Leaving Cinderella in the Ashes: the Self-Actualization Novel

ROHRER-WALSH, PATRICIA JENNIFER, Ph.D. Leaving Cinderella in the Ashes: The Self-Actualization Novel. (2008) Directed by Dr. SallyAnn H. Ferguson. 273 pp. Literature proscribes and prescribes ethically. When stories reinforce a society’s unhealthy prejudices, responsible readers should find others. The Bildungsroman has fostered the perspective that women are expendable, that coming of age terminates in adult identity formation, and that acculturation is the access to happiness and success. “Cinderella” is the current American companion tale for female coming of age. In both, male success trumps female success, female happiness depends on attachment to a male, adult coming of age is the end to human development, and happiness depends upon social acculturation. Such tales diminish females unacceptably. Although many critics have challenged the ethical merits of perpetuating the Bildungsroman and “Cinderella” agendas, none have proposed an alternative. This dissertation explores that possibility in the new genre of the “self-actualization novel,” a nomenclature highlighting the importance of Abraham H. Maslow’s famous concept. Frequently written by marginalized authors, this genre avoids the pitfalls of the Bildungsroman and the American “Cinderella” marriage master narrative. The novels of Jade Snow Wong, Julia Alvarez, Lisa Alther, Ntozake Shange, and Fannie Flagg explore family, education, friends, work, community, and love as alternatives for enriching women’s lives and their worlds. Although these self-actualization novels vary in their approaches to characterizing ethical females, they all promote a lifelong journey of self- fulfillment and social responsibility (Motivation 217). The self-actualization novels of marginalized authors offer great hope that all women can establish their voices and places—for themselves and for others. LEAVING CINDERELLA IN THE ASHES: THE SELF-ACTUALIZATION NOVEL by Patricia Jennifer Rohrer-Walsh A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy Greensboro 2008 Approved by ________________________________ Committee Chair ©2008 Patricia Jennifer Rohrer-Walsh To Richard Walsh, my husband and rare best friend. To the memory of Lawrence Edward Rohrer, my father. ii APPROVAL PAGE This dissertation has been approved by the following committee of the Faculty of The Graduate School at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Committee Chair_______________________________________ SallyAnn H. Ferguson Committee Members____________________________________ B. Scott Romine ____________________________________ Christian Moraru ______________________________ Date of Acceptance by Committee ______________________________ Date of Final Oral Examination iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank SallyAnn H. Ferguson, my dissertation director, for her enthusiasm for this project. As a teacher and director, she has always been generous to me with her ideas and inspiration. I thank her, most of all, for having seen in me more than I saw in myself. I also thank B. Scott Romine, who afforded me his time, guided me toward practical applications of my idea, and extended me his risibility. In addition, I thank Christian Moraru for his kindness, high standards, and concern for ethics. He has been a mentor to me in the application of theory to literature. I thank Mrs. Helen Graham for all her help with my interlibrary loan requests. I thank my mother for her lifelong examples of determination and diligence. Finally, I thank my children for supporting their late-blooming mother. iv PREFACE I write about this topic for several reasons. I wanted to convey my belief in the importance of stories. I also wanted to caution Americans about stories that are shortchanging females. Most importantly, I wanted to find better stories. We live in a world where science reigns: I need data to prove that I can teach, and I need data to prove that my students have learned. But the reality is that when a student asks, “What did we do when I was absent,” my students usually respond with stories. Like them, we tell stories all day long without consciously becoming narrators. Consider these examples: When husbands ask, “How was your day,” wives tell stories. When officers ask for accident reports, drivers tell stories. When grandmothers inquire about the family, granddaughters tell stories. When congregations wait for eulogies, widows tell stories. In sum, when we confess or deny, report or amend, and praise or criticize, we tell stories. Therefore, we should carefully compose, interpret, and pass along stories. Although narratives can save, they can also destroy. Currently pervasive stories cheat American women of their potential. Based on the “Cinderella” agenda of “marrying well” and the Bildungsroman agenda of coming of age, these tales demand acculturation. What intrigues me about this situation is that not everyone participates in this master narrative. Many marginalized women write fiction about females who strive beyond marrying well. When I first read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, I found such a narrative. Many years later, I began to read Maslow’s work on self-actualization. Maslow’s case studies reveal self-actualizers—people who pursue something they deem “bigger” v than themselves, associate with people they truly respect, develop their creativity, detach themselves from hypocrisy, fight injustice, love fiercely, exude spontaneity, and laugh loudly. They carefully select with whom and on what they spend their time, energy, and resources. If unpopular, they do not care and probably do not even notice. They stand against assimilationist and coming-of-age agendas and, therefore, against the agendas of “Cinderella” and the Bildungsroman. I began to ask myself why America does not prize such individuals and their stories. I asked myself why America prizes, instead, coming- of-age tales that terminate in adulthood; tales restricted to heterosexual marriage as the only path to happiness; and tales devoid of ethical concerns. I asked myself why women should concede their freedom and creativity to the master narrative of “Cinderella,” which is designed to frustrate them for the rest of their lives. Having found no good reason, I searched for more stories by marginalized women and found many who portray self-actualizers instead of Cinderellas and Bildungsromane heroes. I determined these non-traditional stories to be a new genre: the “self- actualization novel.” For my dissertation, I have chosen self-actualization novels by Ntozake Shange, Julia Alvarez, Lisa Alther, Fannie Flagg, and Jade Snow Wong. These novelists are concerned with how women can thrive throughout their lives as family members, learners, workers, friends, community members, and lovers. Further, these stories espouse the self-actualizing dual focus of improving yourself and improving your world. vi Stories reflect, reveal, and construct our lives, as well as our world—for better and for worse. I hope that this study discourages perpetuating profane stories and encourages embracing sacred stories. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page CHAPTER INTRODUCTION: TIME FOR A CHANGE— THE BILDUNGSROMAN AND “CINDERELLA”…………………………………………………..…. 1 The Bildungsroman ................................................................................ 2 “Cinderella” ........................................................................................... 4 The “Self-actualization Novel” .............................................................. 8 A Female Self-actualizer’s Life ............................................................. 12 I. WHEN MAMMA AIN’T HAPPY, AIN’T NOBODY HAPPY: FAMILY AND SELF-ACTUALIZATION……………………..……………….… 15 Fifth Chinese Daughter: Daddy’s Little Girl No More ......................... 16 Kinflicks: Mother, May I? No, You May Not ....................................... 35 Betsey Brown: To the (Manor) Born ..................................................... 44 In the Time of the Butterflies: From Cocoon to Flight........................... 56 Summary ................................................................................................ 62 II. BEYOND THE ABC’S: EDUCATION AND SELF- ACTUALIZATION…………………………………………………….. 64 Fifth Chinese Daughter: I Did It My (Middle) Way ............................. 68 Kinflicks: Discipleship Dooms .............................................................. 79 Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe: To (Her), with Love . 92 Betsey Brown: “Spress yo’se’f” ............................................................. 96 Summary ................................................................................................ 99 III. PEOPLE WHO NEED PEOPLE: FRIENDS AND SELF- ACTUALIZATION………………………………………………..…… 102 Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe: I Get by with a (Big) Help from My Friends…………………………………………..…… 104 In the Time of the Butterflies: (She) Ain’t Heavy, (She’s) My (Sister) . 107 Kinflicks: Friends With(out) Benefits .................................................... 111 vii Fifth Chinese Daughter: Red Rover, Red Rover, (No One’s) Com(ing) Over...................................................................................................... 115 Betsey Brown: Tell Me No Lies ............................................................. 117 Summary ...............................................................................................

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