What can be said about Harriet the Spy that has not been said about the previous novels? They all feature a young girl as the main character, there's a family dynamic, at some point there is term oil that has to be dealt with, yet Harriet the Spy is different. Could it be that her story takes place in the 20th Century? Lerer said it best when he stated, "Life in such a world is life in the already-uttered, where no statement can be taken at face value and where success comes not just through strength or knowledge but through a streetwise, bullshitty wit" (306).
Harriet relates more to Cassie Logan than any other characters we've read about. She is independent and through her notebook, she is able to express her thoughts and ideas freely. Harriet is not excluded from school bullies and the silent treatment, but it is through the advice of Ole Golly that she is able to move past it. In fact, Ole Golly seems to be more of a mother to Harriet and understand her more that her own mother. She is the person that is constantly giving Harriet advice and guiding her through life situations. She knows what Harriet is going to say or do before she does it. Old Golly reminded me of Mary Poppins. She was the fantastic nanny that disappears, forcing the child to grow up and move from adolescence into another stage of their life, the more adult stage.
Harriet's ability to deal with chaos and catastrophe is thanks to Ole Golly. She advises her one last time to lie if you have too. It seems that everything Harriet experiences throughout the book really is preparing her to be a better person and a spy.
Harriet also reminded me of Kim in the sense of having no strict parental control over behaviors of conduct. While her parents emphasis their role as her guardians, they prefer to leave all the domesticated chores to Ole Golly, thinking in all the joys of parenthood without the work.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with how you note Harriet's abilities to deal with chaos is through Ole Golly's influence. Harriet's attachment to Ole Golly is deeply psychological, and as you note, forces Harriet's growth into a more mature stage by allow her to "take care of herself".
I like that we've had a string of female protagonists in our recent books, and can track some movement in literature through that similarity. I hadn't thought a lot about comparing Harriet and Cassie, but you're right that that are definitely strong willed!
ReplyDeleteYour allusion to Mary Poppins is interesting because it also provides a stark contrast between that fantastical nanny and the strict, "no nonsense" stylings of Ole Golly. Mary Poppins nurtured her wards with inspirations of imagination, a belief in the impossible, but Ole Golly is more realistic and down-to-earth (no pun intended. She encourages Harriet's knack for creativity, but does well to compromise this for the obligations that a young child has to the authority of adults, namely her parents. She respects Harriet and treats her as an individual capable of comprehending more than she is given credit for. This is important because the "infantilization" and alienation of Harriet by other adults is what has caused this rift and refusal of Harriet to meet them halfway.
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