Discuss the way that children's literature works variations on the theme of 'the missing parents

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Discuss the way that children's literature works variations on the theme of 'the missing parents'.

Children’s Literature covers many different themes; war, fantasy, mystery, etc. Many themes are apparent to the younger reader, whereas some are more likely to be noticed by an adult reader. This means that children’s literature is accessible to all ages, with different pieces of information within the text becoming clear each time it is read. After studying various children’s texts, a key theme, that most, if not all books shared, was noticed. In these texts the theme of ‘missing parents’ was prominent, though in some texts it has been modified to a more general, ‘missing adults’. Often the first thing a story does is to remove the adult influence, leaving the child to solve problems on their own. This is regarded as important in most cases, as these stories are usually about the child’s transition into adulthood.

The Secret Garden is a prime example of a children’s text that centre’s around the theme of ‘the missing parents’. Mary Lennox is a sour faced, sickly child who was born in India to wealthy British parents. Unwanted by her parents, Mary is left in the care of a servant, Ayah; after an outbreak of cholera, Mary loses her parents and is shipped to England. Once at Mistlethwaite Mary is left to her own devices, she is told of her Uncle who is still grieving his Wife that died a decade earlier. So grieved is Lord Craven that he constantly travels in a hope to avoid the painful memories that haunt him. Mary discovers her Aunts garden that was locked forever by her Uncle; after hearing wails in the night she finds her cousin Colin, also neglected by his father. Colin believes that he is unwanted as Lord Craven will not get close to him for fear that like his wife, Colin will die too.

The story ends with Mary having tended the garden, rejuvenating the plants and flowers, and also Mistlethwaite itself. When Mary arrives in England she is incapable if doing the most basic of tasks, she quickly has to adapt to the changes around her. Once in the care of a servant, now she is alone with only Martha taking an interest in her. The Secret Garden then, is about Mary’s transition from a spoilt, unwanted child, to an accepted niece and cousin, who during her transition has managed to restore life to the garden, the Manor and her remaining family. The ‘missing parent’ theme is very prominent within this text, not only does Mary lose her parents, but on arriving in England, she is also abandoned by her Uncle and the servants, left to her own devices with very little adult contact.

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Another children’s classic that famously explores this theme is Enid Blyton’s ‘The Famous Five.’ Three of the children Julian, Dick and Anne are siblings, who during their holidays are sent to their Aunt Fannys and Uncle Quentins. George is the tom boy daughter of Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin, whom has a dog called Timmy. The five (four children and the dog) spend their holidays, from their boarding schools, having picnics, ginger beer and adventures. Each character has a different personality, this enables the books to more accessible to a wider audience as a child reader can associate with ...

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