DADDY DEAREST
To quote from Laurie Winer’s observations on Shakespeare, there seems to be a pattern in Disney films too (“Mother and Child Reunion,” March 3).
“Snow White,” “Cinderella,” “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “Pocahontas” all feature motherless heroines. These movies’ female characters start out as children still living at home and end up as a bride or in the arms of a man. There are no sequels about Mrs. Prince Charming.
If there is life after motherhood, would Snow White and Cinderella be good mothers in spite of having a poor relationship with their stepmothers? And what was it about Belle’s and Ariel’s upbringing that made them want to cross the species line? Jasmine disregarded class and money for love, and Pocahontas broke the race barrier.
Are we to believe that fathers raise nonconformists and mothers good housekeepers?
PAMELA W. MILLER
Los Angeles
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