Swamplandia Analysis

SWAMPLANDIA!
The physological effects of isolation and perdation on devolping young girls
It is thought to be believed that when a child's parent dies, it isn’t just the relationship between the two that dies, but ones sense of self in the relationship, and this is exactly what happens to a unfortunate young girl, Ava Bigtree (Silverman). The loss of a loved one in a child's life is a very emotionally charged moment, one that can also affect their psychological, and physiological health, especially if that loved one is a family member. These problems in children’s mental health can lead to unhealthy social behaviors and can become detrimental to their development into adults. Children at a certain age are taught, oddly enough, to fear, from their parents and through osmosis from the environment. Only when a child is taught not to fear, or does not have someone to teach them fear, is when the child can end up in dangerous situations as adults. In Swamplandia! By Karen Russell it is seen at first hand what happens when children are left alone and are not taught about societies normal social behaviors and tendencies. In this novel one can see the effects of abandonment of a child in a critical state of development, how a predator can take advantage of that vulnerability, and how that victim can rationalize this manipulation.
Ramey 2
When the main attraction at the theme park Swamplandia, a mother of three, dies of ovarian cancer, the park begins to go bankrupt and the family that owns the business starts to reevaluate their life. With the death of her mother, and strife brought upon by the parks financial crisis, Ava, the youngest daughter of three is left with no other person to interact with. This in turn adds even more trauma t...

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...tic he uses in order to get closer to, and then eventually take advantage of Ava. This physiological need for a healthy phyche that people have is why Ava trusts and gets closer to the Bird man. This what she uses to rationalize their relationship together, and not question his true intentions. Only until she is actually raped is when Ava learns of the dangers and reality of the world outside of Swamplandia. It can be seen that Russell puts emphasis in writing this novel on the inherit need for security in young girls safety, and the need to have a healthy social development, as well as the knowledge to distinguish between those people that need to be feared. This is a necessity that Ava was never taught and introduced to, which became her downfall, especially since she lives in a society where sadly the only natural predator to humans, are other human beings.