A-Z Characters & Transformation: The Little Princess

On my list of Characters Who Transform, I am now tackling princes and princesses. 

As mentioned at the beginning of this list, some transformation are internal. Others are external. The transformation of Sarah's life in The Little Princess is entirely external. 

External transformations are quite effective. Still--many children's novels usually also rely on an internal transformation. Mary Lennox and Colin Craven from The Secret Garden, for instance, change their looks and lives outwardly, but that outward transformation is occupied by an inward epiphany or resolution. Edmund and Eustace from The Narnia Chronicles are further good examples. Even Lucy Pevensie undergoes moments of shame and cowardice. 

Frances Hodgson Burnett created two child protagonists who are good and kind and pretty much flawless from the get-go. It is to her credit that the books are so strong. 

Both are like royalty, though they are not technically royal: Cedric, Little Lord Fauntleroy and Sarah, the Little Princess. 

Both children do suffer heartache, including, for Cedric, homesickness, and, for Sarah, weary depression. However, neither of them ever commits wrongs, even when pressed to the wall. 

Again, to Hodgson Burnett's credit, neither of them come across as self-righteous and self-satisfied. Cedric suffers a bit from being almost too good to be true (it's that suit!) but Sarah comes across as more resilient than Pollyannish. 

In both cases, too, the protagonists suffer from external conflicts and are rescued by external means. I submit that one reason Hodgson Burnett is able to pull off this feat is because the rescues are so thoroughly delightful and overwhelming. They are true "deus ex machinas"--however, they don't seem random but rather extraordinarily satisfying.  

I mean, if one is going to throw in a rescue, one might as well go BIG! 

It's not a plot choice I suggest writers rely on too often. Even Tolkien said, of the eagles, that they were "machines" and shouldn't be relied on too much (his eagles only come after the protagonists have, in fact, descended into the pit--they are not purveyors for grace; grace is already provided since death is not an automatic negative; rather, the eagles are purveyors of life being far more interesting when characters are still alive). 

Again, a lesser writer could never pull off what Hogdson Burnett accomplishes in her books. And I suggest that one reason that she succeeds is that, like with Tolkien's eagles, the character are already doing okay. Sarah would likely, eventually, simply take over the school or at least move on to a better one. Cedric is already beloved by his grandfather, whatever happens to his birthright.