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Taj Taher
ENG 281
10 October 2012
The Divine Puppeteers Short Paper 1
The general reaction to Lucy Lane Cliffords The New Mother is horror, shock, and an allencompassing feeling that one has been psychologically scarred for the remainder of ones life (which is a
substantial amount of time, considering that it is a childrens story). Yet within the appalling plight of the
two children in the story, there lays a message concerning the issues of power and social control in our
society. In particular, Clifford focuses on the one figure at the heart of most societies that has managed
outlive the most ruthless tyrant and enrapture more supporters than the most cunning dictator; perhaps
nothing in the history of man has been able to influence society as much as organized religion. The
manipulation of the children by the mother and the wild girl is a symbol Clifford uses to represent the
ways organized religion manipulates its followers.
By the end of the story, the wild girl appears to be a near satanic character in the way she
manages to twist and warp the minds of the children. However, many of the tools she uses to influence the
children are used by organized religion. This is most apparent when Clifford writes, The things that
people say are most singular and amusing. There is an endless variety in language. But the children did
not understand, only entreated once more to see the little man and woman (577). Just as the children fail
to understand the wild womans complex speech, so too do religious followers around the world fail to
understand the archaic and cryptic sources of their faith. Religious texts tend to be so complex that a
preacher or some other kind of religious official is required in order to spread the message to the general
public, and just like the wild woman uses the childrens ignorance and fixation on a prize as a way to
manipulate them, religious officials also dilute religious scripture to emphasize the rewards of faith rather
than the finer text. Of course, this does not mean that every priest engages in such corrupt practices, but
Clifford lived in a time when religion was the basis of the world everyone lived in, and it was difficult to
accept anything beyond it. It is easy to see how one could be misled by a priest, as the word of God would
through their lips appear irrefutable. This ties into perhaps the most striking commentary Clifford presents
where she writes, for the first time the children saw that the lid of the box was raised and hanging back,

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and that no little man and woman were in it (579). Here Clifford emphasizes that devotion to a religion is
based on blind belief and an empty promise. The core of all religion is the promise that with unyielding
faith, an incredible reward can be found. Readers may scoff at how two children can so ignorantly trust
and follow the orders of the wild woman in the pursuit of seeing the dancing man and woman, but that is
essentially the same ignorance that followers of all religions are guilty of. Motivated by the word of God
and the promise of salvation, humans have committed countless atrocities, spanning in time from the
Crusades to 9/11. There is no doubt that religion has rich, wonderful aspects that can shape the way of life
and that it extends beyond simply a gift seeking practice, but taking a step back, it is clear that religion is
based on faith, and while that is a powerful force, it is also intangible. While it is highly commendable
and respectable, it is also based solely on belief, beliefs which can often be quite misleading. Clifford
expertly illustrates that the deceptive measures that the wild woman uses are not so different from the
ones used by organized religion.
However, the manipulation of the children is not limited to just the wild woman, as Clifford
shows that even the mother is not above influencing the children in order to achieve her ends. This
becomes apparent when the mother says, I should be very angry if you were naughty. But you could not
be, for you love me. Why couldnt we be naughty because we love you? they asked. Because it would
make me very unhappy; and if you love me you couldnt make me unhappy (573). The mothers
reasoning comes off as circular, an aspect of organized religion that has always been criticized, catching
the scorn of such intellectuals as Voltaire. But the majority of people in the world are not intellectuals, and
so when they are presented with a piece of logic that is impossible to refute like the one Clifford presents
here, followers have no choice but to continue giving their faith. However, this does not mean that
organized religion is above using direct and blunt forms of manipulation either. Fear is a powerful agent
that both the mother and religions use, as shown when the mother says, I should have to go away and
leave you, and to send home a new mother, with glass eyes and a wooden tail (574). In many religions,
there is usually some kind of anti-God character to illustrate that disobedience comes hand in hand with
some form of terror. Although the children ultimately disobey their mother even in the face of this threat,

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the power it holds over them is substantial enough to last for most of the story, a stark contrast to the
power of love in the previous example that failed to motivate them to remain obedient for even a single
day. Similarly, when religion is preached, punishment as a result of ones disobedience is heavily relied
upon to condition people to remain faithful. The mother, a symbol of religion, makes it clear that without
her, the children are destined only for darkness, a rather foreboding statement made while continuing to
wear a mask of love and kindness. This does not mean that something malignant lurks behind that mask
nor that the love and kindness are not genuine, but that for all the pureness they tout, Clifford shows that
neither faade is above manipulating its followers.
For the two unfortunate children in Cliffords short story, their manipulation at the hands of their
mother and the wild woman signifies the ways in which organized religion is able to influence its
followers. Although it may at first appear to be a cautionary tale for children, it is clear that the tug-o-war
match between the titanic forces of good and evil or obedience and sin in which the children are the
rope inherent in Cliffords story contains elements that resonate within all. And while readers may write
off the children as being nave or ignorantly misled, it is nearly impossible to leave this story without
wondering about the many empty boxes in their own lives.

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