Unlikely Animals

The excerpt from The Collected Writings of Ernest Harold Baynes, which begins the section, further explores The Complex Relationship Between Humans and Animals. Harold and Louise view The Sprite as a substitute for the human child they never had. They romanticize the animal, suggesting that there is “something fairylike” about him. However, The Sprite’s wild nature constantly contradicts these anthropomorphizing tendencies. He develops an unfortunate taste for poultry and begins to view Mrs. Baynes as his mate. Harold discloses that The Sprite’s two brothers met with “twin tragedies” (53). He does not disclose the details, but does admit that his inadequate care of the animals was largely to blame. This speaks to the idea that animal and human partnerships are reciprocal, requiring care and respect for both to flourish, as well as highlighting the recurring interdependency between animals and humans in the text. Harold, however, appears not to have been altogether adequate in fulfilling his duty of care to the animals which he adopted in lieu of human children, and in suggesting that Clive purchase a fox for his wife, it highlights Harold’s disconnect from the realities of the animal-human world, which is echoed through the very creation of Corbin Park. Further, the ghostly chorus in Everton that watches over the living, whom they are powerless to help, represents this same disconnect between the animal and human worlds: While there are silver linings to such relationships, their differences make it impossible for them to exist in perfect harmony, as will be seen in Mavis’s death at the hands of Jack the bear.

In Chapter 9, the theme of Childhood and Intergenerational Care emerges more clearly with the introduction of the class of fifth graders whom Emma first encounters unsupervised, clustered around a discarded condom. They have been abandoned by their teacher as a consequence of the opioid crisis, and it is suggested that Emma would serve as a stable figure in their lives. Intergenerational dynamics and caregiving responsibilities also appear in the portrayal of the Starling family. There is a notable role reversal between the Starling children and their parents, with Auggie and Emma assuming caregiving roles for their father, as their mother grows increasingly frustrated and pursues an affair with his doctor. However, when Auggie recovered from a substance use disorder, his mother cared for him, which again speaks to the reciprocal nature of all relationships. Childhood and Intergenerational Care also emerge in the portrayal of Mack Durkee, another promising young person who returned in Everton to care for a sick parent. His unsuccessful attempts to teach his students about the responsibilities of parenthood by caring for a baby goat provides a humorous illustration of the complex nature of parental and educational responsibility, as well as The Complex Relationship Between Humans and Animals, as it intersects with the idea of animals as surrogate children, like Bayes and the fox, The Sprite. Furthering the idea of intergenerational care, the narrating ghosts take parental pride and interest in Everton’s population, cheering them on and commiserating with the town’s residents as if they were standing on the sidelines at a ball game. However, they are powerless to actually influence events or provide any protection, thus limiting the care they are able to actually provide.

Moreover, Dr. Wheeler’s questionable ethics and the devastation of the opioid crisis add a further level of complexity to The Nature of Healing. The role of “healer” and the trust implied in the patient-doctor relationship is misused in the fact that Dr. Wheeler is having an affair with Ingrid while suggesting a guardianship for Clive. In these chapters, Emma continues to see “healing” as an exclusive, elite role by recalling Crystal’s jealousy of her gift and how Crystal likened her to the Christian saints (61). However, this also calls to question the identity crisis that Emma is experiencing with the loss of her healing gift.

These chapters also provide further descriptions of Corbin Park. For Clive, the park is more important as an imaginative locus than as a concrete reality. He adores the lore surrounding the park and the stories about exotic animals, which he used to frighten his children at bedtime. When the ghosts accompany the readers beyond the gates of Corbin Park, they do so not to dispel or confirm the legends, but rather to introduce Mavis Spooner. Mavis has “gone weird” and started feeding a couple of bears, one of whom she has named after her husband (82-83). In her loneliness, she anthropomorphizes the bear, Jack, despite his threatening behavior, which will have tragic consequences. In emphasizing Mavis’s importance to the narrative as a whole, the ghosts are also stressing the value of human community and safety, as well as their sense of concern for the Everton townspeople.