Adoption is an essential component of myths as old as the story
of Moses, as new as that of Superman, and as tragic as that of
Oedipus. The topic of the foundling child is prominent in literature:
Kipling's Mowgli and Kim, Dickens' Oliver Twist, and J. M.. Barrie's
Peter Pan are examples that spring to mind. The closely related
theme of the step-child is central to such classic fairy tales
as Cinderella, Snow White, and Hansel and Gretel. (...) 1
The orphan storyline also is a recurring theme in media. As a
child, I was completely taken in by the mythology of the orphan,
as found in children's literature and popular culture. Of course
the most famous 20th century orphan would be LITTLE
ORPHAN ANNIE.
ORPHAN ANNIE started as a
weekly newspaper comic strip published by the Chicago Tribune
Syndicate in 1924 and created by Harold Gray. The combination
of the rags to riches formula — from her early origins in
a Dickensian orphanage to Daddy Warbucks — and Annie's self-reliant,
plucky and cheerful character assured the strip's success. LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE was not an original name — it was the
title of a popular poem by James Riley.
Little Orphant Annie's come to our house
_____to stay,
An' wash the cups an' saucers up, an' brush
_____the crumbs away,
An' shoo the chickens off the porch, an'
_____dust the earth an' sweep,
An' make the fire, an' bake the bread, an'
_____earn her board-an'-keep; (...)
Little Orphant Annie, James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)
The line 'earning her board and keep' rings familiar to many
adoptees. I can recall my own behavior when I came to understand
that I was adopted. I can remember making a conscious effort to
try and behave perfectly, even anticipating people's needs as
to not disappoint; to prove that I was worth keeping. A string
of nightmares that I would be SENT BACK
if I were 'bad' eventually petered out with time. It
also recalls the ORPHAN TRAIN RIDERS
who were indeed expected to provide domestic and farm labour to
mid-west families in exchange for their room and board. 2
However the orphan theme resonates for many people because it
taps into the universal fear of being unwanted, alone and without
family.
“Our obsession with orphans is a displaced
anxiety about the very real loss of family that people feel everywhere.
The search for roots has become a 20th century cliché,
and as we move into the 21st century, we’re fairly desperate
to know where we came from. We’re also afraid, as your film
shows [Secrets and Lies, Mike Leigh] that we just may find what
we’re not looking for — a background that we feel is
beneath us. What if we’re not the true heirs to the kingdom?”
3
Yet it is ironic that, without family ties, freedom of movement
is gained. The orphan script revolves around these conflicting
feelings of loneliness and freedom, solitude and adventure. I
found the orphan theme a popular thread throughout many television
shows geared to young people in the seventies.
1 ADOPTION FROM THE INSIDE
OUT: A PSYCHOANALYTIC PERSPECTIVE, Paul M.Brinich, in Psychology
of Adoption, Ed. by David. M. Brodzinky & Marshall D. Schechter,
Oxford University Press: New York, 1990 (p.44)
2 THE ORPHAN TRAINS - PLACING OUT IN AMERICA,
Marilyn Irving Holt, University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln & London,
1992 (p.31-32)
3 SECRETS & LIES, Karen Jaehne,
Film Quarterly, Spring 1998, Volume 51, #3
