Blog Entry # 10: Notes on James and the Giant Peach

      While living in the isolated hill house, James clearly resembles the role of an orphan who cannot think for himself and follows orders of her wicked aunts, the only parental figure he has. And so, he tries to attach to her aunts  even thought they abuse him beating him and calling him names.
      In the case of James the wanderer archetype arises and overtakes the orphan archetype as the loneliness and pain of living far away in the hill and being victim of abuse turns him into a boy who wants to explore and know what is it beyond pain and loneliness. This event was clearly triggered by the response to his questions "Oh , auntie Sponge and auntie Spiker! Couldn't we all-please- just for once.. go down to the seaside on the bus? it isn't very far-- and i feel so hot and awful and lonely...." and the response of the aunts was " Why ,you lazy good-for nothing brute!" ,"beat him cried aunt sponge" (7) making realize James that he had to go out and explore.
      More else, the novel also portraits an emotional need classic of an orphan for friends and food as the  Giant Peach in which he enters resembles his "buble" or his charriot out of the pain of real life, and the giant insects inside the Peach resemble aspects that he seeks as a form of friends.

Symbolism:

The Rhino
The Rhino ,who stumbles upon James parents and eats them in the middle of the city, could symbolize James need to become a man and his call to adventure. The Rhino a big and strong animal with a big horn (Male aspect?) and by killing James parents he is causing James to become an orphan, and so the adventure into maturity begins.

Giant Peach
The Giant Peach represents James carriage or bubble out of the pain and loneliness of an orphan. It is shown as a fruit, food that can be seen as emotion, the emotion James feels he needs and so the Giant peach becomes a catalyst to his independence as he becomes one with the peach making it his house. When James enters inside the giant peach, he is integrating his fears and transcending them as he explores that there are many aspects that he lacks and can make part of his home(himself, his psychology)
Also the peach represents james peach, with 7 years of experience or 7 insects.


Sexual characteristic of James the giant Peach:
From a sexual and creative perspective, James can be seen as a sperm entering the womb (the peach) to start his transformation into a human being,or in this case of an independent grown boy and so transcending the pain and loneliness of an orphan.

The insects:

When James enters the Giant peach, he finds that there are 7 insects living inside it, at first he is scared to look at them and believes they might eat him, perhaps reflecting his fear to embrace and develop aspects of himself.

Grasshopper.- Leadership, someone who is not afraid to aim and jump high
Ladybug.- Kindness, an emotional factor ,the Anima part of peach psychology.
Earthworm.- Wisdom ,and someone who is very down to earth.
Centipede.- In the novel the centipede does not care much about anybody ,some someone with a lot of resources ,(feet) representing

Spider.- A female spider, perhaps representing parenting, and relationships.
Glow worm .- Representing more healthy ego, his right to shine
Silk worm.- An ability to transform, to adapt and to be free.

At the same time, the insects could also represents the 7 christian sins, or the negative side the James.

7 insects
James is 7 years old , maybe the 7 insects resemble 7 years of experience in the world.

Sea
As James immerses himself with the peach and the insects into the sea, he is entering his subconscious mind according to an interpretation of sea and water by Carl Jung.

Monomyth

Call to adventure
A Rhino escapes from the zoo and kills James parents making him an orphan, making him grow up and become independent.
Another place to start, could be when James finds a man who gives him the magical green crystals and promises that they are magical and would make him happy.

Supernatural Aid (The old mysterious man)
When James is exploring the side of the hill, he stumbles upon and old an mysterious man who tells him he is there to help him by ginving him some green magical crystals telling him to eat them, saying "..marvelous things will start happening to you, faboulous,unvelibable things-- and you will never be miserable again in your life"

First Threshold
James is not allow to be away fro the house and her aunts, but he just feels so "hot and awful" that he decides to go explore further around the hill than he is used to and allowed, and so stumbles upon and mysterious old man.


The road of trials
As soon as James enter the peach he finds himself with new friends, the insects, and struggles to completely adapt and understand them. Whats more, then the "ship"(as the insects called the peach)moves from England to New York bringing James lots of adventures that he is not used to.