Reisz The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, "Robot Boy"

Burton's "Robot Boy" Illustrations

           Of all the poems in The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories, “Robot Boy” may tie into Carl Jung’s ideas and relate to Tim Burton’s life the most. Robot Boy perfectly symbolizes Burton as a child. He felt that his parents did not love him and would do better without him. He did not fit into the perfect mold of suburbia that his parents wanted him in, which made him feel like an outsider. Robot Boy has the same problem as the poem describes his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, so happy before him. With robot boy’s birth, his parents’ problems were revealed and they could no longer live in ignorant bliss together. Perhaps Burton’s own desire for self-expression made his parents unpleasant as well since they had no creative spark in dull suburbia. Like in Edward Scissorhands, the unknown scares the uninteresting suburban people so they simply cast aside people like Edward, Robot Boy, and Burton. Readers also see Burton’s neuroses about abandonment as robot boy, who we relate to as Tim Burton, loses his parents completely as they cast him aside as a garbage can. 

           Mr. and Mrs. Smith’s selfish and unaccepting fallacies are highlighted with their reaction to their child when they really should blame Mrs. Smith’s unfaithfulness and accept their child. The most important part of the story, however, is the final quatrain that reads, “And Robot Boy/ grew to be a young man./ Though he was often mistaken/ for a garbage can.” Applying Jung’s ideas here, readers see Burton relieve some of the pain developed from the abandonment and sense of being an outsider. The collective unconscious that Jung ideology promotes is the part of the unconscious that all human participate in and belief that the self, or conscious psyche, seeking individuation, or wholeness. He believed that there were “archetypes of transformation” on the path towards wholeness. We see these transformations in robot boy as he lay there not quite dead or alive in the beginning of the story but by the end has become a young man. Although his parents continue to treat him like a trashcan, life went on. This reflects Jung’s belief in transcendence and death being a part of life because it illustrates that, despite struggles and others’ lack of acceptance, life goes on. Robot boy’s parents fit the archetype of the wicked stepmother, like Burton’s parents somewhat represented to him, which is seen as a negative in stories. However, the shadow side of the psyche is something that one must simply come to terms with and integrate so that he may become whole, which is exactly the path that robot boy, and therefore Burton, is on as he has become a young man and realizes that we grow as life goes on.

Reisz Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras Craziness

Living in Kentucky and never have even visited New Orleans before, Mardi Gras was a whirlwind culture shock and amazing fun. I loved the festivities, the colors, the craze, and of course the carnival-esque parades.

Having a theatre background, I immediately think of the masks used in carnivals and the parades as a sort of "freeing" source. When one uses a mask in training they are stripped of personal background and traumas so that they are free of any restraints. I can see how the same ideology behind the mask is implemented into the Mardi Gras parades. Every Krewe member on the floats wore masks so that they could free themselves of restrictions during the crazy festivities. This especially makes sense because of the restrictive Catholic mandate of following a very strict Lent. People simply want to get a little crazy before cutting back.

However, I think that most everyone can agree that harmless fun is not the only result of the free spirit and hidden faces ascribed to carnival festivities. People monopolize on the event to the point where public indecency, harmful ruthless behavior, and borderline alcoholism is, not only socially acceptable, but encouraged. While the masks and craze of the event can be a great way to release from the restraints of everyday life and personal insecurities, it can also lead to immoral and regrettable decisions. The mask and nature of carnivals then becomes an excuse for poor decisions that some make during this time of the year. While I think it is important to get lost in the fun festivities of the season and escape the sometimes dull repetition in our lives, we need to remember not to completely lose ourselves or hide behind the mask too much. Using the mask as a freeing source can result in a euphoric and healthy release; however, using the mask as an excuse to lose yourself and morals completely can be very self-destructive.

 I think the Joker from Batman is an excellent example of this carnival mentality. The Joker, clearly a trickster character, uses his mask of scars as an excuse for his malicious immoral behavior. The carnival is similar to the jokester character also since it appears harmless but can have very chaotic results. The Joker’s carnival attracts the masses as he promises to throw out cash (kind of like beads during Mardi Gras), which immediately unleashes chaos in the crowds. I saw this same cause-reaction during the Mardi Gras festivities. Although Mardi Gras is definitely a less drastic event, I think it is important to note the similarities so we do not near the same chaotic events that occur in many of Burton’s films.

Reisz Edward Scissorhands

Suburbia of Edward Scissorhands

          We see many elements of fairy tales in Edward Scissorhands like the setting of a castle apart from a town, a supernatural occurrence, and “good guy” character; however, we often do not acknowledge the violence of contemporary life that traditional fairytales often entail. This violence ultimately lends itself to the overall moral of the tale, which can be seen in the film as commentary on modern society’s rash judgment and unaccepting nature of things that are different despite its own follies. The suburbia that Edward is taken into is not as cookie-cutter perfect as it appears. Although all of the houses and majority of the people look the same, they are not the perfect happy housewives and families that we want to associate with the imagery. The town has especially transgressed through its values. Instead of valuing acceptance and matters of morality, they above all value appearance. They need the perfect car, house, husband, and children. Anything straying from this perfection is a disgrace to their little suburban society. However, many secretly yearn for something different and more exciting. We can see this through the small integration of Edward into suburbia life. In contrast to the scenes in the beginning of the story, we see the similar houses but with different strange garden shapes and crazy hairstyles. The problem then becomes that the people execute these desires with the same lack of morals and concern for other human beings as they began with. 

People continually lie and steal throughout the film often out from this boredom in their own lives. They never really accept anything that is different from them, like Edward, but use him as a personally amusing freak and handy gardening tool. Even this fake acceptance leads to greater judgment and overall rejection of Edward through violence. I noted a striking resemblance to Beauty and the Beast near the end as the mob followed the “monster” to his castle. What they intended to do to poor Edward we may never know. The people of the town need a scapegoat for everything that is not perfect in their own lives. They quickly act out in violence against Edward as a result. Another major act of violence that occurs in the film is the death of Kim’s wretched boyfriend, Jim. His downfall may symbolize the traditional downfall of evil in fairytales as he represents the most unaccepting person with the worst morals. The violence is necessary, like in many fairytales, to bring out these comments about modern society and its morals.

Reisz Batman Returns

Sketch of an Emotional Penguin

            Penguin and Batman share eerily similar problems of abandonment among other psychological problems; however, the conflict and large moral of the story is based on how the two similar characters react and deal with their troubles that really platform the movie. The most obvious similarity is the mutual abandonment from their parents, which ultimately affects who they become and the decisions that they make. However, the important difference here is that Batman’s parents were taken from him, leaving him an orphan, and Penguin was literally abandoned by his parents as child because of his differences. The mental impact on the two is actually similar as they act out of rage and vengeance, whether it is from the dark sewers or by the dark night sky. This is a pivotal point of conflict between the two characters. As Penguin acts out as a villain because of his abandonment and identity crisis, Batman avows to stop villains that murdered his parents to cope with the same issue. With this striking similarity and drastically different coping mechanism, the movie creates one of its vital messages: it is not what happens to you but how you handle it and what you allow to define you. Both Batman and Penguin embark on an identity quest in hopes to find something other than their abandonment to define them.

 However, because they struggle with the same issues a latent sense of compassion is embedded in their hateful battle, which ultimately rubs off on the audience. By creating so many similarities between the two characters, viewers try to skew the lines between good and evil. While we never doubt Batman really, he is not a chaste hero after the first film and continues killing others but justifies it, which does not make him a clear perfect hero. Penguin is inherently evil in his actions but viewers are easily pulled into his sob story of abandonment and make some excuses for his behavior. Sometimes the strange and dark are not as evil as they appear. Batman, for example, is cloaked in black just like the Penguin, which is usually associated with evil things. Yet, he is our “good guy.” Penguin does not hide his face, his deformity, or his childhood troubles despite being introverted like Batman, which usually builds trust with people. Again though, everything is not as clear-cut as it seems. Batman and Penguin’s similarities ultimately create a much more dynamic battle between the two that holds emotional substance to draw viewers in; however, their drastic reactions to events in their lives creates excellent commentary on human nature and how we chose to identify ourselves.