Post by Essay on Nov 1, 2005 22:57:11 GMT -5
The Tale of Despereaux – A Lacanian View
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo is a story that shows to us even the smallest of beings can make the most difference. The development of his character support and go against the theories created by Jacque Lacan, and applying these analytical principles to the story allow the reader to look deeper into the characters of the story.
The first concept Lacan discusses is the Real, which discusses the primal needs of an infant when they are born. “Only as neo-natal children were we close to this state of nature, a state in which there is nothing but need.” (Modules on…, 1) Several characters in this story, though it continues even after they are infants, seem almost enslaved by an absolute need similar to Lacan’s concept of the Real. In the case of the small mouse Despereaux, his need becomes quite clear when he is a newborn and has his eyes opened. “It is true. Despereaux’s eyes should not have been open. But they were. He was staring at the sun reflecting from his mother’s mirror. The light shining onto the ceiling in an oval of brilliance, and he was smiling up at the sight.” (DiCamillo, 13) This aspect of his birth appears to represent this aspect of Lacan’s theories, but it is almost as though he has a higher level of need: while infants are dependent upon their mothers for food and solace, he looks past her towards this mesmerizing light instead.
Another character of this story who seems to embody the Real is the rat Roscuro; though he is not an infant when this need becomes prevalent, his similar want for the light also seems symbolic of this principle. “From that moment forward, Roscuro show an abnormal, inordinate interest in illumination of all sorts. He was always, in the darkness of the dungeon, on the lookout for light, the smallest glimmer, the tiniest shimmer.” (DiCamillo, 88) It is easily seen in this quote he experiences an obsessive need for the light he’s discovered, but when he goes to the surface world and a series of event happens, his character falls to the second stage of development as described by the Lacan as The Imaginary Order.
“This concept corresponds to the mirror stage and marks the movement of the subject from primal need to what Lacan describes as ‘demand.’” (Modules on…, 1) We can easily see Roscuro’s character fall to this stage of development first through the influence of the character Botticelli Remorso. This aged rat begins to teach Roscuro the dark and cruel ways of the rats, convincing him that tormenting prisoners is their true skill. “You gain his trust, you refuse him and –ha-ha– you become what he knew you were all along, what you knew you were all along, not a friend, not a confessor, not a forgive, but –ha-ha– a rat!” (DiCamillo, 91) This is where Roscuro’s already faltering innocence is shattered, but his true passage into becoming slave to the Imaginary Order is when he travels to the surface world, and his presence ultimately leads to the queen’s death, and the anger of the small princess he admired.
When this happened, his character twists into one who begins to demand revenge for having been cast from the world of the light. “‘Yes,’ muttered Roscuro. ‘Yes. That is exactly what I intend to do. I will make the princess suffer for how she looked at me.’” (DiCamillo, 120) This is a very symbolic development; it shows to children that human beings can grow into selfish creatures, especially with the wrong kinds of upbringings and influences. Every child, however, encounters the Imaginary Stage as they grow and begin to demand what they want.
Despereaux’s love for the Princess Pea, however, could be symbolic of Lacan’s reference to what he calls ‘jouissance,’ which relates sexuality: “…relations between the sexes are always structured according to some missing or third element that makes the relation, strictly speaking, ‘impossible.’” (Lacan, 6) Applying this principle to the story of the small mouse Despereaux, his love and admiration for the princess almost seems to embody this theory; Despereaux is uncaring of the fact that she is human while he is a mouse, and still confesses his love for her even though he is being sentenced to a fate in the dungeon. This shows that there is indeed this ‘third element’ that Lacan describes since, being a mouse, he could never possibly have a true relationship with the princess that involves sexual love. But it does, however, allow for unconditional love, which the small mouse gives forth strongly even in the face of death. His desire for the princess, to be near her, does seem to be representative of this principle of jouissance that Lacan speaks of, and how there is an element that ties two beings together even if we cannot see or comprehend it.
This same principle also applies to Roscuro, though it is through another aspect of ‘jouissance.’ “Because the position of any subject vis-à-vis the symbolic is marked by a lack or what Lacan calls ‘fading’ before the object of desire...” This goes with the above principle of the missing element, but for Roscuro, the Princess’s image in his mind does seem to deteriorate the more his conquest for revenge grows. In fact, what he plans to do with the princess seems to symbolize this. “He intended to take the princess to the deepest, darkest part of the dungeon. He intended to have Mig put chains on the princess’s hands and her feet, and he intended to keep the glittering, glowing, laughing princess there in the dark. Forever.” (DiCamillo, 187) In the case of Roscuro, this fading it caused by the lack of the third element that does no hinder Despereaux’s love for Princess Pea. Because he cannot have her through affection, he has her through force, and thus her image is first compared simply to the inanimate light he loves deeply, and then to a fading light in the midst of the darkness. The love he felt for her, as Lacan describes, weakened because of who she is and what happened, and thus led to the events of the story.
The “mirror stage” as described by Lacan is when a child of around two years old begins to relate themselves to an “other” in their environment. “The other could be the child’s own image in a mirror, a sibling or friend, or any number of alternative models with which the child associated itself according to what Freud termed narcissistic identification.” (Lacan, 1) It can be argued, however, that in the case of the character Miggery Sow in this story, that she didn’t fully reach this stage until she was seven years and old and saw the princess herself. Her parents, as well as Uncle, never cared for her concerns and dreams at all; this is emphasized many times in this book. Because of this, it does not seem as though she truly adapts much of a personality; if the others around her do not value her views and wishes, then how could she create any strong ones for herself? Yet on the day she met the princess, all of this changed. “For the first time in her life, reader, Mig hoped.” (DiCamillo, 134)
This is the first strong act that we see the young girl do throughout the course of the book; beforehand, she was simply a figure that is being lashed around by the heartless twists of fate. But upon seeing the Princess and the rest of the royal procession in all its glory, there is a spark that is lit within her, and she finds an identity that she wishes to mimic herself. She is swift to make these declarations: “’I would like…,’ said Mig shyly. ‘I wish to be one of them princesses…’” (DiCamillo, 137) Having been told for so long she was worthless, it was an image she could finally cling to and bring herself to try and mimic as best she could, even in the situation she was in. Though she is not at the proper age for this to be happening according to Lacan’s principle, I still believe that it applies to his theory on the ‘other,’ and perhaps challenges his notion that a child must go through this stage at a very young age. Especially considering the circumstances of how Mig was raised.
The Symbolic Order is the final stage of development that is reached when a child begins to use language, and it is thus prevalent within all the characters of the story. “Whereas the Real concerns need and the Imaginary concerns demand, the symbolic is about desire, according to Lacan.” (Modules on…, 2) In fact, the entirety of the book is based off of the influences of desires upon the characters and how it causes them to take certain actions. Roscuro desires revenge and the light that surrounds the princess and kidnaps her; Despereaux desires for the same being for reasons outside of greed and desperation. Mig longs to become a princess and live in royal splendor, whereas the princess herself longs for her mother and for the delicious soup that has long since been outlawed by her father.
Though the theme of desire is so strong within the book, it is good way to show children that all people will want at least one thing strongly in their life, and probably much more. And children themselves are going through this stage when they read this book and can thus relate to the characters’ wishes to have what has either been pulled beyond their reach or is simply unobtainable. It is an aspect of human nature that can be pure or twisted, as can be seen by the various characters in the story, and the Symbolic Order can help sort between these types of desires so that children may see that pursuing certain things can lead to a distortion of themselves.
Jacque Lacan’s theory on the growth stages of children can be seen throughout the story of The Tale of Despereaux and its variety of characters. Some of the implied developments even appear to contradict what Jacque Lacan tells us in his principles. Regardless, it still teaches children that there are several different ways that a child and being can grow and how they learn to see themselves and others around them, and Lacan’s theories help bring to light the potential motivations and factors behind these behaviors on the part of the characters. These motivations can also apply to ourselves, and teach children that there are multiple ways in which creatures develop, whether for the better, or for the worst.
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo is a story that shows to us even the smallest of beings can make the most difference. The development of his character support and go against the theories created by Jacque Lacan, and applying these analytical principles to the story allow the reader to look deeper into the characters of the story.
The first concept Lacan discusses is the Real, which discusses the primal needs of an infant when they are born. “Only as neo-natal children were we close to this state of nature, a state in which there is nothing but need.” (Modules on…, 1) Several characters in this story, though it continues even after they are infants, seem almost enslaved by an absolute need similar to Lacan’s concept of the Real. In the case of the small mouse Despereaux, his need becomes quite clear when he is a newborn and has his eyes opened. “It is true. Despereaux’s eyes should not have been open. But they were. He was staring at the sun reflecting from his mother’s mirror. The light shining onto the ceiling in an oval of brilliance, and he was smiling up at the sight.” (DiCamillo, 13) This aspect of his birth appears to represent this aspect of Lacan’s theories, but it is almost as though he has a higher level of need: while infants are dependent upon their mothers for food and solace, he looks past her towards this mesmerizing light instead.
Another character of this story who seems to embody the Real is the rat Roscuro; though he is not an infant when this need becomes prevalent, his similar want for the light also seems symbolic of this principle. “From that moment forward, Roscuro show an abnormal, inordinate interest in illumination of all sorts. He was always, in the darkness of the dungeon, on the lookout for light, the smallest glimmer, the tiniest shimmer.” (DiCamillo, 88) It is easily seen in this quote he experiences an obsessive need for the light he’s discovered, but when he goes to the surface world and a series of event happens, his character falls to the second stage of development as described by the Lacan as The Imaginary Order.
“This concept corresponds to the mirror stage and marks the movement of the subject from primal need to what Lacan describes as ‘demand.’” (Modules on…, 1) We can easily see Roscuro’s character fall to this stage of development first through the influence of the character Botticelli Remorso. This aged rat begins to teach Roscuro the dark and cruel ways of the rats, convincing him that tormenting prisoners is their true skill. “You gain his trust, you refuse him and –ha-ha– you become what he knew you were all along, what you knew you were all along, not a friend, not a confessor, not a forgive, but –ha-ha– a rat!” (DiCamillo, 91) This is where Roscuro’s already faltering innocence is shattered, but his true passage into becoming slave to the Imaginary Order is when he travels to the surface world, and his presence ultimately leads to the queen’s death, and the anger of the small princess he admired.
When this happened, his character twists into one who begins to demand revenge for having been cast from the world of the light. “‘Yes,’ muttered Roscuro. ‘Yes. That is exactly what I intend to do. I will make the princess suffer for how she looked at me.’” (DiCamillo, 120) This is a very symbolic development; it shows to children that human beings can grow into selfish creatures, especially with the wrong kinds of upbringings and influences. Every child, however, encounters the Imaginary Stage as they grow and begin to demand what they want.
Despereaux’s love for the Princess Pea, however, could be symbolic of Lacan’s reference to what he calls ‘jouissance,’ which relates sexuality: “…relations between the sexes are always structured according to some missing or third element that makes the relation, strictly speaking, ‘impossible.’” (Lacan, 6) Applying this principle to the story of the small mouse Despereaux, his love and admiration for the princess almost seems to embody this theory; Despereaux is uncaring of the fact that she is human while he is a mouse, and still confesses his love for her even though he is being sentenced to a fate in the dungeon. This shows that there is indeed this ‘third element’ that Lacan describes since, being a mouse, he could never possibly have a true relationship with the princess that involves sexual love. But it does, however, allow for unconditional love, which the small mouse gives forth strongly even in the face of death. His desire for the princess, to be near her, does seem to be representative of this principle of jouissance that Lacan speaks of, and how there is an element that ties two beings together even if we cannot see or comprehend it.
This same principle also applies to Roscuro, though it is through another aspect of ‘jouissance.’ “Because the position of any subject vis-à-vis the symbolic is marked by a lack or what Lacan calls ‘fading’ before the object of desire...” This goes with the above principle of the missing element, but for Roscuro, the Princess’s image in his mind does seem to deteriorate the more his conquest for revenge grows. In fact, what he plans to do with the princess seems to symbolize this. “He intended to take the princess to the deepest, darkest part of the dungeon. He intended to have Mig put chains on the princess’s hands and her feet, and he intended to keep the glittering, glowing, laughing princess there in the dark. Forever.” (DiCamillo, 187) In the case of Roscuro, this fading it caused by the lack of the third element that does no hinder Despereaux’s love for Princess Pea. Because he cannot have her through affection, he has her through force, and thus her image is first compared simply to the inanimate light he loves deeply, and then to a fading light in the midst of the darkness. The love he felt for her, as Lacan describes, weakened because of who she is and what happened, and thus led to the events of the story.
The “mirror stage” as described by Lacan is when a child of around two years old begins to relate themselves to an “other” in their environment. “The other could be the child’s own image in a mirror, a sibling or friend, or any number of alternative models with which the child associated itself according to what Freud termed narcissistic identification.” (Lacan, 1) It can be argued, however, that in the case of the character Miggery Sow in this story, that she didn’t fully reach this stage until she was seven years and old and saw the princess herself. Her parents, as well as Uncle, never cared for her concerns and dreams at all; this is emphasized many times in this book. Because of this, it does not seem as though she truly adapts much of a personality; if the others around her do not value her views and wishes, then how could she create any strong ones for herself? Yet on the day she met the princess, all of this changed. “For the first time in her life, reader, Mig hoped.” (DiCamillo, 134)
This is the first strong act that we see the young girl do throughout the course of the book; beforehand, she was simply a figure that is being lashed around by the heartless twists of fate. But upon seeing the Princess and the rest of the royal procession in all its glory, there is a spark that is lit within her, and she finds an identity that she wishes to mimic herself. She is swift to make these declarations: “’I would like…,’ said Mig shyly. ‘I wish to be one of them princesses…’” (DiCamillo, 137) Having been told for so long she was worthless, it was an image she could finally cling to and bring herself to try and mimic as best she could, even in the situation she was in. Though she is not at the proper age for this to be happening according to Lacan’s principle, I still believe that it applies to his theory on the ‘other,’ and perhaps challenges his notion that a child must go through this stage at a very young age. Especially considering the circumstances of how Mig was raised.
The Symbolic Order is the final stage of development that is reached when a child begins to use language, and it is thus prevalent within all the characters of the story. “Whereas the Real concerns need and the Imaginary concerns demand, the symbolic is about desire, according to Lacan.” (Modules on…, 2) In fact, the entirety of the book is based off of the influences of desires upon the characters and how it causes them to take certain actions. Roscuro desires revenge and the light that surrounds the princess and kidnaps her; Despereaux desires for the same being for reasons outside of greed and desperation. Mig longs to become a princess and live in royal splendor, whereas the princess herself longs for her mother and for the delicious soup that has long since been outlawed by her father.
Though the theme of desire is so strong within the book, it is good way to show children that all people will want at least one thing strongly in their life, and probably much more. And children themselves are going through this stage when they read this book and can thus relate to the characters’ wishes to have what has either been pulled beyond their reach or is simply unobtainable. It is an aspect of human nature that can be pure or twisted, as can be seen by the various characters in the story, and the Symbolic Order can help sort between these types of desires so that children may see that pursuing certain things can lead to a distortion of themselves.
Jacque Lacan’s theory on the growth stages of children can be seen throughout the story of The Tale of Despereaux and its variety of characters. Some of the implied developments even appear to contradict what Jacque Lacan tells us in his principles. Regardless, it still teaches children that there are several different ways that a child and being can grow and how they learn to see themselves and others around them, and Lacan’s theories help bring to light the potential motivations and factors behind these behaviors on the part of the characters. These motivations can also apply to ourselves, and teach children that there are multiple ways in which creatures develop, whether for the better, or for the worst.