Her adherence to the while tiles reveals Melanie’s desire to find control in the disorder surrounding her life (with disorder represented by the broken down pleasure garden) and to make sense in a senseless situation. In contrast, Finn enjoys the decay and filth of the pleasure garden and moves through it “gracefully” (103). It seems that he is at home in the garden, and in a way he is. The vandalized mess of the garden is representative of Finn’s own home life. In his home he is oppressed by Uncle Phillip and aware of the passionate relationship between his siblings, which he aids in concealing. Like the garden, the structure of the Flower household is antiquated and falling apart. Finn accepts the mess of the garden without attempting to add order and structure as Melanie …show more content…
The statue of Queen Victoria in the garden is broken in half at the waist, with the upper torso laying face down in the dirt. She is a solitary figure as the King Albert statue has been taken away. The absence of the King Albert statue functions as a nod to history (as King Albert died before Queen Victoria and she spent the rest of her life mourning him) and also as a representation of the need for balance within a society. Just as a patriarchy hinders the growth of a society and cannot function, seen by the Flower household’s dysfunction, a matriarchy is not a plausible solution. Without King Albert to provide balance, the lone Queen Victoria, falls down. Without both of the statues standing together in perfect unity, the garden falls to ruin. While the Magic Toyshop is told from a feminine perspective with the majority of its plot centering around a female protagonist coming to age, the inclusion of the Queen Victoria statue suggests that balance between males and female is what is necessary for a successful society. Finn remarks that the King Albert statue had been there in order “to balance”(104) Queen Victoria and this need for balance goes beyond aesthetics. While the patriarchal structure of the Flower family is represented through the ancient filth of the garden, the fallen Queen Victoria represents the need for both males and females in
When walking on the chequered marble towards the Queen statue in the garden, Melanie only steps on the white squares. She fantasizes that if she manages to do this, her life will revert back to the way it was before her parent’s death. Melanie is lost and uncomfortable in the new role she has been thrust into following her parents’ deaths. Not only is she still adjusting to her own journey through puberty, she now feels responsibility over her siblings in by the morbidly dysfunctional Flower family. Her adherence to the while tiles reveals Melanie’s desire to find control in the disorder surrounding her life (with disorder represented by the broken down pleasure garden) and to make sense in a senseless situation. In contrast, Finn enjoys the decay and filth of the pleasure garden and moves through it “gracefully” (103). It seems that he is at home in the garden, and in a way he is. The vandalized mess of the garden is representative of Finn’s own home life. In his home he is oppressed by Uncle Phillip and aware of the passionate relationship between his siblings, which he aids in concealing. Like the garden, the structure of the Flower household is antiquated and falling apart. Finn accepts the mess of the garden without attempting to add order and structure as Melanie …show more content…
The statue of Queen Victoria in the garden is broken in half at the waist, with the upper torso laying face down in the dirt. She is a solitary figure as the King Albert statue has been taken away. The absence of the King Albert statue functions as a nod to history (as King Albert died before Queen Victoria and she spent the rest of her life mourning him) and also as a representation of the need for balance within a society. Just as a patriarchy hinders the growth of a society and cannot function, seen by the Flower household’s dysfunction, a matriarchy is not a plausible solution. Without King Albert to provide balance, the lone Queen Victoria, falls down. Without both of the statues standing together in perfect unity, the garden falls to ruin. While the Magic Toyshop is told from a feminine perspective with the majority of its plot centering around a female protagonist coming to age, the inclusion of the Queen Victoria statue suggests that balance between males and female is what is necessary for a successful society. Finn remarks that the King Albert statue had been there in order “to balance”(104) Queen Victoria and this need for balance goes beyond aesthetics. While the patriarchal structure of the Flower family is represented through the ancient filth of the garden, the fallen Queen Victoria represents the need for both males and females in