"While I’m endeared by the resolution of the situation in Nicola’s finding out that Esther is crying for an animal rather than a human being, it also points to quite a curious value-system.It’s one stereotypically associated with a certain sort of socially privileged Englishness; perhaps there’s also a notion embedded there that to cry for one’s parents is childish, but to cry for a dog is more respectable somehow."
I feel that this is a good example of Forest being highly realistic in her portrayal of children! They often do care more deeply for their pets (or believe that they do, and say so loudly!) than they do for family members. Further, while in reading this scene as an adult it's almost impossible not to make the interpretation that Esther has focused a lot of her emotions onto Daks because of her parents' divorce, Nicola, whose parents aren't divorced, cares just as deeply as Esther does about animals, and has no difficulty in understanding Esther's feelings - because presumably she would have felt just the same.
People do care about their pets a lot, and children are more upfront about this maybe. Although Daks may be especially precious to Esther because of her useless parents, it is him she's crying for, I think - it's not a facade for her feelings about her parents.
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timeasmymeasure
Esther and Daks
Date: 2014-09-03 02:03 pm (UTC)I feel that this is a good example of Forest being highly realistic in her portrayal of children! They often do care more deeply for their pets (or believe that they do, and say so loudly!) than they do for family members. Further, while in reading this scene as an adult it's almost impossible not to make the interpretation that Esther has focused a lot of her emotions onto Daks because of her parents' divorce, Nicola, whose parents aren't divorced, cares just as deeply as Esther does about animals, and has no difficulty in understanding Esther's feelings - because presumably she would have felt just the same.
People do care about their pets a lot, and children are more upfront about this maybe. Although Daks may be especially precious to Esther because of her useless parents, it is him she's crying for, I think - it's not a facade for her feelings about her parents.