I sometimes find it a little difficult to credit that, although other maliciously destructive myths about various racial, ethnic and religious minorities - Jews kill Christian babies (the Blood Libel) in esoteric blood rites! Africans are black because they are the descendants of Ham (the Curse of Ham), and naturally fit for slavery! - have been rejected, the idea of Gypsies (Romani) as dirty, carefree vagrants who kidnap non-Rom children persists as an "entertaining" trope in our literature, with few questions asked. The gypsy mother, on the other hand, being determined to keep them, decides to disguise them (together) as a lion. Every new experience palls eventually, however, and the two eventually contact Miss Clavel, who immediately sets out to collect them. As Miss Clavel agonizes about their fate, the two friends lead a carefree, adventure-filled life, one with few annoying chores or obligations - no brushing of teeth! no going to bed on time! - and plenty of fun. Madeline and Pepito find themselves left behind when Miss Clavel and her class visit the local carnival one day, and are taken in by the gypsies, who feed them strong drugs and incorporate them into their circus act.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |