Jack is obviously a trickster character, as we established in class. But his first exchange with the giant’s wife seems pretty harmless, even pleasant. The story makes it a point to say that “the ogre’s wife was not half so bad after all” as she gives in to Jack’s pleas for breakfast. He even asks politely for some food, receives fair warning of her husband’s cannibalistic tendencies, and pushes the topic further. She consents, feeds the boy, and goes as far as to hide him when her husband returns home. Now, she’s obviously used to her husband’s choices in food, and as she cooks this food for him, is surely not squeamish when it comes to murder or cooking human flesh. Why then does she show this compassion when it comes to Jack? We could argue that he, being the trickster hero, has some charisma that makes it easy to garner sympathy or camaraderie with even the most unexpected characters, but I think this situation goes beyond even that.
On Jack’s return visit, she recognizes him from his first time at the house, insinuates that she knows he stole from her house, and yet feeds and protects him again under the pretense of waiting to hear his explanation. Now, while English society does stress hospitality, there’s certainly a limit, and Jack has certainly overstayed his welcome. Another strange aspect of his theft is that while he waits for the giant to fall asleep before making his move, there is no mention of his wife’s whereabouts, or any precautions taken to avoid her gaze. She could easily awaken her husband more effectively than even his harp, but more importantly, could surely beat Jack to death herself if she was so inclined.
I’m definitely making a lot of assumptions and generalizations regarding her behavior and thought process, but it’s only because her character is so confusing and ambiguous that you have to in order to attempt to understand her role in the story. If the giant is the “evil” adult that Jack, the good-hearted youngster must overcome, then who is the giant’s wife? She seems no less concerned for his well-being but quick to anger than his own mother, but we almost feel more for this giantess than for Jack’s own flesh and blood. That she has the power to save him twice, the grace to feed him, but the power to forgive (remember, she doesn’t rat him out on his second visit) establishes her as a pretty strong “good” character, but she is still somehow characterized as evil, making it acceptable to steal from her.
In a story with trickster characters, swindlers, angry mothers, and barbaric giants, this “great big tall woman” is more than simply “not half so bad”. She’s practically a saint. Why then do we disregard her? If fairy tales are supposed to be easy to read, easy to characterize, then the giant’s wife is one of the most interesting characters in the canon. She seems to be a genuinely good character, who, due to some questionable cooking practices, is viewed as a tyrant, and thus deemed unworthy of our sympathy when her husband is murdered in the finale of the story. I may be alone in thinking this, but she deserves better.
I think this analysis is great - clear, and really thought provoking. I'd like to add something, though: though the giant's wife can be generally lumped in the "big evil person" category along with her husband, she can also be put into the "woman" category. There are, after all, three males in the story (Bean man, Jack, Giant), but only two women. This is, I think, worthy of note.
ReplyDeleteThere is clearly a male issue here - Jack vs the Giant is not only related to the age conflict (young vs old) but is also a manifestation of the pressure for Jack to grow up before his time. He is expected to provide for his mother, and yet he is a child at heart, ready to trade a cow for beans. How can he reconcile his desire for youth with his necessary maturation? He can look to women.
Women are, early on, sources of life and nourishment. This is the role the giant's wife plays. She provides for Jack as a mother for her young son, leaving him to do whatever mischief he pleases. As we age, we become the caretakers and our parents, the dependents. This is the role Jack's mother plays. Is it nay wonder, then, that Jack returns to the beanstalk world time after time?
...Perhaps this explains why Jack is so greedy? I am not sure about this, but I am still having trouble reconciling his hero status with his immorality.
What I find most intriguing in the fairy tales is the gray areas in between the black and white. I mentioned in class my feelings that, though the characters in the stories are often black or white, the story lines are often filled with gray. I believe that these stories open up for children a way in which to access ambiguous feelings that they may be trying to understand or categorize. A child may be confused about feelings of anger or even hatred for a parent they love, and the fairy tale offers an outlet for those thoughts. Gretel pushes the witch into the fire: unacceptable in real life but cathartic in a story. Jack gives an example of a good child who still participates in actions that are less than desirable. Children do not have the emotional complexity to understand the duality of feelings, and often end up confused by desires that they have been told are “bad.” I wonder if the Giantess doesn’t fit into this somehow. She fits, as was pointed out, the framework of an evil character and yet her behaviors contradict this definition.
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