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taylorbbookreviews · 10 months

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Using “Travels with The Snow Queen” to Reinvent a Fairy Tale

By Taylor Byrd

Introduction

For this project, I was inspired by the Kelly Link story “Travels with the Snow Queen” to write a modernized version of the Eros and Psyche myth. “Travels with the Snow Queen” is obviously a spin on the Hans Christian Anderson tale “The Snow Queen.” Link creates a story that follows an adult Gerda trying to rescue her boyfriend, Kay, who has been taken by the snow queen, but at the last moment she decides to leave him there and work for the snow queen. The Link story is set in the present day and includes a lot of references to more adult problems faced by the pair. In my story, which is also set in the present day, Psyche completes the labors set before her by Aphrodite to get Eros back, but in the end realizes that Eros was never really worth it and finds a new job and passion for herself. She leaves him, and becomes friends with Aphrodite, choosing instead to chart her own path.

I liked the idea of a modernized fairy tale, with the moral changing slightly in order to make the tale more adult and realistic. Julia Pimental writes “It turns out that the true evil of this tale is Kay himself, and Gerda does get her revenge eventually. In this way, although it happens differently, the same concept of good being better than evil but never overcoming it, is still present. The ending is similar to Andersen's: it is not happy as in a Disney fairy tale sense, but it is meaningful and has a purpose.” I took inspiration from the way she changed the ending to make it more realistic to the real world and made the ending meaningful but in a different way to the original tale. Instead of showing innocence and love saving Kay, he is stuck in the mess he made, and Gerda has realized how capable she is in her own right and that she can have a life outside of him. I made a similar ending to my story, with Psyche getting to have her own career and being her own person, outside of Eros. He ends up alone in the mess that he made, while Psyche is succeeding on her own. I also liked the idea of the male lead not being a protagonist as well, but an antagonist holding the main character back, that must be let go of. Kay was not evil, but he was keeping Gerda stuck in a relationship that she was not happy in. And in my story, Eros is not evil, but he does begin to hold Psyche back from her potential. I also liked the friendship between her and the Snow Queen, with the queen no longer being an evil creature. Similarly in my story, I made Aphrodite not a vindictive, jealous obstacle, but someone who Psyche looks up to, and who grows into a relationship with. In the end, she trades a relationship with Eros for a friendship with Aphrodite, the same was Gerda trades a relationship with Kay for a job with the snow queen.

In the Link story, the main female character, Gerda, shows much more agency, and in the end, changes the story to make herself happier. I also liked her writing style and how snarky and sarcastic Gerda was. Jonathan Thornton writes “The story is full of hilarious one-liners, thoughtful interrogations of the fairy stories that reduce women to prizes to be won by a male hero regardless of the suffering they are put through, and wonderfully sarcastic asides, including one where she imagines setting up a travel agency to help these women.” I took inspiration from the feminist narrative of the story to give Psyche more agency in the story, and not have her go running back to Eros in the end, but rather decide she is happy on her own, and finds purpose in doing what she loves. In the end of “The Snow Queen” Gerda realizes she likes adventuring and decides to make a career of it. Along the course of the story, Psyche realizes she likes to write and that all of the tasks Aphrodite gave her were preparing her to pursue a career in writing. I also took inspiration from the sarcastic commentary she makes and gave Psyche many similar lines. The story is very comedic, and does not take itself too seriously, which I also tried to do in my story, by making it fun and light. Overall, I tried to find a similar tone and message to “The Snow Queen” and make a retelling similar to Kelly Link’s.

Works Cited

Pimental, Julia. “The Snow Queen Travel Agency.” The Snow Queen: Literary Interpretations, 2011, bu.digication.com/the_snow_queen.

Thornton, Jonathan. “Kelly Link Bends the Rules of Fiction Like No One Else.” Tor.Com, 27 July 2023, www.tor.com/2023/07/27/kelly-link-bends-the-rules-of-fiction-like-no-one-else/.

Eros and Psyche and Aphrodite

I smile at the camera in my face as I unwrap the next present, heartily thanking the follower who sent it. I glance at my mom, hoping we’re almost done. I’ve been 19 for a total of eight hours and all I’ve gotten to do is open presents from our followers, mostly things I don’t want or wish I didn’t have to see. But my birthday is one of the biggest events on our channel this year, so I have to make a good show to make sure we don’t lose followers. Especially since we haven’t gotten to do any “new boyfriend” episodes because of me.

The Green Family Vlog Channel has been my entire life. From the moment my mom had her first ultrasound, the world has been watching me. My first steps, my first words, all my birthdays, every Christmas, every first day of school, my driver’s test, and my high school graduation can all be found on YouTube, none of them with any less than a couple million views. And I am so sick of it. I almost wish I had been born hideous, not disfigured hideous to give my parents more to talk about, just plain ugly, so they couldn’t put me on the screen. But I came out gorgeous, giving my parents the perfect child to farm content from.

I shouldn’t whine so much. Oh, you’re beautiful and get free stuff from strangers, your life must be so hard. And my life isn’t so bad, especially compared to some. But I’d like to see anyone else make a video at 12 years old about their first period. Actually, no I wouldn’t.

Finally, we reach the last gift. I unwrap it, heartily thank the sender for their generosity, then reiterate how grateful I am for each and every one of our followers and their well-wishes on my birthday, and then I tell them to like and subscribe. Mom finally puts down the camera. “That was great, baby!” She says, “Just perfect! Now we’ve got a while before the party, so go do that facial treatment I got you, we have to make sure you look your best today!”

I go upstairs to my room and flop down on my bed. I would scream into my pillow, but I can’t make unnecessary facial expressions, because they’ll give me wrinkles. Or at least that’s what Mom says. I pick up the facial treatment and see Aphrodite on the box. Literally. Aphrodite is a fashion and beauty influencer famous for her treatments that supposedly can work miracles. Nobody knows her real name, or anything about her other than her alias. I envy her. Getting to decide when you appear on camera, and what you look like, and how much people know about you must be amazing. I would kill to not have anybody know my real name.

I open my laptop and go to the Discord server I recently joined “Kids of Influencers and Vloggers.” I haven’t written anything in it yet, just casually lurked. It was nice to know there were other people like me out there, who got fed up with their lives being broadcast to the world. Nobody uses their real names, of course. You never know who could be an influencer parent trying to stir up drama, or some reporter trying to get a story on us. To them, I’m just “NormalRed,” a play on my name, Psyche (psycho) Green.

Today I’m feeling especially bitter, so I type “I wish I could just be nobody. I wish I could escape this circus.” I get a dozen or so replies, all agreeing with me that the life of a nobody must be a charmed one.

A minute later, I get a private message from “Cupids_Arrow.”

“You don’t know circus until you’ve been around my mother. But being nobody isn’t all you think it is.”

“Are you kidding? My mother is the circus queen. And I would give anything to be a nobody.”

Who does this guy think he is? He doesn’t know me, or my life. But one thing did intrigue me. Why is he a nobody? Most influencer parents can’t wait to shove their kids in front of a camera. It’s the biggest cash cow there is.

We talked back and forth for a while, until I finally get up the nerve to ask why he’s a nobody if his mom is an influencer.

“Let’s just say I don’t quite fit in with her brand.”

“What does that mean?”

“She just doesn’t want to make her followers think that anything in her life is defective.”

Why would he be defective? A kid is a lot of money, but a kid with a disability is that times ten. Unless his mom is some kind of health and wellness guru, in which case it might hurt her brand. Or maybe she’s a beauty influencer and he’s ugly? I want to find out more, but he changes the subject.

“So, what are you going to do once you get out from under your parents’ thumb.”

I hadn’t thought about it. I genuinely never considered there might be a universe where I don’t do this for the rest of my life.

“Not sure. I don’t even know how I’m going to get out of here.”

“Well, you said you’re 19. You could get a job and move out. Try to go to college?”

“Maybe”

“Just think about it. They don’t want you to think you have options, but you do.”

“Crap, my party starts soon. I have to go.”

“Okay, we can talk more later. Happy birthday.”

I had gotten a lot of “happy birthdays” today, but this was the only one that felt genuine.

“Thanks”

I logged off, careful to cover my tracks in case my parents went through my laptop to make sure I didn’t have any bad habits that they could make videos about. I did the facial treatment quickly, practiced a few smiles to make sure they looked pretty, but genuine, then went down for my party.

Throughout the entire thing I basically ran on autopilot, going through my usual motions of smiles, laughs, and gratitude. But all I could think about was Cupid. He was the first person I ever felt like I could be myself with. The first person in my life who saw me and not my face or my fame. I was intensely glad when the night was over with, and I could go back to my laptop and talk to him some more.

For weeks, every spare minute I had I spent talking to him. Eventually, he told me his real name, Eros, and I told him mine. Whoever his mom was, she really did keep him out of the spotlight, because I had never heard his name before, and I don’t think you could forget something like that. It sounded a bit familiar, though, like from an old fairy tale or something.

We also ended up trading phone numbers and would call each other late at night and talk. I asked if we could Facetime once, just so I could see him, but he staunchly refused, saying that if I saw him, it would all be over. I don’t know what he meant by that, but I just went with it. I know I was asking to get catfished or kidnapped or something, but I didn’t want to lose the only real friend I’ve ever had.

“What if I got you a job?”

It was almost midnight, and I was half asleep, so I didn’t register what he had said at first.

“What?”

“What if I got you a job? Would you be able to leave them?”

“Well, eventually, but I would have to save up to have somewhere to live, so it might take a while. And how would you get me a job, anyways.”

“You could come work for my company.”

“What? Your company? How old are you, again?”

Sirens went off in my head. I thought he was around my age, but what teenager owned their own company?

“I’m 20, I promise. But I made a dating app a couple of years ago, and it ended up being a big hit, so I was able to make a company around it. I could get you a job there, something not too bad with a decent paycheck.”

“I don’t know...”

“Come on, please? I just don’t like the thought of you being there, with them taking advantage of you. Plus, we give a pretty big sign-on bonus so you would be able to move out immediately.”

“Are you sure about this? I mean, I don’t even know you that well, I’ve never seen your face.”

“I know, but trust me, it’s for the best. I promise, I just care about you and want to help you.”

It sounds truly insane, and to any normal person this would be unthinkable, but unfortunately for me, my life has never been normal. And if I stayed in this house any longer, I was going to lose it.

I took him up on his offer.

I now had a job and a decent bit of money to my name, so all that was left was to get out of there. My mother had long ago mastered the art of the guilt trip, so I knew if I tried to tell her I was leaving not only would I stay, but I would tell her all about Eros and give her my money. I had to do this without her knowing.

I packed up everything I could carry and left in the middle of the night. I knew my parents would have a field day with my kidnapping, so I made it very clear I had run away. I left a note telling my parents that I was leaving of my own volition and did not want to contact them anymore. I also made sure my room was as neat as possible, to make my exit look intentional.

I found a fairly cheap apartment that was nice enough for the price, and moved in. And I started my job, which was basically taking numbers from a list and plugging them into some program. It was boring, but easy enough.

I settled into my new life fairly quickly. I discovered the true joy of deciding what I eat, what I wear, and what I do. But I was also a bit bored, with all the extra time I wasn’t spending on camera or trying to be prettier. One day I Googled “stuff to do with free time” and found a bunch of different things to try. I found out that I really liked writing. I liked to make up stories, or just write about what I had done that day. I liked writing about what I saw or felt. It was freeing, in a way.

There were so many things that were better about my new life. But there was one thing that hadn’t improved. Eros. I assumed once I was out, whatever was going on with him would stop, and we could just hang out normally. I was sadly mistaken.

Eros also started coming over, but only at night, and with the agreement that I would keep the lights off. He still refused to let me see his face, and I was getting even more curious about what was wrong with him. But he would shut me down whenever I tried to bring it up. We still talked, but lately, he had started sitting closer and closer to me while he did. I would try to tell him about my life, and he would just start talking about how lonely he had been that day and how glad we were together. I was starting to get the feeling that he would rather be doing something else than talking.

Turns out the feeling was warranted.

“Yeah, I wrote this story the other day about a girl who travels to the end of the world, and I’m thinking about submitting it to this magazine to-”

And then he leaned over and kissed me.

I jumped back off the couch, away from him. He couldn’t let me even finish my sentence? I had had enough. It was one thing when we were just friends and I had never seen him, but it was another thing if he wanted a relationship. And if he wasn’t going to listen to me, I wasn’t going to listen to him.

Screw it. I reached behind me and turned on the light.

He jumped then, and went straight over the back of the couch, and landed on the floor. I ran around to make sure he was okay, and...

“Okay, what the actual FUCK?”

He had wings. Giant white angel wings were sprawled across my floor. I was almost too distracted by them to notice how hot he was. Almost. But he had wings?

“Psyche, I can explain-”

“Explain that you have wings. WHO ARE YOU?”

“My name is Eros. I’m the god of love.”

“Eros. Eros.”

I am so stupid; how did I not connect that? The “dating app” “cupids_arrow?”

“But wait, you’re Eros like Eros? The actual Greek god?”

“Yes, I am the immortal god of the myths.”

Holy shit, he was a real god.

“Your mom. Your mom is Aphrodite. Does that mean that Aphrodite is, like, that Aphrodite too?”

“Yes, my mother is the Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, also known to you as the influencer Aphrodite.”

This was even more impressive to me than the fact that I had been talking to a god for months.

“Now, if you are done freaking out, I think I broke my ankle.”

“You’re a god.”

“I can still be injured, even if it's just by a couch.”

“You have wings, for Christ's sake, just fly! In fact, fly right out of here, because I don’t want to look at you anymore. I cannot believe this; I can’t believe you! You are a liar and you tricked me, and you are a dick, Eros!”

“But, Psyche, I lo-”

“Don’t you dare say you love me. You don’t lie to and trick someone you love. Besides, you don’t really know me!”

“I’m sorry! I-”

“GET OUT!”

He scrambled up off the floor, limped to the window, and flung himself out. At that moment I don’t think I cared if he hit the ground or not, but, sure enough, he flew away. I sat down on the floor and put my head in my hands. I knew there was something weird about this situation, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I don’t think I could have ever guessed it would be this.

I stayed there all night, trying to work through...whatever had just happened. I guess I fell asleep at some point, because when I opened my eyes there was light coming in through the blinds, and an utterly stunning woman sitting on my couch, drinking a cup of coffee.

“Ah, good morning!” She smiled.

I guess I was still foggy from last night, so it didn’t immediately register that there was a strange woman just sitting in my apartment.

“Oh, please don’t freak out, it will just make this whole thing take much longer than necessary and I have as much desire to be here as you do to have me here.”

“...Aphrodite?”

“Ah, so you aren’t a complete idiot, excellent. That will make this faster.”

“What are you doing here?”

“It is my understanding that my son has recently become quite...enamored with you. And last night you pulled a little trick that left him limping home with a fractured ankle and heart. Well, the ankle was obvious, but he says his hear hurts worse.”

“Look, I never-”

“I’m not done. Normally I completely condone a good heartbreak, however, this is my son we’re talking about. I have to look out for him. He is hurt and I am hurt by extension. And you are the one who managed to hurt two gods. So where does that leave you?”

I wasn’t exactly a Greek mythology scholar, but I knew a few stories, and the people who pissed off the gods didn’t usually end up super happy. They usually ended up dead or turned into various animals.

“However, we are both willing to forgive and forget, and Eros will come flying right back to you. Under one condition. I have a few...favors I need done.”

Yikes. Being turned into an animal was usually preferable to doing a god a favor.

“And if I don’t do these favors?”

“You never see my son again, and you lose your job with him. Not to mention you will have made two powerful enemies.”

Huh. Eros royally pissed me off, but he was still my friend, and I needed someone to talk to. And I didn’t know where I was going to be able to get a new job. Plus the whole enemies part wasn’t really appealing to me either.

“Okay, what do you need me to do?”

“Come with me.”

She snapped her fingers, and I was in a blank white room. In the middle was a laptop sitting on a table. There was no door.

“I have a little gala I need to attend today, and while I get ready, I need you to go through all of my Instagram “following” and remove anyone with fewer followers than me, because that’s embarrassing. Then go through my “followers” and remove anyone ugly. See, it’s bad for my brand if the people using my products or following my advice don’t look, well, like us. I need all of this done by the time I come back.”

“When will you be back?”

“Not sure. You’d better hope this is a complicated look, otherwise it might not be long.”

With that, she vanished into thin air, leaving only a shower of gold sparkles behind. I knew I didn’t have much time, so I got to work. The following tab was easy, but I had no clue what her benchmark for “ugly” was. I probably deleted a few more than were strictly necessary, but I thought it was better to be safe than sorry. It wasn’t fun work, but I got done right as she appeared in front of me again, looking even more stunning than before.

“I’m back! Let me see how you did!”

She scrolled through them both for a while but seemed satisfied. When she was done, she smiled up at me.

“Excellent work! I’m impressed! Now, onto your next task.”

A slip of paper appeared in her hand, and she started reading from it.

“I need you to find a size small, high-quality, deep fuchsia-not dark fuchsia-deep fuchsia, cross-back, cropped, Aran-knit sweater with bell sleeves and a deep V-neck collar. Got that? Good. You have $100, and you can’t leave the city or look online. Go. You have three hours.”

She snapped again, and this time I was outside on a busy city street, alone. I had to wonder if there was any person or job that was worth this. But I had a job to do.

I ran in and out of various department stores, boutiques, and malls trying to find exactly what she described, but it seemed hopeless. Especially considering I was just working off of my memory with no confirmation that I was even looking for the right thing. I almost lost all hope that I would ever be able to find this crazy specific sweater. But finally, at a place called “le mouton d'or,” I found it. The exact sweater. And, it was $75. I grabbed a size small, ran to the counter and payed. As soon as the casheir handed me the reciept, I was suddenly back in my apartment with Aphrodite. She grabbed the sweater from my hand and said “Truly excellent work, this is exactly what I was looking for.”

She looked at me a moment, as if actually seeing me for the first time. “You really are more than a pretty face. You have quite a mind too. And you’re resourceful. Not to mention you haven’t complained once about any of this. I respect that. I can’t stand people who whine and moan over every little task.”

I was floored by the compliment. Aphrodite respected me? Really? I was more shocked to realize I respected her too. Even though these tasks seemd inane and crazy, I liked that she was fighting for her son, and even if this was for her too, she was still cared about his happiness and what he wanted. I kind of wish my mom had been a little more like her.

“Okay, I usually do four of these things, but since you’re growing on me, I’ll cut one. So, for your final task, I need you to get a lipstick for me.”

“A lipstick? What kind?”

“Oh, not just any lipstick. This lipstick is designed and produced solely for Emma Sumer, editor of Mod Magazine. It is supposedly perfect in every way, and I need it, but nobody will sell it to me. Convince her to give it to me, and you’re free and clear.”

Okay. Get a lipstick. Not too hard. All I had to do was get a lady to give me a stick of lipstick. Shit. Fashion people are really terretorial about their makeup.

Aphrodite left again in a shower of golden sparkles, and I was alone. She hadn’t given me a time limit this time, but I assumed I didn’t have long. She also hadn’t told me that I couldn’t use the internet this time, so I figured a Google search was safe. I looked up where the Mod office was, and got an address. I hopped on the subway then speed-walked the rest of the way. I reached the building, and walked up to the front desk.

“Can I help you?” “I’m here to see Emma Sumer.”

She laughed in my face. “I’m serious. I need to talk to her.”

“What’s your name?”

“Psyche Green.”

“Oh, are you that girl from the YouTube channel?” “Yes” I said through gritted teeth.

“Wait a minute. I actually do have you on her books today for an appointment in 10 minutes. That’s odd, I don’t remember writing that. But I guess I can take you up to her.”

Thankfully, Aphrodite decided to not make things too hard on me. She took me up the elevator to Emma’s office, where she was sitting regally at her desk, almost like a cartoon villain. All she was missing was a cat in her lap.

“Ah, you must be Psyche. Here to convince me to give up my lipstick?”

“Apparently I am.” “Well, go ahead, I’m all ears. But I have to warn you, Aphrodite has been trying to get her hands on this for a very long time, so your chances are slim.”

On the way over here I had thought up a few reasons to give her why she should hand over the lipstick, but it suddenly all seemed naive and silly. What reason could she possibly need to give it up? Instead of any of my pre-planned answers, my whole story came pouring out. What my life was like with my mom, meeting Eros, running away, and my tasks for Aphrodite. I was just so tired that I just asked her to let me have it, so I could be done. Truth be told, I realized I didn’t need Eros that badly anymore. I just didn’t want to lose the respect I had gained from Aphrodite.

When I was done, I figured I had screwed up monumentally, and there was no way she would ever give it to me, and that Aphrodite would just turn me into a worm or get me fired and make me go back to my mom or something.

But, slowly, she began to nod.

“I understand perfectly.”

She reached into a desk drawer and pulled out a small golden tube. She handed it to me carefully, and all I could do was stare, open-mouthed.

Aphrodite appeared in her usual golden sparkle shower. I wondered idly if she ever got tired of the dramatics of it.

“You’ve done well, Psyche. You completed all of the tasks with grace and tenacity. You may return to your life, and Eros. But I do have another offer.”

“What’s your offer?”

She turned away from me towards Emma and said “See, isn’t she persuasive? And she has an excellent memory, a good eye for beauty, and quick hands.” “Yes, I do like her, and if she is really everything you say she is, then I am in.”

“In? In for what?”

“How would you like to come work for me as a reporter, Psyche?”

“A reporter? Like an actual job writing for you?” “Yes,” Aphrodite chimed in, “while I was at your apartment I found some of your writing on your laptop, and it was quite good. And these tasks have just proven to me that you would be excellent at this job. What do you say?”

“What about Eros?” I asked, but even this protest sounded weak. Eros had been losing his appeal after spending more time with him, and realizing I could have other friends.

“If I am being perfectly honest, he is an idiot. You know he could have changed his appearance to hide his wings a long time ago? But he insisted on being dramatic and keeping up this charade with you. And he just wants you to be his girlfriend because he thinks you’re pretty. He doesn’t see you for who you are. I do. You are an intelligent, capable young woman, who could do great things if you will only let yourself. Anyone would be lucky to have a friend like you.” “I do have to tell you that it won’t be easy. It will be hard work, late nights, and you will have to be willing to sacrifice some things. But you would be able to write about whatever you wanted.” Emma said, “That being said, I do have an idea for your first article. What it’s like to grow up on the internet, perhaps? But it’s completely up to you if you take the job at all. You can do whatever you like.”

A choice. And a friend. I wasn’t all that familiar with the concepts, but I could be. Besides, what was life about if not exploring new things?

“You know, I think I’d really like that.”

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taylorbbookreviews · 11 months

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The Power of "Anything"

By Taylor Byrd

“The Anything Box” is a short story by Zenna Henderson that chronicles the encounter of a young girl, Sue-Lynn, and her teacher, the narrator, with the so-called “anything box.” The teacher first notices that Sue-Lynn is holding something small and invisible, and staring intently into it. The teacher becomes curious about the box and Sue-Lynn's obsession with it and begins to watch her to determine what the box is. She tells two other teachers about it, Alpha and Marlene, and Alpha concludes that Sue-Lynn has “a deep personality disturbance.” However, the narrator decides that the concept is much more innocent than that. She concludes that inside, Sue-Lynn is seeing her heart's desire. Later, Sue-Lynn allows her teacher to look in the box, and the teacher does see her heart’s desire in it. But after, Sue-Lynn begins acting much more disinterested in the world around her, and much angrier with the other kids in her class. She becomes constantly entranced by the anything box and never pays attention to anything else. Finally, the breaking point comes when she tries to enter the box but is stopped by her teacher, who tells her that the box is not real, and merely a product of her imagination. Afterward, Sue-Lynn becomes unable to find her box and becomes lethargic and uncaring. The teacher regrets taking her belief in the box from her and wishes she could give it back when she finds the box in the bottom of her desk drawer. She contemplates keeping it for herself, but in the end, gives it back to Sue-Lynn, after making the girl promise to never try to enter it again.

“The Anything Box” is an interesting story that draws the reader in from the beginning and makes them want to uncover the mystery of the box and see what happens to Sue-Lynn and her teacher. It is incredibly immersive, with realistic imagery that transports the reader to this world and keeps them there for the whole story. Henderson draws from experiences that everyone has had growing up in school to make the story relatable and uses satirical elements to expertly criticize the American school system.

The anything box creates a compelling mystery that leaves the reader hanging on throughout the entire story. As the reader uncovers the mystery of the box with the narrator, their curiosity grows with hers. They, too, want to find out the nature of this mysterious box and what exactly it can do. The story gives just enough detail at the right times to keep the reader guessing and wondering what will happen next. And when the box goes missing, the reader despairs with Sue-Lynn and the teacher, hoping that they find it. The ending of the story also creates a satisfying conclusion, with Sue-Lynn having her box back and sharing it with the teacher. Even though the reader never finds out if the box is real or not, by the end the answer does not matter, because it is real to them and provides comfort.

Within the story, there are many things that the “anything box” can represent, which allows each different reader to connect with the story differently. The box can represent a child’s imagination, innocence, creativity, or even neurodivergence. But they are all things that every child has had taken away from them or been judged for by education systems that want them to grow up and stop behaving like children. This variety makes the story more powerful by allowing all readers to connect with it and use their own experiences to identify with Sue-Lynn. Everyone remembers a time when they were made to give up a piece of their childhood and made to grow up even though they were still a child, and this story connects all those experiences with the box. No matter what each reader’s life has looked like, they can find something in this story that they recognize, and that makes it a truly beautiful experience.

The satirical nature of the story also serves to criticize the educational system very effectively. With the way the other teachers like Alpha want to pathologize Sue-Lynn's behavior and fit her into a neat box (but not an anything box), and the way that even though her behavior is not disruptive in any way, they still see it as disturbing, the story paints a clear picture of the flaws in schools. They want to take away Sue-Lynn's childish nature and make her behave more maturely, despite her still being a child. They see her active imagination not as a strength but as a deficiency, the way many teachers today will only acknowledge certain strengths in the classroom, such as math or science. Even though this story was written in the 1950s, it is still incredibly relevant today because kids in the school system deal with these issues.

I think that the story also conveys the power of imagination very well. Sue-Lynn has many problems within her family, including economic problems that lead to her father robbing a convenience store and going to jail, along with having other siblings who require her mother’s attention more than her. She needs to have a way to escape, somewhere where life is good and happy, and it does not matter that she is a “robber daughter” as one of her classmates calls her. So, she creates her anything box, where she can see her heart’s desire right in front of her. But, as she sinks further into it, she almost disappears entirely, showing how becoming too obsessed with something that is not real can be detrimental. In the end, the teacher also realizes how important it is for Sue-Lynn to have an escape because she realizes life can be too much to handle sometimes, especially for such a small child.

Overall, Zenna Henderson’s story “The Anything Box” creates a fantastical but realistic world that makes the reader hang on to every word she writes. Everyone has dealt with what Sue-Lynn is experiencing on some level, and everyone knows the way the American education system tries to take away childhood and imagination to create children who all fit into the same box. This story creates a perfect criticism of schools that transcends generations and a connector between all its readers who can remember a time when their imagination saved them. Henderson has created a beautiful story that speaks to how powerful imagination and creativity are in a world that wants to stomp it out.

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taylorbbookreviews · 11 months

Text

Taylor Byrd

Dr. Nachtwey

ENG 346

20 September 2023

Morality in “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas”

The Ursula K. Le Guin short story “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” begins by describing a perfect society, where everyone is happy and at peace all the time. There is no disease, no war, no violence of any kind. Everyone has exactly what they need to thrive. Much of Omelas is left up to the reader’s imagination, with them being able to decide what exactly this perfect happiness looks like, as a “perfect society” looks different to everyone. However, as the story progresses, there is one more detail about Omelas which is revealed to the reader. Somewhere in this perfect society, there is a child who is locked in a room, and not allowed to leave. It is neglected and malnourished, with nothing to do but sit there in its filth. The happiness of the people of Omelas is dependent on the suffering of this child, and if it is given so much as one act of kindness, all Omelas would be destroyed. The people know that the child is there and that it is suffering, they tell their children about it when they become old enough. Everyone understands that the child must suffer for them to be happy. However, some decide that they cannot be complicit in this system and decide to leave Omelas. They do not know where they are going, or what else is out there, but they do know that they cannot stay and allow this child to suffer for them. The ones who walk away are never seen again, and the reader is left to wonder what awaits them on the other side.

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” expertly captures the moral issue that accompanies living in a society where the happiness of some is dependent on the suffering of others. Where billionaires can buy their fifth home while their employees are unable to feed their families. And how even the average person can enjoy low prices on clothing made possible by those working in sweatshops for pennies a day. While society today might not be perfectly happy, there are comforts that are enjoyed that would not be possible without taking advantage of someone more vulnerable. There are those who choose to ignore it and pretend that it does not happen, much like those who remain in Omelas. And there are those who choose to opt out of these things, in a way, by not ordering from these companies, or not supporting people who are known to mistreat their employees, but this does nothing to actually change the harm to these people. Just like in Omelas, the people leave, but they do not try to do anything to help the child who is suffering.

Not only does “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” present an ethical dilemma, but Le Guin also paints a vivid picture of this society through the details she gives. While she leaves much up to the reader’s imagination, the image of Omelas that she wants the reader to have is still very clear. While giving explicit details in some moments, and others simply telling the reader to do what they wish, Le Guin paints an extremely realistic society. Because “happiness” looks different to everyone, allowing the reader to imagine what they wish makes them able to fill in the blanks with what would make them happy, and make them enjoy the ideo of this society more. While it might be hard for anyone from today’s world to see such a society as realistic, it is still believable and understandable when you have the right guidelines, and Le Guin gives those guidelines. And while Omelas as a whole is sometimes described very vaguely, she is incredibly specific when describing the suffering child. This shift in detail makes the image of the child that much more jarring and makes the audience step back and see it for the atrocity it is.

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” is also very powerful in its effect on the reader, leaving them thinking about it long after they have closed the book. Not only does it present them with the issues in their own society, but it makes them question if they would confront the ugly truth of Omelas or continue being happy. Would they stay, would they go, or would they try to free the child? Would they sacrifice the happiness of so many people for one child? Would they continue to sacrifice the child for happiness? Not only does it make them question these hypothetical situations, but it also makes them question if there is anybody in their life that they are making suffer for their own happiness. It makes them wonder if they, too, are complicit in systems that further oppression and misery, Not only does the story make the reader confront deficiencies in their society, but it also makes them confront their own selves, and the deficiencies within. Questioning their own morality and reality is one of the most powerful things an author can do to their reader, and with “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” Ursula K. Le Guin does it perfectly.

“The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas” is a powerful, thought-provoking story that captures the reader’s imagination and presents them with a moral issue that makes them question their own morality and the world around them. It hooks the reader in and makes them see the perfect and happy world of Omelas as believable, then shows them clearly what this happiness depends on. This makes the reader confront their own morality and question what they would do in this scenario. Not only that, but it also draws comparisons to society today and makes the reader consider their own life and their effects on others. Ursula K. Le Guin crafts a brilliant story about happiness, suffering, and society’s complicity in the suffering of others.

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