Introduction
Parenthood is one of the central elements of personality socialization, which lays the child’s primary skills in communication and interaction with the environment. For this reason, it is so important to provide effective and pedagogical education and training that stimulates the child’s successful and harmonious development. Otherwise, a parent risks educating a psychologically unstable and unhappy member of society. It seems obvious that the problem of parenthood is considered a very common challenge for adults and is reflected even in fiction. The central object of research in this work is the play Into the Wood by James Lapine, which assesses the quality of parenting in the context of character development. In particular, the play supports non-effective parenting by the unwillingness to recognize a child’s rights and deprivation of their liberty. On the contrary, the work examines parenting strategies when discussing issues of trusting relationships with a child and shows a deep mental connection with the inner desire to help the child. Thus, this essay is aimed at a critical analysis of the play to determine the role and quality of parenting in it.
Look at the Shortcomings in the Upbringing of Children
At first glance, it may seem that the central idea of this literary work is a humorous retelling of famous fairy tales integrated into one universe. There are interesting dialogues between the characters of the play, and their adventures are like a traditional fairy tale, in which difficulties and obstacles contribute to the development of the character. However, an attentive reader will notice that in almost every scene described in Into the wood, the main plot conflict is tied to the problem of the relationship between parent and child.
More specifically, it should be noted that Jack’s mother did not like her son and could not understand and make his decisions. From the very introduction of these characters into the story, Lapine noted that the mother was dissatisfied with the child’s life and always wanted something more. When the young man could sell the cow and bring home some beans as a reward, the woman hysterically threw them away and deprived her son of dinner (Lapine 35). In addition, Jack, as well as LRRH, as children, were under pressure from adults who wanted to use them. Parents of protagonists sent their children to the gloomy forest without giving specific instructions on what to look for or where to go: this can be interpreted as reckless and disinterested in their children’s safety (6 Types of Parents). Moreover, the boy met in the forest with the married couple who deceived the boy, and the Wolf, who represented an adult man, decided to take advantage of the little girl’s naivety for his benefit. Thus, the adults in these scenes demonstrated examples of disgusting relationships with children based on deception, neglect, and coercion.
In this regard, it seems natural to further develop Jack and LRRH. The girl who survived the horror of losing her grandmother and being betrayed by an adult wolf became vindictive and militant (Zacchia). This became most evident in the scene when Jack met the girl dressed in wolf skin (Lapine 56). However, unlike the LRRH, the boy was under constant pressure from his parent, which resulted in a violation of adequate perception of social norms and rules (Morin). Therefore, it seemed to Jack a perfectly sensible idea to steal valuables from the house of giants and kill one of them. It can be assumed that if the mother were more attentive and loyal to her son’s interests, he would not have to gain trust by such horrible methods.
On the other hand, the parallelism of the plot can be found in the study of the ways of Rapunzel and Cinderella. Being in completely different positions, both girls became hostages of the strict regime of their parents, who did not give them freedom and respect. In particular, from childhood Rapunzel grew up as a hostage of the evil Witch, and being isolated from society within the four walls of the tower, the girl subsequently had a mental illness (How Does Social Isolation). At the same time, Cinderella was the stepdaughter in a family with a cruel stepmother and two sisters who did not approve of the wishes and actions of the protagonist. The situation became more complicated when even Cinderella’s father would not help her, trying to ignore the problem.
As a result of the unwillingness to give their children freedom of thought and movement and the lack of useful moral guidance on how the world works, both girls sought to leave home. Both Rapunzel and Cinderella found comfort in the world outside their own homes and the men around them. Of course, such outside entertainment may have seemed like real happiness to the girls, but it is known that finding distractions from a real psychological problem cannot be a valuable solution (Klemp). For this reason, when princes abandoned princesses for other love conquests, girls returned to their psychological disorders and began to suffer. Rapunzel ended her life by suicide, while Cinderella stayed with her problems, trying to help other protagonists.
Supporting parenting strategies
As it was shown, Into the Wood reveals many problems associated with family education and the consequences of illiterate and ineffective child development. Some of the characters ended up suicidal, while others suffered from mental disorders, depression, and carelessness in public morality. In this regard, it is crucial to discuss alternatives for parents who want to raise their children correctly. Interestingly, in his play, James Lapine was able to pay attention to this problem as well.
As soon as Baker’s wife violated her marital fidelity and betrayed her husband, she received a logical karmic response, as is characteristic of instructive fairy tales: death by a fallen tree. Deprived of his wife, Baker has to raise his child independently, and the reader can imagine that this upbringing must be correct. This is due to the scene in which the man sits next to his newborn son and tells him a story about how they all came to such an outcome: “Once upon a time…in a far-off kingdom…there lay a small village at the edge of the woods” (Lapine 109). Although, indeed, the boy can hardly grasp the meaning of his father’s speech, demonstrating parental trust is an important milestone in parenting (Kennedy-Moore). Thus, Baker gave his son knowledge about the protagonists’ problems and the consequences they had. In other words, by telling his young son about the incidents, his father prepared him for an adult life full of independence and sometimes rapid solutions to the challenges.
Another artistic example of an effective parenting strategy is the interaction between Cinderella and her real mother. First of all, it is important to clarify that the girl’s biological mother was already dead at the time of the plot development, but through the stage of communication at the grave, James Lapine showed the metaphor of the mental connection between children and their parents even after their death. In particular, when Cinderella addressed her mother, in her words, she put the pain and disappointment of life under the anger of unloved relatives. There is no doubt that an adequate parent will not be able to endure a terrible fate for the child and will try to help. Therefore, the late mother was able to help the girl to escape from isolation by giving her golden shoes and a dress (Lapine 21). This is an example of a deep trust relationship in which a parent is interested in supporting the child and is willing to do everything necessary to achieve child happiness. Moreover, it is ironic that there is a parallelism between the two birth parents of Cinderella. A mother who died long ago was able to help the girl, while a living father ignores her problems.
Conclusion
The problem of children’s parental education is a serious challenge for millions of couples who want to raise a decent and good baby. This problem is also reflected in fiction, in particular, Into the Wood by James Lapine. The play shows the parallel stories of several fairytale characters, individually experiencing difficulties in their parents’ relationships. It was shown that adults rarely supported and were interested in their children’s lives and could not give them any freedom. The consequences of such restrictions were the mental disorders of protagonists and even Rapunzel’s suicide. On the other hand, it is not without description and effective approaches to child development. This is especially noticeable in the final scene of Baker’s communication with his newborn son when the father decided to entrust the child the truth about the events without hiding any details. At the same time, the deceased mother of Cinderella was able to help her achieve her own goals, which demonstrates the example of integrity and harmony of mental connections between parents and their children.
Works Cited
“How Does Social Isolation Affect a Child’s Mental Health and Development?” No Isolation, 2019. Web.
Klemp, Nate. “Harvard Psychologists Reveal the Real Reason We’re All So Distracted.” Inc., 2019, Web.
Lapine, James. “Into the Woods.” 2020. Web.
Kennedy-Moore, Eileen. “Why Are Kids So Mean?” Psychology Today, 2018, Web.
Morin, Amy. “The Dangers of Putting Too Much Pressure on Kids.” VerywellFamily, 2020. Web.
“6 Types of Parents Who Don’t Love Their Children — Toxic Ties.” Toxic Ties, 2020,
Zacchia, Camillo. “The Real Reason Kids Can Be So Cruel.” Huffpost, 2016, Web.