A Trap Called Schadenfreude
As I read today’s reprint in For Better or For Worse, where Elly is introduced to Farley, I am filled with a certain sense of Schadenfreude. Elly is opposed to getting a puppy. In fact, in the new-runs, she is so opposed, she has bought Mike a fish to substitute for a puppy and has spend 2 months denying John and Mike the opportunity to get a puppy. She heads over to Mrs. Baird’s house of puppies, and Mrs. Baird is going to hard sell Lynn with preposterous ideas that she would put down a runt pure-bred Old English Sheepdog and convince her to take Farley home. The funny part about this to me is that the reason Elly goes over to Mrs. Baird’s house is because she thinks Mike and John have spent too much time over there and she is going to put a stop to it. Mrs. Baird lives next door. They can walk there. There is very little opportunity for physical danger on the trip, unless Mrs. Baird proves to be a homicidal maniac in addition to dog breeder. Elly should have plenty to do in her own house, given that she doesn’t have time to read a paper, and yet, she feels the need to go to Mrs. Baird’s house. Elly’s belief that Mike and John can’t handle themselves, drives her to leave her house for Mrs. Baird's and discover what mischief they are up to.
So…because Elly can’t leave well enough alone and trust her husband and son, she ends up as a victim of the conniving Mrs. Baird, and ends up with Farley. Schadenfreude. How sweet it is.
So…because Elly can’t leave well enough alone and trust her husband and son, she ends up as a victim of the conniving Mrs. Baird, and ends up with Farley. Schadenfreude. How sweet it is.
posted by howard at 10:00 PM
10 Comments:
howard,
So…because Elly can’t leave well enough alone and trust her husband and son, she ends up as a victim of the conniving Mrs. Baird, and ends up with Farley. Schadenfreude. How sweet it is.
Not, of course, that she ever admitted that. She has distinct trouble with the concept of personal responsibility and blames other people for her own failings and screw-ups. This is the same woman who still half-way blames April for what happened to Kortney; if she'd kept her mouth shut and gotten bullied, Elly could have absorbed flattery and continued to run Lilliputs. Instead, she stood up for herself and humiliated her mother so bad, she had no choice but to quit.
This is the same woman who still half-way blames April for what happened to Kortney; if she'd kept her mouth shut and gotten bullied, Elly could have absorbed flattery and continued to run Lilliputs. Instead, she stood up for herself and humiliated her mother so bad, she had no choice but to quit.
I did not get this at all from the old Kortney Krelbutz story. My impression from the Kortney story was that April’s complaint about Kortney threatening her was taken as no more serious than Moira’s complaints about Kortney’s poor work habits. There is some aspect of Lynn Johnston that does not take physical threats against women seriously in certain situations. I think these are:
a. A woman is too weak to possibly hurt another woman, or
b. It’s OK a man is about to hurt a woman, if he is immediately stopped by another man.
It’s like Lynn’s entire background in violence is informed by old Westerns. Beth Cruikshank referenced the old Western with her dialogue in Anthony Caine’s biography talking about how Liz viewed his fight with Howard Bunt.
She laughed suddenly. "Gosh, I sound like one of those eyelash-fluttering damsels in the old movies. I believe your next line is 'Shucks, ma'am, that warn't nothin'."
With woman vs. woman, it’s like the old Westerns where the men would stand back and have a good laugh when the ladies started fighting each other, and then would throw a bucket of water on them to break up the fight.
Both in this situation with Kortney Krelbutz and in Liz’s attempted rape by Howard Bunt, Lynn Johnston failed to have Elly take the situation seriously. Even when Grandpa Jim complained to Elly and she did not fire Kortney, neither Grandpa Jim nor John stood up for April and said, “Elly! You need to fire this woman.” It was as if Kortney’s action was still just the action of a poor employee.
Later when Kortney is found to be stealing and Moira fires her, Elly seems to be angrier over the fact that Kortney had betrayed her after she gave her all those chances, than the actual theft. I don’t think Elly had a second thought about the situation with Kortney and April. At least, I have never seen anything in the strip to indicate it.
howard,
I don’t think Elly had a second thought about the situation with Kortney and April. At least, I have never seen anything in the strip to indicate it.
Nor will you. One of Elly's least charming traits is her failure to take real threats seriously while making a big stink about non-events and improbabilities. Since she views the world as a Republic western, it's impossible for her to see that April had a legitimate concern. As her pious harrumphing that she hopes Kortney thinks about what she did indictes, she'll never see past the feeling of being personally betrayed to see how badly she'd let herself and everyone else down.
DreadedCandiru2,
One of Elly's least charming traits is her failure to take real threats seriously while making a big stink about non-events and improbabilities.
This statement fits in well with today’s reprint. Elly is so worked up about John and Mike spending too much time at Mrs. Baird’s, she has to march over there and find out what is keeping them. She is ready to make a big stink about this non-event.
However, as the creator of the new-runs, Lynn recognizes this and feels the need to justify this by creating strips that point out Elly had opposed getting a dog for months. Not only that but Lynn added 2 strips on Tuesday and Wednesday in between John’s departure to Mrs. Baird’s and Elly’s arrival to make it seem like he did spend a long time there. (Although it does not have Elly appear to be leaving right after John as it did originally, the inclusion of the 2 strips eliminated the mystery of why they had been there so long. In the original strip, you see John and Mike mesmerized over the puppies by the expression on their face, and know exactly why they have been there for so long and it is done for humourous effect.)
As for what should have been the legitimate concern, we don’t see Elly agreeing to take the dog and setting conditions for taking care of it with John and Michael. Lynn glossed over this completely to show Elly carrying the dog home with Michael cheering her on. Again non-event takes precedence over a legitimate concern.
howard,
As for what should have been the legitimate concern, we don’t see Elly agreeing to take the dog and setting conditions for taking care of it with John and Michael. Lynn glossed over this completely to show Elly carrying the dog home with Michael cheering her on. Again non-event takes precedence over a legitimate concern.
Sadly, her children seem to have picked up this horrid trait. First, we saw how skewed Mike's priorities were when he rescued his laptop from a burning building while leaving his wife and kids in the lurch. Next, there's Liz freaking out about RSVPs six weeks before they have to be received and shrieking at word play while ignoring all the alarm bells Anthony's behavior should sound. Finally, we have April with her rump in the air because Gerald allowed as how he escaped from the Pattermanse and not how shabbily he treats Shan...non. The Pattersons worry too much about the trivial and not enough about the substantial.
dreadedcandiru2,
Sadly, her children seem to have picked up this horrid trait.
Well, all the characters are Lynn Johnston these days, with very little distinction. It's no wonder they all act the same.
Howard, I hope you don't mind, but I added this blog to the Foob's Paradise blogroll. If it's a problem, I'll remove it.
CanuckDownSouth
Mrs. Baird is going to hard sell Lynn with preposterous ideas that she would put down a runt pure-bred Old English Sheepdog and convince her to take Farley home.
While I know Lynn has often claimed that her characters speak to her, but I had no idea they had this much influence over her. ;)
CanuckDownSouth,
No problem being on the Foob's Paradise blogroll. I am touched you would include my humble blog.
aprilp_katje,
While I know Lynn has often claimed that her characters speak to her, but I had no idea they had this much influence over her. ;)
I think there must have been a real Mrs. Baird somewhere out there that forced the original Farley on Lynn. Either that or I think Lynn and Elly have too many letters the same in their names. One of those two, I’m sure.
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