39 pages • 1-hour read
Waiting for the Magic
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Background
Social Context: The Impact of Parental Separation on Children
Patricia MacLachlan’s Waiting for the Magic centers on a common yet disruptive event in modern family life: parental separation. According to the National Library of Medicine, in the United States today, about 40% of children do not live with their married biological parents, and the impact on children’s mental health can range from minimal to severe depending on the circumstances. Furthermore, research indicates that “parental divorce/separation is associated with an increased risk for childhood and adolescent adjustment problems, including academic difficulties, […] disruptive behaviors, […] and depressed mood” (D’Onofrio, Brian, and Robert Emery. “Parental Divorce or Separation and Children’s Mental Health.” World Psychiatry, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 100-01, 2019). Although MacLachlan’s characters do not struggle at school, William, in particular, grapples with conflicting emotions that manifest in unusual behaviors for him. His immediate reaction to his father leaving is to tear up his goodbye letter and later insist, “I don’t miss him” (22), an act of defiance that masks his hurt and anger. Furthermore, he feels the weight of responsibility when his father is gone and confesses, “I was tired of being the grown-up in the house” (52). Later, Papa returns for Elinor’s half birthday, and William shouts “No!” when his father walks through the door, an outburst that is unusual for him. Although Elinor seems less angry, she, too, struggles with her mother’s ambiguous language and cries when her father calls. By grounding the story in these emotional realities, MacLachlan offers a window into how children navigate the turmoil of a fractured family.
Genre Context: Fabulism in Children’s Literature
Waiting for the Magic utilizes fabulism, a literary genre that blends a realistic setting with magical elements found in its shorter counterpart, fables, and specifically utilizes talking animals as major characters. This magical element is never questioned; rather, it is accepted as part of the real world. Furthermore, fabulist narratives typically present a character (or many) who grapples with an internal struggle, and magic leads them to a moral or lesson that helps resolve that conflict. In MacLachlan’s novel, the central magical element is that the family’s five newly adopted pets can talk, but only certain people can hear them. The talking animals voice the feelings that the children cannot articulate, as well as the truths that the adults avoid. When William becomes withdrawn and silent, the dogs observe his inner conflict, noting that he is “protecting them both. His mother, his sister” (32). Only when these characters are honest with themselves can they begin to hear the animals’ voices. This is clear when William declares that there is no such thing as magic, but later, when he acknowledges his anger and frustration toward his father, he understands that magic—and the dogs’ words—are indeed real. Ultimately, William and his family learn the lesson that being honest with themselves will lead to healing and connection. Waiting for the Magic draws on a long tradition of fabulism in children’s literature, sharing elements with classic texts such as Aesop’s Fables and Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit.
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