The Woman Who Loved The Moon Analysis

Same-sex relationships have always had a difficult time being represented properly in the media. Society seems to naturally resist change, so this lack of acceptance is likely to be encountered. Until recently, homosexuality has been widely considered unacceptable by the general population. Even though today society is far more accepting of the practice, there is still considerable resistance to it. Despite the fact that the media seems to have a difficult time properly representing same-sex relationships, author Elizabeth A. Lynn has been properly representing these relationships since she started writing. One of her works, The Woman Who Loved the Moon represented one of these relationships. The Woman Who Loved the Moon represented same-sex …show more content…
Lynn’s The Woman Who Loved the Moon can show how same-sex relationships are not unusual is when the story is compared to other stereotypical fairy tales that are similar to it. Fairy tales such as Snow White and Sleeping Beauty depict heterosexual relationships. In each of them, they follow a brave prince on a quest to save the princess from evil, winning her love in the process before the two ride off into a “happily-ever-after.” The Woman Who Loved the Moon definitely shares similarities to this type of story which can be uncovered through intertextuality. Like in fairy tales, The Woman Who Loved the Moon depicts the development of their relationship. While it does have its own “happily-ever-after”, but this is the cave beneath the ocean which Sedi takes Kai to, as “time is different there than it is beneath the light of the sun”. However, The Woman Who Loved the Moon has differences as well, and these differences are more realistic than what is expected in fairy tales. It revisits this “happily-ever-after”, but this is after Kai’s death and the appearance of her shade, presenting the concept of love transcending death. Also, typical fairy tales follow a brave knight or prince and a helpless female princess, a “damsel in distress”. However, The Woman Who Loved the Moon follows two very capable female warriors. On top of that, only one of the characters is human while the other is a magical being originating from the moon. Finally, Kai comes to love Sedi in a different way than most fairy tales. While most fairy tales depict the “prince” winning the heart of the “princess” through some act of bravery, Sedi wins Kai by casting a spell on her. Also, Kai had a valid reason to hate Sedi as she had killed Kai’s sister, so the odds of Kai falling in love with Sedi normally were very little. Overall, The Woman Who Loved the Moon deviates quite a bit from traditional fairy tales, and the relationship detailed in the book is the primary