CPB: Alanna: The First Adventure

So I know I’m a few days late for this entry, but I’m sure everyone understands how circumstances can get out of control. Being that this Commonplace Blog is mainly for a school assignment, I hope I can get the next few entries up before the next Journal check is scheduled (on a side note: Hi professor!).

When I reached the midway point of Alanna, one thought was stunningly clear to me and that was how much Alanna actually reminded me of a Mary-Sue. For those unfamiliar with this completely “official” literary term, it is a nickname given to characters that are seemingly perfect or given qualities that surpass the characteristics or skill of other characters in the universe in which they reside (my definition. No copy and pasting here and if it’s found anywhere else on the internet, it’s probably them who’s plagiarizing me, haha). Now, I’m not implying that Alanna is the most perfect character in the novel, by any means, it’s just that many of her descriptions and actions come dangerously close to being too good to be true for someone her age and stature.

She is, without a doubt, very brave and well-intentioned. But let me give some examples of flaws in plot development I see.

1) George is the King of Thieves who seems to be recognized by a lot of people, including Prince Jonathan at one point, and no one seems willing to turn him into the authorities? Yes, he tries to become Alanna’s friend, but I find it hard to believe that she would so willingly put aside the honor that she’s trying to prove and look the other way. And Jon not turning him in just doesn’t make any sense. Even if George obtained the black stallion and the mare, Moonlight, through legal means, that doesn’t make anything else George has done legal.

2) I tip my hat to Pierce for having Alanna have to master a different fighting style in order to defeat Ralon, but after their little duel has ended and she has won, she’s ashamed that she had to divert to a sneaky fighting style in the first place! I’m sorry, honey, but you are small and a girl! You don’t have the upper arm strength that a lot of the guys do, so utilize what you have and don’t be ashamed that you whooped Ralon’s butt. I was expecting her to at least feel a sense of pride at having won, but instead she takes her honor a step too far and blames herself for winning.

3) Okay, the magic thing. I can understand that she has a gift that most people don’t have and that she has to be trained. Yes, Maude did teach her the basics, but how in the world did Alanna know the proper healing spell to heal Jonathan? And all of the adults are letting her do whatever she wants with full faith that she knows what she’s doing despite the fact that she’s eleven! This is a symptom of a Mary-Sue, assuming that the character in question knows better that another character that is significantly more experience without any explanation. It’s mentioned several times in the story that if an untrained person attempts a higher-end spell, they could end up dying, but Alanna is able to do something that would presumably take a master of magic years to study and perfect. (Mary-Sue*cough*)

But I don’t want to be the jerk who rants on a story without giving positives. I will say that Alanna’s temper does give her a character flaw that at least makes her seem more believable (even though at times it’s exaggerated, like the time she goes to the pool with her friends and explodes at them for trying to get her to swim). Her experiences going through puberty understandably upset and startle her into the reality of what she is. It also introduces the reader to a theme that I can see running throughout the entire series as a main issue. Alanna needs to come to terms with what and who she is and wants to be. When George takes her to his mother, she is told, “Your place in life you can always change, whether you have the Gift or not. But you cannot change what the gods have made you. The sooner you accept that, the happier you will be” (175). Alanna will probably be doing a lot of struggling trying to reconcile her desires with her identity. I’m curious to see where it will lead.