I loved this book! And like many of the ones we have read for class, I wonder why I never read it as a child. I did read a lot of Judy Blume and Beverly Cleary books when I was younger, and Harriet the Spy had the same tone and type of characters as those books. Harriet is a quiet child who loves to write anything and everything because she hopes one day to become a spy/writer and they need to know everything. I think much of Harriet's, and her friends', personalities are because of the environment they were raised in.
Harriet the Spy takes place in New York in the 1960's (I assume because that's when it was written). Harriet is an 11 year old girl who lives with her parents, a nanny, and a cook. Her parents aren't around very much because they are always off doing something or going to parties. Therefore, Old Golly, the nanny, becomes both a mother and a father figure for Harriet. In my opinion, since Harriet was raised without much parenting, she became introverted and infinitely curious about what is going on around her. Which is why, later in the book when Harriet gets her notebook taken away because she wasn't paying attention in class, she has a hard time concentrating on school work because she isn't allowed to creatively express herself.
Sport, one of Harriet's best friends, is a different case. He also grew up without much parenting; his father is a writer and spends all his time doing that and his mother is out of the picture. Sport has to shoulder all the responsibility in his house, from cooking dinner to accounting. This makes him a serious person and one who, when given the opportunity to have fun, takes full advantage of it and thinks that Harriet's spying is too much brain work for him when he would rather be playing football. Even at the end of the novel when Sport's dad gets something published, Sport is not happy because he knows that he has to find a way to make that check last them as long as he can.
There are a lot of issues in this book that could be addressed and home environments is just one. However, I think it is an important one because it shapes our main characters into something more than just a typical kid living in 1960's New York.
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI think the home life is fascinating in this book as well. Harriet has anything but a typical childhood...at least to my knowledge. She honestly sounds like she is raised in a home more suitable for the late 1800's, early 1900's rather than the 1960's. At least then governess and tutors were common.
I had a Nanny growing up, but she was a family friend who took care of my siblings and I because both of my parents worked...it was not because my parents didn't want to parent me, which is why I think Ole Golly was hired in the first place. Harriet's mother doesn't work...she plays bridge and goes to parties. Why would she choose to have someone else mother her child if not for the sole reason she was not interested/could not relate to her child in the first place? Harriet even asks her at one point what she does and she says, "a lot of unseen, unappreciated things" (234). She sounds like a modern housewife/stay at home mom, which I totally respect, but she seems to have skipped the "mom" part of that job description...at least in my opinion.
Thanks!
Sydney
Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI love the way you describe Harriet and she is a fascinating character. Her life at home is definitely responsible for her behavior and her actions. What I love about Harriet is the confidence she seems to have. In chapter 3, Sport is sharing with Harriet his plan to one day become a CPA and he is shocked to hear that Harriet does not know what a CPA is but her immediate reaction is " So what, she thought; I could always learn"(pg.50). Confidence like that in an 11 year old girl is not something we come across everyday. So even though she didn't have her parents around all the time, she seems to have a pretty good understanding of life. In my opinion Ole Golly not only takes on the parents role but she does a pretty good job.
I think the disorientation Harriet experiences when her notebook is taken away is interesting, as is the complex way she deals with the departure of Ole Golly. The first says a great deal about her status as an artist and Creator, since the notebook is central to her identity and she begins to lose her sense of self without it. The latter is a sign of her maturation as a person, learning to cope with loss and take on new responsibilities. The letter that she receives from Ole Golly provides her with some guidance in how to take that step, which, along with the outlet of the newspaper, helps her to find her bearings and regain her confidence in herself as an artist and as a person.
ReplyDeleteSarah,
ReplyDeleteI think that you make a great connection here between the lack of parental guidance for Harriet and Sport. I think the key between this connection is class. Harriet both lacks parental guidance and responsibility, while Sport lacks parental guidance, he carries great responsibility. Arguably he assumes the parental role in his relationship with his father. Great post!
Emily