What is the significance of Shirley Temple? What meaning does she hold for Lovey?
The significance that Shirley Temple holds for Lovey is happiness. Lovey uses the scenes from Shirley Temple movies to visualize “happy endings” (3) that she also wishes she can experience; love, security and happiness. Lovey experiences emotional moments every time she watches when Shirley Temple is reunited with her father, and this has her yearning for that parent-child connection with her own parents. Lovey fantasizes happy endings for Shirley Temple and for herself. She does this along with Jerry, her good friend, who seems to bring her the only love and happiness in her life. This daydreaming allows Lovey to endure her own mundane ever day struggles. Shirley Temple holds hope for Lovey that happy endings can come true.
Shirley Temple
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting how sometimes we can receive hope from something as trivial as a character in a movie. Perhaps they remind us of a good time in our life. Maybe they remind us of the kind of people we want to be. We always seem to be longing for something better. This is absolutely understandable.
Lovey watches Shirley Temple and envies her. She envies the happy endings that she experiences. She also notices her curls and wishes to have that same look. We can perceive that Lovey truly hopes for more than what she has. Most kids do because they often think that others are better off than them. This isn't always the case, which is why we should try to just be appreciative of what we currently have.
I agree with you that it is wrong for people, especially family, to tease others. Even being in good fun it could emotionally scar a person. I am sorry that your mother and sister teased you when you were growing up. My sister teased me and I still to this day struggle with low self-esteem and self-image. Even having a fiance telling me that I am beautiful every day sometimes does not help. I hope that my children do not get teased and do no end up with self-esteem issues like me.
ReplyDeleteI also think that Shirley Temple was Lovey's idle. She wanted to be just like her. Watching Shirley on Sundays brought Lovey great joy. I remember as a kid watching some shows and wishing that I could be just like them. I wanted a different life than the one I had just like Lovey.
That got really deep and I loved it. I didnt even seem to think about the self image being a real connection to Shirley Temple and Im glad you brought it up. Your answer brought up some good points that I didnt seem to think about.
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
mandy,
ReplyDeleteI like how you summarized about Lovey admiring Shirley Temple as an idol. Lovey envies Shirley's happy ending and wishes the same kind of happiness for herself. I also like the way you contrast between the appearance of Shirley Temple and Oompah Lompahs. Every young girl wants to be cute and not described of something opposite and ugly. It is hurtful and builds up low self-esteem. You have great insights on her stories. Great job!
Mandy,
ReplyDeleteI like the way that you have pointed out that Lovley felt that she lacked love, security and happiness. I really think that she really earned from that and yet unfortunately never felt that she got it from her parents.
I feel that Lovely held Shirley Temple to a standard that no one could ever fulfill. Her happy endings were to unrealistic. Not only at that time did TV only mainly show beautiful white girls and in order to be “All American” you had to look like and sound like them to be like them and thank god that standard has changed. It to unrealistic for children to understand that what is on TV is not real and when they don’t see themselves like the people then they have low self esteem and that is society fault.
I agree with you when you say that Lovely looks up to Shirley like an idol. She was striving for love that she never got and Shirley gave her hope. I think that we all had a character in our lives that we envied. It is common to strive for more or something that we never have and even if we have it all we are constantly dreaming of more, other, better.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with you that hurtful comments from your younger years can last for years. It's unfortunate that so many people learn how to cut down people, rather that give them a morale boost, or a positive reinforcement. Lovey seemed to be demoralized from many points in her life, her schoolmates, teacher, family. It's no wonder that she wanted the Shirley Temple "happy endings"
Thank you, Carrie