The Wide Wide World

In the past and present parents have always been the stronghold in the home. This is the ideal view of parents; adults that are supposed to take care of their children in the best possible ways. At times, this is not what really happens and a child might take care of the parent or only one parent might be wary of the children.

In The Wide Wide World, the contrast between a parent taking care of a child and a child taking care of a parent is shown and Ellen is always looking up to her mother all the while trying to take care of her as best as a child can take care of an adult. In many instances, Ellen is compelled to take care of her mother like when she takes so much care to make tea and toast for her. Ellen acts like a little adult in preparing everything in order for her mother to be pleased. Also, parents in The Wide Wide World are seen as authority figures who a child is supposed to look up to and this is shown when Ellen wants to feel as her mother does about the Bible and God and says "If only I could feel these words as Mamma does!" (27). This is also supported when Ellen and her mother go shopping, and as Ellen picks out things for her writing desk her mother asks her if she remembered what Miss Allen had on her desk. When Ellen goes shopping for the merinoes, she encounters an old gentleman and this is yet another authority figure that shows up in Ellen's life. What is interesting is that Ellen listens to her mother's advice in how to deal with this person when she wants to find out the gentleman's name. Her mother says, " It is very dishonourable to try to find out that about other people which does not concern you, and which they wish to keep from you." (67). This is yet another lesson and ideal way to behave that Ellen has learned from her mother. One last thing I noticed about parents in The Wide Wide World is how Ellen's father reacted to her emotions in leaving. Captain Montgomery said, "In the hurry and bustle of getting off, she will not have time to think about her feelings; and once on the way, she will do well enough; children always do." (72). In this instance, it is represented how adults felt about children and how they presumably thought that children don't feel that deeply and they get distracted and forget everything, which is a common belief among adults even today.

There was a sharp contrast in the roles between Mrs. Montgomery and Mr. Montgomery. It is very clear that Mrs. Montgomery did not want to bother her husband in the errands that had to be completed for Ellen, and she believes that it is not his job. Ellen asks, "Couldn't papa get the stuffs for you, mamma?" and her mother responds, "No, he's too busy; and besides, he doesn't know about shopping for me." (56). This shows that the wife's role is to be at home with the children and to work around what the children and the home need while the husband is the worker and only has to worry about making the money. The Wide Wide World depicts the traditional roles of men and women in the household. The only exception was when the old gentleman helped Ellen in shopping, and this might be a representation of how men might change their attitudes as they get older and might help more with the children. Overall, mothers are seen as more attached to their children and fathers as more detached from the household and family. This is shown when Ellen is leaving and the father just sees her departure as another task that he needs to get done whereas the mother is suffering because she knows it is the last time she will see Ellen. The father is completely oblivious of Ellen's feelings and her mother's feelings before Ellen leaves. This leads to Ellen's contrasting feelings towards her mother and father.

Ellen cares so much more for her mother than for her father. It can be said that Ellen really doesn't expect anything from her father like when she was being put on the carriage at her departure and she was not even paying attention to what her father did or said because she was thinking about her mother the whole time. Throughout the beginning of the story, Ellen only looks up to her mother to tell her what to do in certain circumstances and how to feel about certain things and so on. Captain Montgomery is like a stranger that is coming to take Ellen away from her mother. Ellen also doesn't like being vulnerable around her father because she probably feels that he is not going to like that. This is shown when Ellen wakes up in the morning of her departure and she does not want to go to see her mother until her father leaves the bedroom. It's like she's afraid to show her sadness around her father, and she tries to be as strong as possible around him. Ellen's ties with her mother are much stronger than with her father and she expects much more from her than the father.