Fear: Gobbolino Finds a Home
Apr. 12th, 2020 09:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pobble_readsAm not full well but am up to doing at least some thinking about the story. I still might be a bit slow doing everything for this chapter.
If you are wondering why I choose a "difficult" theme it's because this is a relatively happy chapter and I thought that would be an easier mix than only looking at big difficult topics during the big difficult chapters. We are all living with Covid-19 related fears right now so I guess that makes us all experts on fear! Although actually I've been feeling more anxiety which is obviously related to fear but I think is maybe not quite the same thing. I also think that stories and books are a place that most of us learned to explore - and manage - fear as children so it seems like a useful lens for almost any revisit of children's literature.
Anyway what is this chapter all about?
9 Sentence Recap:
Gobbolino was devastated by the Witch and his mother abandoning him.
He eventually decides to leave the cavern.
He walks until he gets to a river.
He tries to catch fish but falls in.
He is nearly caught in a mill race but some children save him.
They take him home and their Mother looks after him.
He does tricks to amuse the children.
The children laugh but their father in concerned.
Gobbolino goes to sleep feeling safe and settled
3 Sentence Recap
Gobbolino looks for a new home.
He falls in a river then gets rescued.
He loves the farmhouse and thinks he'll stay there forever
The chapter starts with fear - Gobbolino is terrified at being left all alone. Abandonment is a pretty big fear for anyone but even more so for a young and vulnerable kitten. I don't think Gobbolino imagined he would ever be left so completely - it probably wasn't a particularly developed anticipatory fear for him but now that it has happened he is overwhelmed. He starts imagining the worst (which in this case is pretty likely) "Suppose they never come back!" sobbed Gobbolino. "O, what shall I do?" What shall I do?" and his mind is going round and round in circles. The fear and distress are blocking him from doing anything else. He can't do anything to resolve the problem until he has got past some of that fear and begun to process the huge shock.
When he is finally able to think about leaving the cavern that must be a pretty terrifying idea too. He's never been out on his own and apart from exploring the cave mouth with Sootica he hasn't been outside on foot. It must all look very different at cat's eye level than from a broomstick. But somehow having a plan and an end goal of finding a happy home to live in for ever and ever seems to help him to manage that fear and he seems quite happy walking through the fields. Is it having made the decision to leave that helps him or is it the prospect of his dream home? He does seem to have a very clear idea of what his home will be like:
"Presently I shall come to a fine big farmhouse with a fine big kitchen, where they will invite me in and give me a saucer of milk and a corner by the fire. Then they will ask me to live with them for ever - Gobbolino the kitchen cat!". That hope sustains him even when he briefly thinks about missing Sootica.
When Gobbolino gets to the narrow plank bridge over the river he isn't afraid - I'm a bit surprised that he doesn't seem to have the common feline fear of water? The bridge, and his plan to fish from it, is potentially risky - maybe he should be afraid? Is it just his inexperience that protects him from a useful fear that would warn him of the danger? (always assuming that his level of fear didn't become paralysing)
He does tremble with excitement when he spots the lovely trout dressed in pink and gold and blue. Trembling is more often a sign of fear and excitement is a very similar state of arousal. But it's one we feel positive about rather than negative. There's a lot of debate about how much our emotional states are a product of our interpretations of an input rather than a direct response to the input and if the state that one person identifies as fear in themselves is the same as another person's. (not that I have any significant answers to that I just think it's worth thinking about).
When he does fall in the river Gobbolino has a moment of thinking that he is drowning but is able to start swimming. I think this is another example of fear being useful because it triggers a reflexive action. As he swims and the current pushes him he doesn't seem as afraid as I would be. Again being in doing-mode seems to free him from having a strong emotional reaction. When he finally gets close to the mill wheel The little cat did not know his danger his nonchalance is a product of ignorance and inexperience. The farm children do know enough to be afraid for him and their fear seems to help them to act quickly. They take Gobbolino out of his fearful situation and into the warm, comfortable, safe Farmhouse, very much like the one he imagined when he first set out.
All of these feels are fairly uncomplicated - the are situations that are unambiguously dangerous (being deserted by the Witch and Grimalkin is more layered, and would be distressing and fear-provoking for anyone, but because of Gobbolino's age it's an acute danger as well as a relational wound) but the final example of fear in this chapter is rather different.
When the Farmer sees Gobbolino's (quite basic) witch's cat tricks he suddenly became very grave. The children don't see the magic as anything to be fearful of - are they naive or is the farmer prejudiced? The Farmer's Wife is a lot less bothered - she was too busy to see most of the tricks and we will learn in the next chapter that what she does seen she attributes to more mundane explanations. In this kind of magical world it's probably quite sensible to be somewhat wary of magical creature with unknown power (and unknown intentions). The farmer obviously wants to protect his family and his farm and in other circumstances we'd applaud him for that. Because we know that Gobbolino isn't a threat the Farmer's reaction seems extreme - but is it? Is the Farmer being unnecessarily fearful of a few basic tricks (that haven't caused any harm and have pleased the children)? Or does he just have a more attuned sense of possible danger than his wife? When is acting out of fear reasonable and when does it cut us off from being our best, most loving selves?
For now at least Gobbolino is unafraid thinking now my troubles are over for ever and ever we know that can't be quite true in only chapter 3 of a 16 chapter book! But at least for now he has a pleasant respite after all of the difficulties and rejection of the previous chapters.
I'm feeling floompy now so I'll do the Sacred Imagination and Blessings on another day. And then hopefully next week I'll be able to look at Chapter 4: Hobgoblin through the theme of Hospitality.
So what are your thoughts?
If you are wondering why I choose a "difficult" theme it's because this is a relatively happy chapter and I thought that would be an easier mix than only looking at big difficult topics during the big difficult chapters. We are all living with Covid-19 related fears right now so I guess that makes us all experts on fear! Although actually I've been feeling more anxiety which is obviously related to fear but I think is maybe not quite the same thing. I also think that stories and books are a place that most of us learned to explore - and manage - fear as children so it seems like a useful lens for almost any revisit of children's literature.
Anyway what is this chapter all about?
9 Sentence Recap:
Gobbolino was devastated by the Witch and his mother abandoning him.
He eventually decides to leave the cavern.
He walks until he gets to a river.
He tries to catch fish but falls in.
He is nearly caught in a mill race but some children save him.
They take him home and their Mother looks after him.
He does tricks to amuse the children.
The children laugh but their father in concerned.
Gobbolino goes to sleep feeling safe and settled
3 Sentence Recap
Gobbolino looks for a new home.
He falls in a river then gets rescued.
He loves the farmhouse and thinks he'll stay there forever
The chapter starts with fear - Gobbolino is terrified at being left all alone. Abandonment is a pretty big fear for anyone but even more so for a young and vulnerable kitten. I don't think Gobbolino imagined he would ever be left so completely - it probably wasn't a particularly developed anticipatory fear for him but now that it has happened he is overwhelmed. He starts imagining the worst (which in this case is pretty likely) "Suppose they never come back!" sobbed Gobbolino. "O, what shall I do?" What shall I do?" and his mind is going round and round in circles. The fear and distress are blocking him from doing anything else. He can't do anything to resolve the problem until he has got past some of that fear and begun to process the huge shock.
When he is finally able to think about leaving the cavern that must be a pretty terrifying idea too. He's never been out on his own and apart from exploring the cave mouth with Sootica he hasn't been outside on foot. It must all look very different at cat's eye level than from a broomstick. But somehow having a plan and an end goal of finding a happy home to live in for ever and ever seems to help him to manage that fear and he seems quite happy walking through the fields. Is it having made the decision to leave that helps him or is it the prospect of his dream home? He does seem to have a very clear idea of what his home will be like:
"Presently I shall come to a fine big farmhouse with a fine big kitchen, where they will invite me in and give me a saucer of milk and a corner by the fire. Then they will ask me to live with them for ever - Gobbolino the kitchen cat!". That hope sustains him even when he briefly thinks about missing Sootica.
When Gobbolino gets to the narrow plank bridge over the river he isn't afraid - I'm a bit surprised that he doesn't seem to have the common feline fear of water? The bridge, and his plan to fish from it, is potentially risky - maybe he should be afraid? Is it just his inexperience that protects him from a useful fear that would warn him of the danger? (always assuming that his level of fear didn't become paralysing)
He does tremble with excitement when he spots the lovely trout dressed in pink and gold and blue. Trembling is more often a sign of fear and excitement is a very similar state of arousal. But it's one we feel positive about rather than negative. There's a lot of debate about how much our emotional states are a product of our interpretations of an input rather than a direct response to the input and if the state that one person identifies as fear in themselves is the same as another person's. (not that I have any significant answers to that I just think it's worth thinking about).
When he does fall in the river Gobbolino has a moment of thinking that he is drowning but is able to start swimming. I think this is another example of fear being useful because it triggers a reflexive action. As he swims and the current pushes him he doesn't seem as afraid as I would be. Again being in doing-mode seems to free him from having a strong emotional reaction. When he finally gets close to the mill wheel The little cat did not know his danger his nonchalance is a product of ignorance and inexperience. The farm children do know enough to be afraid for him and their fear seems to help them to act quickly. They take Gobbolino out of his fearful situation and into the warm, comfortable, safe Farmhouse, very much like the one he imagined when he first set out.
All of these feels are fairly uncomplicated - the are situations that are unambiguously dangerous (being deserted by the Witch and Grimalkin is more layered, and would be distressing and fear-provoking for anyone, but because of Gobbolino's age it's an acute danger as well as a relational wound) but the final example of fear in this chapter is rather different.
When the Farmer sees Gobbolino's (quite basic) witch's cat tricks he suddenly became very grave. The children don't see the magic as anything to be fearful of - are they naive or is the farmer prejudiced? The Farmer's Wife is a lot less bothered - she was too busy to see most of the tricks and we will learn in the next chapter that what she does seen she attributes to more mundane explanations. In this kind of magical world it's probably quite sensible to be somewhat wary of magical creature with unknown power (and unknown intentions). The farmer obviously wants to protect his family and his farm and in other circumstances we'd applaud him for that. Because we know that Gobbolino isn't a threat the Farmer's reaction seems extreme - but is it? Is the Farmer being unnecessarily fearful of a few basic tricks (that haven't caused any harm and have pleased the children)? Or does he just have a more attuned sense of possible danger than his wife? When is acting out of fear reasonable and when does it cut us off from being our best, most loving selves?
For now at least Gobbolino is unafraid thinking now my troubles are over for ever and ever we know that can't be quite true in only chapter 3 of a 16 chapter book! But at least for now he has a pleasant respite after all of the difficulties and rejection of the previous chapters.
I'm feeling floompy now so I'll do the Sacred Imagination and Blessings on another day. And then hopefully next week I'll be able to look at Chapter 4: Hobgoblin through the theme of Hospitality.
So what are your thoughts?
