Unconventional roles of children
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However, Wilson tries to show to the readers that not all families are living happily. Some families have no father figure which means the mother
must take care of double jobs in parenting: as a father who support financial needs and as a mother who takes care of the house and the children. Other
families have no mother figure. It means the single father needs to do double roles, both as father and mother including shopping, cooking, washing dishes,
etc. The other families experience a condition in which there is no father figure and the mother suffers from illness. This condition is what Wilson tries
to convey to the readers. This situation is experienced by Dolphin and Star who are forced to switch the role as parents both for one another and for their
mother who suffers from bipolar disorder. The data below show how Star acts as a parent for Dolphin by taking care
of her, giving her affection, warmth, support as well as comfort. Star also needs to delegate parenting responsibility such as picking up Dolphin from
school, washing her hair, checking her school uniform, telling her a bedtime story, etc. It is not only Star who performs parenting role in The Illustrated
Mum, but Dolphin, also, has a role to be the mother of Marigold who is supposed to be the mummy. It is done by her as she knows her mother is
suffering from bipolar disorder which prevents her to do normal mother‟s roles in parenting.
“But with Marigold out of it Star was much better company. She‟d done all her boring old weekend homework so now she was free to play
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with me
Wilson, 1999: 19.” From Dolphin‟s statement above, it is seen that Star is a much better company compared to Marigold, her own mother. Star
can play with her. Playing with children is one of parenting role in which parents should provide time to be spent with their children. The activity is
very important to make the relationship and the connection between parents and children become closer. In this story, Star successfully performs the role
of parenting as mother for Dolphin who provides time and spends time with her.
Another datum showing how the children‟s characters delegate parenting
role can be seen below. „You‟ve been drinking,‟ Star said coldly, though Marigold‟s voice wasn‟t
really slurred. „Dol, you should go to bed.‟ Marigold giggled.
„It‟s like you‟re the mummy, Star. Should I go to bed too?‟ Wilson, 1999: 45
The datum shows how Star reminds Dolphin that it is bed time and she should go to bed. It is like the parents who ask their children to go to bed in
order not to be late for school tomorrow. This datum indicates as if Star was the mum, just like Marigold says in the bold sentence above. Reminding bed
time is one of parenting role which is supposed to be done by Marigold, the mother figure in this story, not Star, Dolphin‟s sister.
The next example can be seen below: „There was a wicked witch in this story and she captured the children,‟
said Marigold.
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„I know. I remember it now. Star read it to me when I was little. It was
scary,‟ I said Wilson, 1999: 54. The sentence that Star read a story for Dolphin when she was little indicates
that Star has performed one more parenting role, reading a bedtime story for children before going to bed. This activity is usually done by parents, but
here, Star is the one who does it since Marigold cannot do it for Dolphin. The below quotation is also another example of parenting roles done by
the child characters. I fumbled in her bag and found a tissue.
„Here,‟ I said, wiping her face carefully. „It‟s like you‟re the mum,‟ Marigold wept.
It was a game she sometimes liked to play
. I decided it was my best chance of getting us home.
„Yes, I‟m the mum and you‟re my little Marigold. Dear, dear, you‟ve got yourself in such a silly state, darling. Let Mummy wipe your nose
again,‟ I said. „Now, come along with me, there‟s a good girl. I‟ll tell you a story as we go, right, precious?
‟
„Yes, Mum,‟ said Marigold in a little girl‟s voice. „OK, then, darling. Well, once upon a time there was a little baby girl
called Marigold and she had eyes the colour of emeralds and hair the
colour of the setting sun, and she got stolen away by evil people….‟
Wilson, 1999: 114-5 The conversation is Marigold and Dolphin‟s conversation when Marigold has
felt desperate to look for Micky‟s house. She cries and the one who looks after her is Dolphin. Another role of parenting is showing affection and
supporting children when they are in bad feeling. Those roles are done by Dolphin by wiping Marigold‟s eyes, telling her a story, and asking her to go
home because it is not appropriate to cry in a public place and becoming the center of people‟s attention. Marigold, in that conversation, also affirms that
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Dolphin performs the role of parenting by saying that Dolphin is like the mummy, not her.
The below quotation is the conversation between Star and Dolphin. „It‟s not that I don‟t want you, Dol. I just don‟t need you to be tagging
round after me all the time. No-one else has their kid sister hanging around.‟
„I wouldn‟t get in the way. I wouldn‟t even speak to your friends.‟
„No, Dol,‟ Star said. „You should try to find your own friends.‟ Wilson, 1999: 41
Based on the quotation, it is clear that Star has performed one more parenting role which is encouraging children to be sociable. Star asks Dolphin to find
friends because she knows Dolphin will grow up and need friends in order not to be tagging around her all the time. Star also asks Dolphin to find a
friend since she does not want Dolphin to be an introvert. The quotation below is the last example of parenting roles that is done by
children.
„I know. I‟ve always made excuses for her. I‟ve done everything. When you were a little and she went weird or got drunk I did everything for
you.
There‟s stuff she did that even you don‟t know about, Dol. I tried to look after you properly. I tried to look after
her .’ Wilson, 1999: 123
The statement above shows that Star finally tells Dolphin that she has looked after her and Marigold even from she was still very young. It indicates that
Star has performed some roles of parenting such as looking after children, cooking, showing her affection, etc for a long time.
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2 Protecting One Another
Every child needs protection, especially the one who is under 17 years old. Protection that children need can be physical or psychological protection.
If it is physical protection, it means that children are protected from any possibilities of being beaten, hit, slapped, etc. If it is psychological, they need
to be reassured, comforted, and saved in order to make them feel safe, clam, and comfortable. Protection needed by children usually comes from the
closest adult figure, parents. In most conventional children‟s stories, protection can also be provided
by the existence of a fairy godmother or an animal that has superpower. For example, Cinderella is protected by a fairy godmother when she is tortured
by her step mother and step sisters. Another example is the son of a gardener in The Golden Bird who is protected by a wise fox in search of a golden bird.
The fox protects him by giving him advice and saving him as well from the bottom of the river. From the above example, it can be seen that children are
presented only with characters that have no role in protecting both themselves and other people when they are in difficult situation.
Wilson‟s The Illustrated Mum deconstructs the role of children in protecting themselves and others. The researcher found that Dolphin and Star
try hard to protect both one another and their mother. This kind of roles is unique since they are still 10 and 14 years old who are supposed to be
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protected, not protecting, by adult figure. However, because of the complex condition they are facing, they need to provide protection for themselves.
She reached out and caught hold of me by the wrist . „Come on. She‟ll
be all right.
She‟s probably met some guy and she‟s with him.‟ …
„Well, she has, hasn‟t she? Hey, you‟re freezing.‟
„Sorry.‟
„Never mind. Here.‟ Star pressed her warm tummy against my back ad made a lap for me with her legs
. Her arms went round me tight and hugged me
Wilson, 1999: 24. The datum above shows that Star tries to protect Dolphin from fear. It is one
of psychological protection given by Star to her sister in order to make her reassured when her mother has not yet coming home. She performs the role
of protecting by making a lap for Dolphin and hugging her in order to protect her from fear and worry.
„Me too,‟ says Star. „Good idea, eh? Right, you come and wait for me outside school this afternoon, OK?‟
„OK,‟ I said. I did my best to smile Wilson, 1999: 31. The conversation above shows that Star wants to make sure Dolphin is safe
after school time ends. The way she protects Dolphin is by asking her to wait for her until she comes and they can walk home or catch the bus together. It
shows how she tries to give protection for her sister from physical harm. Another datum showing that children characters perform role of
protecting to one another is when Dolphin sees her mother trying to hurt herself. She picks antiseptic in order to make the wound of her mother to get
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better. She protects her mother from physical hurt. The evidence can be shown from this datum below.
She rolled up her sleeve and started fingering her new cross tattoo, scraping along its lines with her nails.
„Don‟t you‟ll get infected, picking at it like that.‟ I got her antiseptic cream and she rubbed it in slowly. It seemed to
soothe her. She got washed and properly dressed. I did her hair for her. I
combed it up into a chic pleat and anchored it with my green clasp. „Close your eyes,‟ I said, and I sprayed her hair thoroughly to keep every
single tendril in place Wilson, 1999: 13. Role of protecting one another is also shown by Dolphin and Star by
hiding their mother from society and authority. Not all children are capable of hiding something or someone that society thinks unfit for people in the
real life. Usually it is the adults who can “smartly” hide something or someone. Nevertheless, as seen in the novel, Dolphin and Star try their best
to save their mother by hiding her from their society. They need to hide their bipolar mother from society such as their neighbor, teachers, and friends.
Also, they hide Marigold from the authority such as police, hospital, and social worker. They do it because the society thinks that her mother is a bad
mother. Instead of helping Marigold to get better, society mocks her and says that she is mad. However, Star always believes that Marigold only needs
special help in the hospital to cure her mental illness. Because of their love for their mother they need to hide their mother.
„It‟ll be worse if we just stay her, waiting. We‟ll both go to school like normal. Only you won‟t tell anyone that she‟s gone missing, will
you ?‟
„Has she really…gone missing?‟
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„I don‟t know. But if you start babbling about it, or even go round all sad and snivelly so that nosy teacher starts giving you the third
degree then I‟m telling you, Dol, they‟ll get then social workers in and we‟ll both end up in a care.‟
… „So keep your mouth shut and act you haven‟t got any care in the world.
„Don‟t look like that. Smile‟ Wilson, 1999: 29 Another datum showing that Star and Dolphin need to protect their
mother can be seen from the below quotation. „I‟m worried about being late home, Miss Hill.‟
She paused, her tongue feeling round her mouth like a goldfish in a bowl. „Is everything all right at home?‟ she asked.
„Oh yes. Fine.‟
„Your mother…?‟ „She‟s fine,‟ I said, my voice loud and cheery, practically bursting into
song Wilson, 1999: 34.
The conversations above show that Star asks Dolphin not to tell anyone that Marigold has not yet come home. She asks her to act as normal as she can in
order to avoid any questions related to her mother from teachers or friends. They need to do it because the society thinks their mother is crazy and an
unhealthy mother. When Dolphin is asked by her teacher, she pretends that everything is well with a loud voice and cheerful tone.
Another datum showing that children characters in the novel need to hide their mother from their surroundings is shown by Dolphin‟s sentences below.
Marigold wanted us to go to meet Star but I talked her out of it. I knew Star would die if all her new High School friends saw Marigold,
especially in her wound-up state. „No, don‟t let‟s hang around Star‟s school. She‟s maybe got netball
practice today, anyway. Let‟s just go home‟ Wilson, 1999: 50.
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Marigold at first wants Dolphin and her to go to Star‟s school, but Dolphin is afraid that all of Star‟s high school classmates know Marigold when she is in
her state. It is because Dolphin knows all of Star‟s friends will think Star‟s mother is weird and they will mock Marigold. In addition, Dolphin does not
wan t Star‟s friends to keep away from her after knowing her mother‟s
condition.
3 Doing Household Responsibility
Society believes that household chores are the adult‟s responsibilities. More specifically, the society sees mother as the one who is in charge of the
responsibilities such as cooking, washing dishes, cleaning the house, shopping, managing kitchen stuff, etc. Mostly, children are depicted with a
happy family having a perfect mother who is smart in cooking, managing kitchen stuff, looking after the children well, etc. By being presented with
that kind of stories, children can possibly think that all families have a mother figure that is in charge of household responsibilities. They also do not need to
help their mother to do the household tasks. On the contrary, Wilson shakes the belief that the role of doing household
responsibility can be done only by adult or parent figure, especially mother. She makes the readers, especially children, aware that not all families have
perfect mother who can manage all of the household stuff. Dolphin and Star
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are the example as they need to manage all of the household tasks without having any adult or even mother
‟s help. To make it clearer, Wilson presents Star as a character who manages
most household activities starting from she was little. It is unique since children at that stage are supposed to be the ones who are not burdened with
too many household chores while they have to cope with their school homework.
The datum saying that “She took the housekeeping purse and rushed
out… Wilson, 1999: 9” indicates that Star is the one who is in charge with housekeeping and all
things related to it. The phrase “housekeeping purse”
clearly strikes that Star handles the economical needs and arrange them, when to buy and what to buy for their housekeeping needs.
The datum below shows that Star gets used to shop to buy housekeeping needs such as food.
„We have cornflakes. But there isn‟t any milk,‟ I said.
„I can go round to the corner shop,‟ said Star. „I think it opens early on
Saturdays.‟
„You can‟t go out and do the shopping,‟ said Micky fondly. He looked as if he thought she was too little to shop. I wanted to tell
him that Star had done the shopping ever since I could remember. She was much better at it than Marigold
Wilson, 1999: 93. Micky, however, does not know that Star gets used to do shopping. He says
that she cannot do the shopping and Micky‟s statement indicates that children
at Star age are not supposed to do shopping for the housekeeping stuffs. However, the evidence that Star performs roles as the one who manages the
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household activities is also affirmed by Dolphin who says that even Star is better than Marigold and she has done, it starts from she was little.