The Willoughbys

The most prominent theme in the story relates to the family dynamics of its major characters and to the lack of love that exists between parents and children in this invented world. This narrative trend is based on common clichés in classic children’s literature, which often feature children overcoming the challenges of their neglectful and abusive situations. Even in the context of Lowry’s novel, the children are aware of their similarity to these characters and refer to such stories often, imbuing the narrative with a distinctly metafictional flavor. Because their parents do not care for them as they should, the children see themselves as being part of a wider stereotype that exists in the literary world. Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby only do what is necessary to avoid the attention of law enforcement and evade the possibility of being charged with neglect. They are deeply flawed parents who deny their children affection, serve them disgusting food, and regularly insult them. The rest of the time, they ignore them, hoping they will take care of themselves and stay out of their way. Ultimately, only the nanny and Mr. Melanoff turn out to be loving adults; by contrast, every other adult figure in the story seems to have disdain for children, reflecting Lowry’s deliberate exaggeration and critique of this particular literary trope.

However, rather than mirroring classic tales that describe such children’s attempts to flee from their dire circumstances, Lowry crafts a much darker tale by creating protagonists who actively resist their parents’ neglect and lack of affection. Instead of passively enduring their circumstances or running away, the Willoughby children respond to this neglect and hatred by hating their parents in return and even going so far as to plot their demise. This turn of events takes the popular literary trope of the neglected child a few steps farther than most stories dare to go, for the children conspire against their parents and actively attempt to have them killed in a fatal accident, thereby making themselves “orphans” so that they will resemble the children described in the old-fashioned stories they love so much. Yet amid this hyperbolic version of neglect, Lowry injects several realistic aspects to emphasize the true seriousness of the topic. The most notable example of this dynamic occurs when Tim attempts to parent his siblings and fails miserably, often insulting and bossing them around rather than helping them. While Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby never try to kill the children, they do eventually try to push them out of the house and get rid of them by selling the property while the children are away. Thus, the children are seen as unwanted guests in their own home.

In a sharp contrast to the Willoughby parents, the nanny shows the children what it is like to be loved and cared for. She listens to them, takes their cooking suggestions, and teaches them what she knows about the world, even if some of her beliefs are morally ambiguous. Significantly, the nanny sees the children as budding adults rather than as insignificant creatures, and she wants to encourage and nurture them in ways that their parents never managed to do. As a result of her loving care, the children undergo a range of positive changes; Tim stops bossing his siblings around as much, the twins finally feel seen and appreciated, and Jane starts to find her unique voice.

Aspects of the Willoughby children’s situation are mirrored in the details of the Melanoff family, for Mr. Melanoff is also transformed by love, and his son spends many years unloved by his mother before making the dangerous journey across the world to reunite with a father who has always loved him. Likewise, Ms. Melanoff exhibits traits similar to Mr. and Mrs. Willoughby, for she calls her son pathetic and weak and ultimately banishes him from her life in order to embrace a new husband in a new country. Just like the Willoughby children, Barnaby Melanoff is given the very blunt message that he is not welcome in his mother’s life. By contrast, Mr. Melanoff’s home is filled with love by the novel’s conclusion, and it is to that love-filled place that his son returns.