What makes a Goddess?
While reading the most recent chapter of Quicksand, I realized there were a couple parallels to Siddhartha, at least as far as the ambiguity of a particular step in the hero’s/heroine’s journey. In Siddhartha, one of the biggest debates was about whether Kamala represented Temptation or the Goddess. Likewise, I noticed that Katrina Dahl is similarly ambiguous. According to Wikipedia, Murdock’s characterization of the goddess is someone who “represents all the positive values of femininity she has left behind” and inspires the heroine to return to “femininity”.
By superficial standards and the typical characteristics of “femininity”, Katrina certainly seems like a contender for the Goddess character. She prepares parties and tea outings, matchmakes Helga, dresses Helga, etc. Her main role is making sure the Dahls have a positive reputation and a great social standing. I believe that looking after the family’s image is typically stereotyped as a feminine role as well.
It's also clear that Helga gradually adopts Katrina's recommended style. She likes all the nice decorations, clothes, foods, places, and general beauty of Copenhagen, her home, and her things. At the end of Chapter 14, Helga seems overall satisfied with her status and elevated feminine aesthetics. Could this be proof that Katrina encouraged Helga to yearn for the feminine? At the surface level, it certainly seems so.
If you want to highlight the importance of connecting with the feminine in the heroine’s journey, you would probably characterize Chapters 13 and 14 as Decent/Meeting with the Goddess. However, arguably the more significant part of Katrina's character is her role as the “controller” of Helga’s life. Every third sentence is about how Fru Dahl controlled every aspect of Helga’s life. From the get-go, “[Aunt Katrina ] had determined the role that Helga was to play in advancing the social fortunes of the Dahls of Copenhagen, and she meant to begin at once” (54). This description is embedded and expressed in one of the first interactions between Fru Dahl and Helga crane, where Fru Dahl is encouraging Helga to wear an ostentatious dress and to change her wardrobe entirely as well. The scene opens with Aunt Katrina knocking on Helga's door and telling her that they were going out to tea and that she must make an impression by wearing something striking. Helga’s style doesn’t fit with Katrina’s vision of what Helga should wear (to advance the Dahls social status of course), but she eventually concedes to Katrina’s strong suggestion to wear a dress Helga thought was much too much. Additionally, as this is happening, Helga’s own style/aesthetic sense are being re-thought. Clearly, Aunt Katrina is objectifying and exploiting Helga Crane in some sense, even if Helga Crane is sometimes satisfied with her luxuries.
At said parties, Helga was talked about more than talked too. Especially when it came to Axel Olsen, in his first interaction with Helga he didn’t even say a word to her. He looked straight through her and directly to her “owners”. When he shared plans about painting Helga, Helga heard it from Katrina. If Helga has no control over her life, how is she becoming more feminine – unless of course it is feminine to be controlled— ? One could argue that despite the huge character flaws of Fru Dahl, and her clear self-serving purposes with Helga, she does participate in very “feminine” roles and tastes. If one decides that the “Goddess” doesn’t necessarily have to support the main character at all, and instead, she just has to be feminine, then one could argue that she is the Goddess in Chapters 13 and 14. Just like in Siddhartha, when we were discussing whether or not Kamala had to *not* be a temptation in order to be considered a Goddess, Katrina may or may not be the Goddess, depending on whether or not you decide the Goddess must be a “helpful” character to Helga.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heroine%27s_journey#:~:text=The%20descent%2Fmeeting%20with%20the%20goddess,-Crisis%20falls%20upon&text=Here%20the%20heroine%20must%20reconcile,inspired%20to%20return%20to%20femininity.
image cred:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.offoffonline.com%2Foffoffonline%2F2018%2F12%2F1%2Fquicksand&psig=AOvVaw1tn1FpVdSJLLCZy7ElZx6E&ust=1742007375152000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBQQjRxqFwoTCKDayKrJiIwDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE
Sophia! As we finish up reading Quicksand this quarter, I liked reading this analysis on how the novel supports a depiction of a certain character - in this case Aunt Katrina - as one of the aspects of Maureen Murdock's Hero's journey template. Certainly, I agree with your point that Katrina represents a beckoning call back to femininity: i,e representative in Helga's case as the white side of her biracial identity, but also an inherent gendered aspect of elegant clothing and fine dining. I do believe that Katrina does represent the Goddess not only on a surface level, but in the way she tantalizes Helga with this certain fantasy of what being a white women could represent to her.
ReplyDeleteI don't necessarily think that the Goddess must be helpful, but more so inspiring. I did find Fru Dahl in moments to be helpful to Helga, giving her resources and a pleasant life, at least at the beginning of her time in Copenhagen. Holding the family image together while arranging many things was a good amount of tasks for Fru Dahl to balance, and yet it brought back Helga's attention to femininity. She also connected Helga to her mother's roots and her biological feminine side, a task that a goddess in a story could do. Great blog, Sophia!
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