friend #4: A Little Princess

            Growing up, I had quite a vivid little imagination. One of my favorite things to do was to dress up and put myself in the shoes of whatever literary character was on my mind that day. I often got my mom and sometimes my siblings involved (making them play the villain and/or sidekicks, of course) and inhabited my character with gusto all day. More often than not, I played Sara Crewe, the downtrodden little heroine of A Little Princess. She was one of my favorites not only because she was mistreated and made to do chores all day (the part of her mistress, of course, was played by my mom), but also because no matter her circumstances, Sara refused to let her bright spirit be broken. I saw a piece of myself in Sara, in her cheerful attitude and joie de vivre. I frequently wished I could actually be her, or at least plop myself into her story and meet her. But I guess reading her story more times than I can count has sufficed, because she was and is still one of my dearest paper friends.

Frances Hodgson Burnett, A Little Princess, Frederick Warne & Co., 1905

            Until the age of seven, Sara Crewe has been raised in India by her wealthy father, a Captain in the British army (her mother having died when she was a baby). However, her father has decided that she needs to be schooled properly in England and so, after a long journey and a tender goodbye, Sara is left in London at Miss Minchin’s Select Seminary for Young Ladies. Because her father dotes on her so, Sara is given extravagances denied to the other pupils including two large rooms to herself and a French maid. Miss Minchin quite appreciates the extra income provided by such an affectionate father, and Sara is made her star pupil, which instantly makes the other girls either her enemies or her adoring fans.

            Sara quickly shows that she is not one to make a show of choosing friends. Upon seeing a girl called Ermengarde teased and ridiculed (by students and teachers alike) for being slow with her lessons, Sara takes a liking to her and decides to be her friend, much to Ermengarde’s surprise and delight. Sara also befriends Lottie, one of the youngest students. Lottie feels entitled to throw a tantrum every so often because her mother died when she was younger. Sara comforts her by explaining that she doesn’t have a mother either, and tells Lottie stories about what she imagines their mothers must be doing in heaven. Sara even befriends the young scullery maid, Becky. She begins to leave food for Becky after noticing that she constantly looks hungry. Soon Becky’s shyness has worn off, and the two steal time together in Sara’s rooms after Becky has done her chores.

            Then, tragedy strikes. While Sara is celebrating her birthday at an extravagant party paid for by Miss Minchin (to be reimbursed by Captain Crewe), the news arrives that the Captain took sick with jungle fever while back in India and has died. Miss Minchin, infuriated that she is out the cost of the party and that Sara’s education will no longer be funded, threatens to throw her out onto the street. Upon consideration, though, she keeps Sara and makes her work in exchange for a room (in the attic, next to Becky) and whatever meager scraps of food the Cook lets her have. This is when the magic occurs. Not only does Sara’s spirit not collapse under the weight of all the dreadful changes in her life, it seems to grow. She decides to pretend that she is a princess, despite everything going on around her. It exasperates Miss Minchin to no end that she simply cannot break this child’s will.

            Sara eventually makes another friend by looking out her attic window to the house beside the school. This friend is the Indian servant of an older gentleman, and the servant takes a shine to the poor little girl in the attic. After convincing his master to help him, and by way of a connection between the two roofs, he does his best, in secret, to make the dreary little attic a slightly more comfortable place for Sara to live. Through this friendship, Sara quite suddenly discovers that the gentleman next door is an old friend of her father’s, who has been looking for her since Captain Crewe died. Having found his charge, the gentleman removes her from Miss Minchin’s and restores to her the fortune that was thought lost upon her father’s death.

            Sara Crewe is really an amazing little creature. She combines a childlike innocence with a maturity and dignity lacking in even some adults. Her story’s popularity is evidenced by the three feature films that have been made of it over the years (1917, 1939 w/ Shirley Temple, and 1995) although personally, I’m not a big fan of any of them, especially the most recent one, which tried to give the 1905 story a Hollywood-style facelift and failed. This is another instance in which I will hold fast to the almost always true saying: the book is better than the movie. Not only that, this book is just really, really good! If this story appeals to you at all, please go read this book. I can almost guarantee that you’ll make a paper friend of your own. Happy reading!

**Fun fact: Warne & Co., the publisher of A Little Princess, also published the works of Beatrix Potter.