Mary Poppins Response (Original Text)

I found Marry Poppins and Marry Poppins Comes Back to both be very entertaining books. While it is definitely apparent that they were written in the 1930s, they provide a great look on how people viewed/view children, and what P. L. Travers opinion on this was.

            The stories definitely show a certain view of different age groups. Children are regarded as not knowing a lot but are willing to learn. They’re curious, as can be seen with Jane and Michael constantly asking Mary Poppins questions. However, the majority of the time she does not answer these questions. Many times, she even denies things that occurred in the past, as if she’s trying to tell them that what happened didn’t actually happen. I was somewhat/still am curious as to why this was done. One reason may be that Mary Poppins is trying to prepare them for the real world and adult life, in which these fantastical things don’t occur, or if they do adults don’t believe that what they saw was true.

            This also ties in with how adults other than Mary Poppins are portrayed. For one, the parents don’t seem to care about their children much at all. I think this is mostly due to common practices at the time, as well as the fact that the family is affluent enough to afford many service workers. I think the absence of parents in raising their children is generally a negative thing, but since it was commonplace it’s not as big of an issue. Along with not being involved in raising their children, the parents also seem somewhat ignorant and oblivious to certain things that they should know. Other adults also show this trait, and it’s mainly shown by them being one dimensional and having simple desires, like Miss Lark and only caring about her dog. I believe the adults are portrayed like this as a commentary on adult life, and how there is largely too much seriousness, as well as a lack of validation for children. It seems as if only characters that are friends with Mary Poppins treat the children properly and value their opinions. I think P. L. Travers wanted to encourage adults to view children differently than they had been and to validate their experiences more.

            However, if this is the message she wants to convey it brings up the idea of who her audience is meant to be; if the message is for adults then does the book have them as their intended audience? I think both yes and no. The book was definitely meant for kids. The language used, it’s ease of understanding, and the fact that the stories are excited and fantastical all show that it had kids as one of the intended audiences. However, I think it was also meant for adults to either read or to hear about from their children. The message was meant to get to adults, but maybe just not in a direct manner.

            This would be a very good explanation for why Disney chose to make this movie. Disney makes family films, which end up being watched by the entire family group and not just the children. Because of this messages can be conveyed to two distinct age groups (children and parents). Mary Poppins aligns perfectly with this idea, so I’m looking forward to see if the Disney movie actually does convey messages for both audiences or if it tones down some of the messages meant for parents.