Solitude of Jenny, The Green Ribbon
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We all had that one childhood story, that keep us awake. Mine was "The Green Ribbon". Story from Alvin Schwartz's 1984 book In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories. I believe it sound familiar to some people. when i read it, its sounds morbid as a child, but now I understand how much solitude this story held. The Green Ribbon, we barely knew who Jenny was, except that she feel in love and married to Alfred, also that green ribbon. Its a short story, but it leave us hanging and uncanny. I adore short story, cause we can fill the space that the author left. And this is how i interpret it.
I always question, do Alfred ever get mad at Jenny, for not telling him, all of her? does he ever feel that he never really knew who Jenny was, just like all of us. He keep questioning it and she never tell him, does he ever feel tired. But, what happen to Alfred highlight boundaries, incomprehension does not make Alfred love Jenny any less. For Alfred, The Green Ribbon doesn't define who Jenny is. Jenny is more than all the mystery that she keep on her green ribbon. She is the love. Jenny instilled a love on Alfred. Alfred could've just silently open the green ribbon at night, but he didn't, cause she says no, then its a no.
And Jenny, she represent secret, solitude, fear, void, and strain. The green ribbon is an analogy of secret. There are thing that allowed to remain unnamed. Jenny had a lot of things to hide but also a lot to tell. Jenny might have this fear, for not being accepted, but by that she also leave a void on their relationship. Honesty hold a big part on every relationship. However, telling it, is a choice. I once hoped that Jenny will tell Alfred about the green ribbon, cause if Alfred run away and leave her, then he's not the one. well Maybe, cause Jenny believed that, no human will be able to love all of you.
and about Jenny's head that fell off, its sound so scary, terrifying, unusual, horrid. Once we read that her heads fell off, it becomes a whole different story. Cause it means that what happen to her is, unfixable, terrific, tragic, and its not define beauty. And all that is not what society expect from a woman. So she intend to hide it, and what so wrong about wanted to be accepted?
So, what do you think.
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