Orphans in Literature

Assembling Orphan Tales: From Folklore to Fiction to Fact

Melanie Kimball

IBBY Biennial Congress
Monday, September 6


Introduction

My talk is based on a study that I did of fifty folktales from a wide variety of culture: African, European, Asian, North and South American. I did a structural analysis of these tales to see if I could find any common elements in orphan stories.[1] I’ll give a brief explanation of what I found and do an even briefer explanation of similar structures found in children’s literature. Then I’ll turn it over to Dennis who will discuss how these structural elements relate to the narratives of real orphans.

From folktales to children’s literature, the orphan character is an enduring figure in stories for children. We love orphans. Why is that? For one thing, from a practical standpoint, the first rule of children’s literature is to get rid of the parents in order to focus the action on the child. This is very easy to do with orphan characters since they don’t have any pesky parents to get in the way of the story.

Orphans are clearly different from other people. They do not have parents so they are separate from the family structure that helps define the individual. Orphans embody loneliness—they do not belong. Orphans symbolize the feeling of abandonment that all humans experience at times. BUT orphans in literature also give us hope. They start with a “clean slate.” They can reinvent themselves. If a pitiable orphan can succeed against enormous odds, then so can we. Their success becomes our success.

Orphan Characters in Folktales

Orphans make the perfect folktale hero. Often folktale heroes operate in isolation. The hero is usually an outcast of some sort due to social status, poverty, or a “deformity” (such as “Beauty and the Beast where the Beast is an outcast). The orphan is the quintessential outcast who operates in isolation.

Orphans in folktales can be either male or female, but there are some notable differences between the two. Male orphans in folklore generally overcome obstacles by using their wits, demonstrating cleverness, or by feats of strength. Female orphans generally overcome obstacles through their virtuous behavior. They are “nice girls.” Male characters are often rewarded with material wealth or power while female characters are most often rewarded with marriage. Marriage usually gives them wealth and power, but only through their association with their husband.

Orphan characters are usually the protagonist in their own story, although sometimes they are a secondary character who serves as a foil to the main character (who is usually a bad person.) The pattern of the orphan’s story remains the same whether or not they are the main character, only the point of view differs.

Plot in Folktales Featuring Orphans

Generally, the story involves the following elements, which are very similar to the elements of the generic hero story (See The European Folktale by Max Lüthi and The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell).

I. Mistreatment of the orphan which leads to:
II. A quest or journey—sometimes at the behest of the person who mistreats the orphan, and sometimes on the initiative of the orphan herself.
III. Obstacles faced along the journey.
IV. Helpers and other methods used to overcome obstacles.
V. Final reward—Orphan triumphant!
VI. Punishment for person or persons who mistreated the orphan.


The mistreatment of the orphan is sometimes by a relative or step-relative, although it can also be at the hands of a cruel master or mistress. The orphan’s isolation is further defined by hostility from outside herself. Mistreatment can vary from a simple tongue lashing to physical abuse to complete ostracization or abandonment.

The quests vary, but the performance of difficult tasks, often involving a journey, is pretty standard in folktales. The only real difference for the orphan is that most folktale heroes and heroines must leave home in order to find what they need, whereas orphans seek a place to belong and the right to be there. They are looking for a home.

The obstacles that orphans must overcome are often imposed by the person mistreating the orphan. Jealousy and greed are prime motivators here. This is particularly prevalent with female orphans who are almost always of the “as beautiful as she was good” variety. Other obstacles may stem from supernatural forces or from the orphan herself—sometimes the orphan is overwhelmed by the extremity of her situation.

Orphans surmount obstacles on their own as they do not have a family to help. However, often they get assistance from magical or un-magical helpers—talking animals, enchanted inanimate objects, and intervention from the gods. They also use their wits (usually male orphans), virtuous behavior (usually female orphans), hard work, or bravery.

Orphans usually win out in the end. There are very occasional bad endings in some of the tales I studied, but overall the orphan prevails and receives a reward. The reward can be money, position, marriage, a home, or all of the above.

Punishment for those who mistreated the orphan is almost a given. With the punishment there is sometimes a moral given about mistreating orphans and how anyone who mistreats an orphan will be punished.

Orphan Characters in Children’s Literature

As orphan tales passed from the oral to the written tradition, literary conventions for this type of story developed. By the 19th century, the orphan heroine was an established character in British and American literature, but the genre was found in other countries as well. Classic novels such as Heidi, Pollyanna, The Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and Anne of Green Gables are all examples of this type of heroine. Male orphans also had their place in the literature as exemplified by the novels of Charles Dickens (Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Great Expectations) and the rags to riches stories of Horatio Alger (Ragged Dick), but female orphans were predominant.

From the folkloric elements previously outlined the standard literary orphan story developed: the outcast main character, the secondary characters who affect the orphan both for good and bad, the task or quest that the orphan must perform, the happy resolution with the orphan finding success through marriage, wealth, and position (implied as a future for underage orphans). But above all, the orphan is rewarded by finding a place for herself in the world surrounded by people who love her.

The punishment for those who mistreat orphans is somewhat different in literary tales than in folktales. Orphans in literature usually wind up with relatives or other grown ups who do not want them. By the end of the story the force of the spunky but sweet nature of these orphans transforms the lives of those around them and they are beloved by the very people who once despised them. Instead of being punished, the orphan detractors transform into orphan supporters.

Conclusion

Orphans still appear as characters in modern children’s fiction. Joan Aiken’s The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and Midnight is a Place, Joan Lowrey Nixon’s Orphan Train series, Geraldine McCaughrean’s The Pirate’s Son, and, the current sensation, Harry Potter all follow the classic outlines for orphan fiction while Phillip Pullman’s Count Karlstein and Lemony Snicket’s Unfortunate Series of Events both provide a spoof of the genre.

It has been said that there are no new stories, just retellings of old ones. A comparison of orphan folktales shows that while the stories are not the same, there are common elements. These same elements exist in literary tales about orphans. Because orphans represent the feelings and pain that all humans experience, the character still resonates with audiences of adults and children alike. And until the day when no one feels the pain of isolation, orphan characters will continue to symbolize it for us.

[1] Kimball, Melanie. From Folktales to Fiction: Orphan Characters in Children’s Literature, Library Trends, Vol. 47, No. 3, Winter 1999, pp. 558-578.