Pullman rips on LOTR, others

[Lalwendë]

Originally Posted by Gwathagor

I believe, Lalwende and Bethberry, that you are letting your strong dislike of Lewis's curmudgeonly tendencies overwhelm and misdirect your understanding of this particular part of TLB.

The point of the lipstick and invitations bit isn't to condemn the proper use of those things, but rather the deeper problem Susan has, of which the abuse of said items is merely the symptom. This makes a great deal of sense considering the context of the previous books: the apparent childishness of Narnia contrasted with a false, silly grown-upishness. This is a contrast that is made fairly regularly throughout the series (Edmund vs. Pevensies, Peter vs. Lucy in "Prince Caspian", Susan vs. Siblings, etc.)

One of the problems is that items such lipstick and stockings are heavily symbolic of adult female sexuality (along with high heels, glossy hair etc) and what Lewis is saying is that an interest in her own sexuality is "silly". That's both unhealthy and wrong. There is sometimes a tendency of fathers to fail to come to terms with their own daughters' growing up by preventing them (or attempting to prevent them, as they don't know what the girl is sneaking out in her school bag ) from doing such things as experimenting with make-up and clothes, in an unconscious attempt to keep them in childhood. And you do get adult men who have issues with their own partners/wives getting dressed up as they find it threatening - this even appears in entire cultures where women are expected to wear veils and so on. In our own western culture you can find this in the fashion industry where frailty and the look of adolescence is preferred over the look of a real, healthy, full grown woman. It is all to do with power; if women are kept in a state of childhood they pose no threat both in terms of their own potential power or the power other men could gain by 'stealing' them.

So there is very clearly a message about men's power over women in what Lewis says. The boys are allowed to grow and do 'manly' things, but are the girls allowed to grow and do 'womanly' things?

There's your Women's Studies lecture for the day

And all this business Lewis says about how grown ups cannot accept fantasy is nonsense. It is vital that people grow up, lest they become like Michael Jackson! Thank goodness Joy came along and shook Lewis out of his closeted little males only world!