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By Chris Hill Parents and children in the books of Diana Wynne Jones It does not take a lot of examination of certain of DWJ's books to detect a disapproval of parents. Her works cover most of the range of ways children can be mistreated by their parents; from misunderstanding and abuse (The Ogre Downstairs), to shocking neglect (The Time of the Ghost), to inverted parenting (Archer's Goon) to being used as a pawn in the contest between divorced parents (Fire and Hemlock). Only the most extreme physical and sexual violence is not represented at some time or another. The mildest version of this is in Archer's Goon (1984). Quentin and Catriona Sykes are good people but in Catriona's case always tired and in Quentin's frequently lazy. It is the son, Howard, who makes things happen. Towards the end of the book Howard is asked by Catriona to look after his sister as she does not trust Quentin and at another point Howard is infuriated by Quentin's lack of action Dad's being a passenger again!, Howard thought angrily ... It really annoyed him sometimes, the way Quentin let life carry him along ... Provided Quentin was comfortable, provided he could sit at his typewriter in peace, he did not let things bother him. (p 177, Methuen paperback edition, 1986) Although dealt with fairly lightly in Archer's Goon, this 'inverted parenting' can be one of the most insidious forms of abuse. It is one thing for children to take some responsibilities in the household, quite another to take on the responsibilities that rightfully belong to the parents. Of course the results of these abuses of trust vary. In The Ogre Downstairs (1977), most of the problems lead from misunderstanding. In many ways it is a traditional 'Evil Step-parent' story. Gwinny, Casper and Johnny's father has been killed in an accident and their mother, Sally, has remarried. The children refer to her new husband, Jack, as 'the Ogre' as he is a bad-tempered and irritable man. To add to their problems the Ogre has two sons of his own, Douglas and Malcolm, living in the household. After a series of adventures (involving a magical chemistry set bought from a mysterious shop which later vanishes - a familiar trope) the children come to understand each other and make peace with the Ogre. Generally a quite funny book (although the acceptability of physical punishment may be a little difficult to understand twenty years later) it is also an interesting examination of the difficulties in accepting changes in the family. The 'cut-glass accents' of the step-brothers and the bad temper of the step-father hide the fact that the newcomers are having their own difficulties in adjusting. In the end, redemption is available for all. Redemption is not always an option, however. In Fire and Hemlock (1985), a modern take on the Tam Lin legend, the heroine, Polly, is an all too familiar figure in this modem age: a child used as a pawn in the battle between divorcing parents. In a particularly disturbing section of the book Polly takes up an offer from her father to live with him and his new partner, Joanna. This decision delights Polly's mother who is only too glad to be rid of her. However when Polly arrives in Bristol to meet her father she finds that Joanna is only expecting her for a visit; her father has not told Joanna of his plans, Polly is unwelcome in both her parents' households. Luckily, she finds a home with her maternal grandmother. But this time there is no happy ending, no hard-won understanding between parents and children. Polly's father remains an irresponsible dreamer and Ivy becomes a bitter and self-centred woman, unable to find any pleasure in life, at best unconcerned with and at worst jealous of her daughter. "I'm off to college tomorrow," she said... There seems to be no hope of reconciliation here. It is The Time of the Ghost (1981) that has one of the most fascinating situations. Sally, Charlotte, Imogen and Fenella's parents run a school. This takes up so much of their time and energy that they have none left for the children, who live in almost destitute conditions. The story starts when one of the girls pretends to be dead to see how long it takes her parents to notice. What makes this story so remarkable is that it is very close to DWJ's own upbringing. In an interview in a recent Interzone, DWJ talked about her childhood. My early life was so bizarrely bad that when I came to put some of it in The Time of the Ghost I felt bound to tone the details down, because no one would believe the actual facts. We were made to live in an unheated outhouse, some 50 yards away from the main house where our parents lived ... As the eldest ... I got the blame for most things: for instance, when my youngest sister tied her hair in knots to keep it out of her eyes. After six months, this was noticed, and I was blamed. (Interzone 117, page 26) If you did not know it was true, you would not believe it... We can hope that in today's society this situation would not be able to occur without someone in the social services becoming aware. However with stories of unnoticed parental abuse appearing regularly in the newspapers perhaps things may not have changed as much as we would wish. What conclusion can we draw from this? It seems that, perhaps as a result of her own childhood problems, DWJ is fascinated in the way that the relationship between parent and child can go wrong. This does not always take the form of deliberate abuse, but often consists of a lack of understanding and little interest in the child as a person. I am sure that many of her readers have read some of the books mentioned above and thought: "God, this feels familiar." There are sections of Fire and Hemlock particularly that I cannot read without feeling a great deal of discomfort. But, in the end, most of DWJ's stories present a hopeful picture. Her principal characters do survive their trials, but not without cost. I will let Diana have the final word: I do like books to tend to the positive and the main characters to win, but it seems to me that, as in life, you have to gain the positive in the face of things that are dark and dreadful. (Interzone 117, page 26) "This is good stuff. Really, really good stuff. I like it a lot."
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