Argument Comparing Zipes article to "Old Woman Magoun" by Mary Freedman

The article “The Changing Function of the Fairy Tale” by Jack Zipes is basic argument is that the role of a fairy tale as changed so significantly over the years. Fairy tales initially where for the older people for a form of education and then through time it became a way to teach children lessons starting from an early age. Throughout his study he walks the reader through the different time period and explains why they viewed fairy tales as they did. Like for example in the Romanic and Victorian times they did not want their children to listen to fairy tales because they thought that they will lead them astray from the bible and God. Though this study Zipes is able to come up with some basic guidelines of what classifies a work as a fairytale. But does this work with all fairytales or does it tends to change based on different variables like time, place and audience. The tale “Old woman Magoun” tests his model almost to the point that it contradicts the guidelines he sets as qualifications.
The first guideline is that the protagonist is censored from doing something and goes against it. The protagonist in this tale is old woman Magoun. Magoun is not faced by a dilemma until the end of the story. The dilemma that she is faced with is that the child she is watch, Lily, who is also her granddaughter is wanted by her father who is a dead beat father and a drunkard. This dilemma is hinted at when the story mentions the tale of what happened to Lily’s mother and then escalated when characters in the story are bothered by the fact that Lily is almost fourteen and still carrying around a doll. Hinting by the title we can see that the protagonist is Magoun, however the story is centered on Lily. Magoun serves as a substitute because she shelters Lily in such a way that Lily has no knowledge or control of what is taking place. So is it the supporting character or the protagonist that is faced with the dilemma even though the protagonist had no clue of what is going on? From being sheltered Lily is paralyzed from making any efforts to solve the problem she is in. And to make it worse she actually helps it along by telling her father and Willis he age and her name. In doing so they knew she was of age to be wed to Willis which is assumed.
The second requirement is that the protagonist is “banished” or is given a “task related to the interdiction or prohibition” and that the protagonist will be marked by this undertaking. If one is to continue this assessment assuming that Magoun is the protagonist then the point of her having to be “banished” is not being portrayed in the story. The story never clues into Magoun having to move anywhere or having to leave any space because she is given the girl to take care of. The tasks that Magoun is given are two. The first is to shelter and care for Lily so that she does not turn like her mother and the second is given by her father when he requests her. The latter part of Zips rule does fit however. In the conclusion of the story Magoun is found carrying around the dolly that Lily would carry and never let go of. This doll signified the innocence of a child and in Magoun’s neglect and allowed poisoning of the child she is now scarred by this act because when she found that lily was sick she did nothing to cure her. All she did was tell her about heaven so that it would take her mind off the pain and that the child will die peacefully.
Zipes then makes a list of things/ characters in the story which have to present in order for it to function properly. The first is a villain. The villain in the story is spoken of three times. Once when speaking of how Lily became, next is when he sees Lily and then goes to get her from her grandmother and last at the end of the story when he finds Lily dead. The second request is of a mysterious person or animal giving her the protagonist gifts. This is where Lily comes in. While Lily is walking she meets a man who she has never met before how walk with her to the market to get salt. He does not give her a gift however. Unless this gift is company walking to the store, the person who gives her a gift is her father. She knows her father (“Now Lily did not shrink from him. Hereditary instincts and nature itself were asserting themselves in the child's innocent, receptive breast” and "My father gave it to me,"). Yes it may have been instinct but for her to out rightly say that her father gave her the candy justifies that the child knows him. This eliminates him as a mysterious character. Just some one she has not seen a long period of time. They clearly share a bond.
Zipes also asks for animals are creatures which are not present in this book other than the men that she refers to as hogs. Also no one offers her a magical gift. The men who Magoun refers to as hogs are building her a bridge which she is paying for with food and drink and other gifts are received by Lily which is an apple given to her by the lawyer’s wife who gives her milk and sour apples that then sickens her and the candy that’s her father gives her.
The next requirement is for the protagonist to fight their prohibition. Magoun attempts to fight society by keeping Lily as a child as long as she can saying that she will be with God. The other thing that she attempts to fight is the father regaining custody of Lily. She does this by going to the lawyer’s house and asking him to adopt Lily. However she fails. When she finds out that Lily was feed the apples however, she leaves her to die and allows her to eat the wild berries which she would otherwise have scolded her not to.
The fall of the protagonist whether it be Magoun or Lily begins when Magoun allows Lily to go to the store for salt to make the pork. The only problem with this “peripety” is that it seems permanent. I say this because Zipes states that this is a temporary setback. Magoun continues with her life as always, however, she’s still trapped because she is left with the memory of Lily. She keeps, on her shoulder, the doll that Lily kept at all times. And Lily dies so there is no coming back from that. One can make the argument that in her death she is freed from what she was bound to experience if she had lived but in the context of the story she does not prevail and no one is happy at the end of the story. Or at least the story doe not hint at Lily going to Heaven or Magoun being satisfied with her deed.
The last three requirements that are set up for fairytales fail because they are not applicable in this tale. Zipes alleges that the protagonist will us the gives obtained to help them. The candy that Lily receives is never used. On top of this there is no spell to be broken other then the fact that now the Barry cannot have his child and that she does not face her father at all.
The next requirements are that the antagonist is penalized and the end of the story ends in marriage wealth or wisdom. The father is penalized in the sense that he and Willis do not get have Lily in the end. Lily is dead so is this a battle won? And the father does not get what he wants however he does not seem too hurt about it and just gives up. Willis offers to go get a doctor but when Barry tells him that she is almost dead he sees that there is no point in getting one. If the father really wanted her alive, he would have gotten a doctor or sent for one regardless of whether or not she is dead or almost dead. Her dying is not a happy even. Her death prevents her from getting married which Zipes sees as positive. So does her death still qualify? Is dead a sort of emancipation from her father?
I personally enjoyed the story and saw that’s it applied to issues like dead at child birth, the role of a grandmother and the value of family, however it does not fit very well with Zipes’ outline of what a fairytale is. So does this mean that this story is not a fairytale? Also the roles that Lily and Magoun play, as the interchanging protagonist, complicates the list. I still think that this story fits as a fairytale because even though it does not fit the minuscule details of what a fairy tale is, it still teaches children’s the essentials of society and how to coop with events. Some lessons it teaches are do not talk to strangers, obey your guardian and do not accept gifts from strangers. Zipes may disagree with me who ever many other versions of stories that he may think are fairies will contradict all the guidelines he sets down. In saying that I do not believe that Zipes checklist of what is a fairytale is valid because it has the basic guidelines of what is a fairy tale; however his list is not state-of-the-art