I know this post is a little late, as well as a little repetitive (considering how many people have already written on the same topic), but I think it's an incredibly important aspect of the Gothic tradition and modern culture. As we've often noted in class, the Gothic genre examines Western society's most important fears. "Gingerbread" and The Castle of Otranto give voice to one of these most potent fears: perverted motherhood. Modern society has been bombarded, especially in recent years, by examples of bad and dangerous mothers. Casey Anthony and Andrea Yates only begin to scratch the surface of mothers who performed violence against their children and met with the ire and disgust of the public. Yet, this fear and the feelings it engenders are not new to modern society. Indeed, they have reigned over the public consciousness since the appearance of the Gothic genre. The advent of the Enlightenment in the eighteenth century, particularly the political aspect of that movement, which stated that society represented a contract between individually sovereign beings, brought the importance of motherhood to the forefront of societal concern. Republicanism gave women a larger role in political society by painting them as the educators of future rulers and politically active individuals. As such, they had to be virtuous and represent the peak of feminine virtue. Walpole gives voice to the eighteenth-century concern over the dangers that this new intellectual development could have for society through a perversion of this idea and of motherhood. "Gingerbread," and the case of Casey Anthony, demonstrates that this idea still has resonance today.
Although Hippolita is clearly a model wife - she obeys Manfred without question, defends his actions to others, even when she herself questions them, and acts against her morals and happiness so that he can accomplish his desires - she isn't truly a good mother. Walpole goes out of his way to stress the love that Hippolita bears for Matilda and how sharply it contrasts with Manfred's indifference and dislike for his only surviving child; however, Walpole also tells the reader that Hippolita's obedience to her husband's wishes trumps the love she holds for Matilda and her ability to protect her. When Manfred asks Hippolita for a divorce, she agrees though she knows that it will disinherit her daughter and put her at tremendous risk. While Hippolita is certainly a better motherly figure than the governess in The Turn of the Screw, she too fails at her motherly duties and perverts them. She neglects the welfare and happiness of her beloved daughter in favor of her husband's selfish desires. She fails to protect Matilda as she ought to do. Unlike the governess, Hippolita doesn't directly bring about her daughter's death; however, I would argue that her decision to forbid Matilda from seeing Theodore and her unwillingness to stand up to Manfred inevitably leads to Matilda's unhappy death. As such, Hippolita represents a perversion of motherhood.
Joyce Summers in "Gingerbread" serves as a perfect analogue to Hippolita. Like Hippolita she wants to and tries to be a good mother. At the beginning of "Gingerbread," she's the consummate mother of a teenager. She realizes that Buffy has been growing away from her - thanks in large part to her occupation as a slayer. Because of this, Joyce follows Buffy to the park while she is on control with snacks and a drink. Although she is clearly finding the news about Buffy's secret identity hard to process, she wants to have a strong relationship with her daughter. That all changes when she discovers the bodies of the dead children on the playground. Instead of acting like a parent and comforting Buffy, Joyce becomes despondent and forces Buffy to assume the active parental role. Buffy is the one who comforts Joyce and tells her, "I'm sorry you had to see that." We see a similar thing happen in the Castle of Otranto, where Matilda feels the need to protect her emotionally unstable mother, Hippolita, from the machinations of Manfred and her (Matilda) own inability to follow societal conventions. From the start, the viewer gets the sense that Joyce is not and will not be the best mother in this episode. After seeing the dead children, Joyce becomes increasingly hostile towards Buffy and her identity as the Slayer. She eventually turns on Buffy, telling her that being the Slayer is a useless occupation and ultimately trying to burn her at the stake. Willow, of course, goes through a similar journey with her own mother. While Whedon eventually reveals to the viewer that Joyce is acting strangely thanks to the influence the ghosts of the dead children hold over her, this only happens towards the end of the episode. "Gingerbread" creates a sense of horror and suspense by hiding this fact and portraying Joyce as a bad mother, who would endanger her child for no apparent reason. She tells Buffy that because she gave her life she can take it away whenever she deems it necessary. In many ways this speaks to the tension of the modern parent-child relationship, where both sides think the other should be more grateful for what they do. Anyway, "Gingerbread," like The Castle of Otranto, plays with the eighteenth-century idea that to be a good mother a woman must be virtuous, kind, and willing to place the well-being of her children above her own and that of outside interests. Women, like Joyce and Hippolita, become bad mothers when they are corrupted by outside interests and the desires of others. In the end, Hippolita and Joyce Summers are bad mothers because they favor the wishes of outside forces over the health and happiness of their children.
Although Hippolita is clearly a model wife - she obeys Manfred without question, defends his actions to others, even when she herself questions them, and acts against her morals and happiness so that he can accomplish his desires - she isn't truly a good mother. Walpole goes out of his way to stress the love that Hippolita bears for Matilda and how sharply it contrasts with Manfred's indifference and dislike for his only surviving child; however, Walpole also tells the reader that Hippolita's obedience to her husband's wishes trumps the love she holds for Matilda and her ability to protect her. When Manfred asks Hippolita for a divorce, she agrees though she knows that it will disinherit her daughter and put her at tremendous risk. While Hippolita is certainly a better motherly figure than the governess in The Turn of the Screw, she too fails at her motherly duties and perverts them. She neglects the welfare and happiness of her beloved daughter in favor of her husband's selfish desires. She fails to protect Matilda as she ought to do. Unlike the governess, Hippolita doesn't directly bring about her daughter's death; however, I would argue that her decision to forbid Matilda from seeing Theodore and her unwillingness to stand up to Manfred inevitably leads to Matilda's unhappy death. As such, Hippolita represents a perversion of motherhood.
Joyce Summers in "Gingerbread" serves as a perfect analogue to Hippolita. Like Hippolita she wants to and tries to be a good mother. At the beginning of "Gingerbread," she's the consummate mother of a teenager. She realizes that Buffy has been growing away from her - thanks in large part to her occupation as a slayer. Because of this, Joyce follows Buffy to the park while she is on control with snacks and a drink. Although she is clearly finding the news about Buffy's secret identity hard to process, she wants to have a strong relationship with her daughter. That all changes when she discovers the bodies of the dead children on the playground. Instead of acting like a parent and comforting Buffy, Joyce becomes despondent and forces Buffy to assume the active parental role. Buffy is the one who comforts Joyce and tells her, "I'm sorry you had to see that." We see a similar thing happen in the Castle of Otranto, where Matilda feels the need to protect her emotionally unstable mother, Hippolita, from the machinations of Manfred and her (Matilda) own inability to follow societal conventions. From the start, the viewer gets the sense that Joyce is not and will not be the best mother in this episode. After seeing the dead children, Joyce becomes increasingly hostile towards Buffy and her identity as the Slayer. She eventually turns on Buffy, telling her that being the Slayer is a useless occupation and ultimately trying to burn her at the stake. Willow, of course, goes through a similar journey with her own mother. While Whedon eventually reveals to the viewer that Joyce is acting strangely thanks to the influence the ghosts of the dead children hold over her, this only happens towards the end of the episode. "Gingerbread" creates a sense of horror and suspense by hiding this fact and portraying Joyce as a bad mother, who would endanger her child for no apparent reason. She tells Buffy that because she gave her life she can take it away whenever she deems it necessary. In many ways this speaks to the tension of the modern parent-child relationship, where both sides think the other should be more grateful for what they do. Anyway, "Gingerbread," like The Castle of Otranto, plays with the eighteenth-century idea that to be a good mother a woman must be virtuous, kind, and willing to place the well-being of her children above her own and that of outside interests. Women, like Joyce and Hippolita, become bad mothers when they are corrupted by outside interests and the desires of others. In the end, Hippolita and Joyce Summers are bad mothers because they favor the wishes of outside forces over the health and happiness of their children.
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