"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

Favorite Characters: Sara Crewe (A Little Princess)


It’s time for another saunter down memory lane with one of my earliest childhood heroines (Meg Murray was the first that I can clearly remember, but Sara came not long after.)  As usual, keep in mind that I only know A Little Princess from the 1995 movie, so none of my observations have the slightest basis in the book (major spoilers.)

Seriously, how amazing is this little girl?  First up to bat in the list of Sara’s awesome qualities is her imagination.  This one is a no-brainer.  It’s just wonderful that she can weave anything into a tale of magic, wonder, and love.  Even when reading an actual book at school, she gets so invested in the fate of the main characters that she imagines a better, more exciting ending for her in the midst of reading it aloud to her classmates, ad-libbing a new story complete with pirates, mermaids, and handsome stable boys.    Her midnight stories become a regular feature among the girls at the school, and she incorporates “the magic” into her daily life as well, such as consoling Lottie classmate with a description of her late mother becoming an angel.

Sara’s stories aren’t only creative and delightful – at Miss Minchin’s school, they’re also forbidden.  This leads into Sara’s next great quality, her bravery and resolve.  She doesn’t accept anything simply because someone tells her it’s true, and so she’s forever challenging rules and conventions.  She doesn’t rebel merely for the sake of it.  Rather, when she comes across a decree that seems unfair, or even just illogical, she either openly opposes it or finds a hidden work-around.

Another important aspect of Sara is her kindness.  This is crucial, especially considering Sara’s well-to-do – it would probably be fair to say “spoiled” – upbringing.  It wouldn’t be surprising, especially in this time period, to see the little rich girl thinking mainly of her own concerns instead of others.  However, it’s a credit to how her excellent father raised her that reaching out to others is just part and parcel of how she goes about her day.  She’s friendly and inviting to everyone and even responds to Lavinia’s uppity attitude with honey rather than vinegar most of the time.  But she’s particularly drawn to those who are more on the outside of things:  tempestuous Lottie and awkward Ermengarde, as well as Becky, the timid servant girl who’s been harshly taught to be seen and not heard.

One more quality of note – Sara’s resilience.  It’s what allows her, with difficulty, to hang onto the other three when she’s tested to her limits.  When her father is reported killed in action in WWI, the grieving child is yanked out of the classroom and forced into servitude to earn her continued room and board, and she’s wrecked.  She spends a long time shutting herself off from everyone around her as she mourns her father and struggles through her new circumstances.  But even there, almost despite herself, she continues to be who she is in small ways.  Her imagination helps her and Becky through a hungry day when they create a make-believe feast to sustain them.  She continues to find small ways to resist, such as playing a trick on Miss Minchin after she’s cruel to a chimney sweep.  And she is still ceaselessly kind, finding others who need help even in the midst of her own hardships – she gives precious food to someone who needs it more than she does, and she offers a gentle hand to a neighbor whose son, a soldier like her father, is reported missing.  That Sara still finds wells of imagination, resolve, and kindness under such overwhelming trials speaks tremendously to her strength.

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