Episode 9: “Coraline” (part one)
The uncanny and the monstrous-feminine
Coraline, the novella by Neil Gaiman, and Coraline, the film adaptation directed by Henry Selick, each spin a chilling tale centred around the young and adventurous Coraline Jones. But the ominous figure of the Other Mother – also known as the Beldam – is the one weaving the whimsy, and her intentions are sinister.
At first glance, the Other Mother is the ideal version of Coraline’s real mother, offering the plucky preteen attention, delicious food, and a seemingly perfect world. But her button eyes are a stark reminder of her inhumanity, shattering the illusion of warmth and care. Herein lies the uncanny: the familiar twisted into something unsettlingly unfamiliar, mirroring Sigmund Freud’s concept of the uncanny valley.
If we squint our own little button eyes, Freud’s fingerprints are all over this story. Coraline’s journey can be interpreted as a symbolic struggle for independence and identity. She must confront and ultimately destroy the maternal figure to establish her place in the real world. Oedipus complex much?
The monstrous-feminine
Enter my newest crush, film critic and academic Barbara Creed, and her concept of the monstrous-feminine. The monstrous-feminine lurks in the shadows, unsettling the patriarchy with visions of violence and female power.
The Other Mother embodies the archetype of the “archaic mother” – a horror staple that represents not only the terrifying aspects of motherhood but also the societal fears surrounding female power and sexuality. Something you may recognise as… the point of this entire podcast.
ok, Sigmund Freud, we get it
Throughout Coraline’s narrative, subtle (and not-so-subtle) cues and symbols hint at deeper psychoanalytical themes. The Other Mother’s transformation from a semblance of Coraline’s real mother to a grotesque monster reflects the uncanny nature of her existence. Freud’s ideas of involuntary repetition – another feature of the uncanny – manifest as Coraline attempts to leave her mirror world prison only to return to the same spot.
And unfortunately, that’s just the tip of the Freudian phallus in this episode. It’s a psychoanalytical nightmare.
Join me next week as we continue our spine-tingling exploration of Coraline. Until then, beware the allure of the Other Mother. Not all mothers are what they seem.
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Sources
Clifford, L. (1882). Anyhow stories, moral and otherwise. United Kingdom
Selick, H. (Director). (2009). Coraline [Streamed]. Focus Features.
Rudd, D. An Eye for an I: Neil Gaiman’s Coraline and Questions of Identity. Child Lit Educ 39, 159–168 (2008).
Creed, B. Horror and the Monstrous-Feminine: An Imaginary Abjection, Screen, Volume 27, Issue 1, January/February 1986, Pages 44–71.
Goss, J. (2009). The Mother with the Button Eyes: An Exploration of the Story Construct of the “Other-mother.” Papers: Explorations into Children’s Literature, 19(1), 69–72.
Sandra Chang-Kredl (2015) Coraline‘s split mothers: the maternal abject and the childcare educator, Continuum, 29:3, 354-364.
Cothren, C. (2022). Monsters “dress down” gender divides in Frankenstein and Coraline. English Journal, 112(2), 48-54.