Aunt Maria

  This week I got a chance to read Aunt Maria by Diana Wynne Jones.  This story was unique, mainly because going into it (knowing it was a witch story), I thought it was going to be similar to a children's book that I used to read all the time called Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola.  Strega Nona is an Italian children's book that's about a witch doctor in Calabria who helps people throughout her village.  I thought that Aunt Maria was going to be very similar to this, and I was very wrong.
  Aunt Maria is not kind.  She is a witch, but she doesn't necessarily help people.  In fact, when her power is threatened or questioned she lashes out and does cruel things like turning people into wolves.
  The thing I really noticed and focused on while reading Aunt Maria is the focus on gender.  Specifically, the separation of genders.  To me, this story was clearly alluding to the detrimental effects of separating genders so harshly.  In Aunt Maria, the women ruled the town while the men were almost lifeless, brainless zombies.  At first, after seeing many un-empowered women in horror stories, I was glad to see women with power.  I quickly realized how wrong I was when I saw how dehumanized the men in the society were.  This story definitely depicted the troubles that come along when people separate genders so harshly and distinctly.
  I generally liked this story, but one thing I didn't love was the ending.  The ending seemed very rushed, and almost too perfect.  Although it isn't personally my ideal ending, but it did kind of make sense for the book, considering Mig is a character who's obsessed with happy endings.


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