Freedom and Entrapment
How does Gunty use the character of Blandine in The Rabbit Hutch to explore themes of freedom and entrapment, particularly through her spiritual journey and interactions with her environment?
In The Rabbit Hutch, Tess Gunty skillfully uses Blandine’s character to delve into the complex interplay between freedom and entrapment, both physically and mentally. Blandine’s experience in the crumbling town of Vacca Vale reflects a deeper sense of stagnation that seems to pervade every corner of her life. Her apartment in the Rabbit Hutch complex is a physical representation of her mental state—claustrophobic, decaying, and limiting. Gunty captures this when she writes, “The walls seem to close in on her, each crack a reminder of what’s broken and cannot be fixed” (pg. 112). The dilapidated surroundings of the Rabbit Hutch serve as a constant reminder of Blandine’s feeling of entrapment, as though she’s stuck in a place that’s beyond repair, mirroring her emotional state.
One of the most significant ways Gunty explores Blandine’s yearning for freedom is through her spiritual journey. Blandine’s fascination with medieval mystics is not merely an academic interest but a desperate search for transcendence. The mystics, who sought divine connection and freedom through spiritual ecstasy, represent an ideal for Blandine—an escape from the material world and the heavy burden of her past. Gunty writes, “Blandine longs for the ecstasy the mystics found, the divine light that lifted them out of their bodies” (pg. 157), signaling her desire to transcend the limitations of her current reality. This spiritual search serves as a form of escape, a way for Blandine to mentally and emotionally distance herself from the oppressive atmosphere of Vacca Vale and the suffocating confines of her apartment.
However, Blandine’s pursuit of freedom is not without its obstacles. The societal expectations placed upon her, the memories of her traumatic past, and the physical realities of her environment all act as forces that pull her back into a state of entrapment. Her attempts at spiritual and intellectual escape often clash with the harshness of her surroundings, which refuse to let her fully break free. The juxtaposition of her spiritual aspirations with the reality of her living situation shows the novel’s exploration of the difficulty of attaining true freedom. Blandine’s struggle is not just external but deeply internal, as she battles with her own perceptions of what freedom means and how she can achieve it.
Ultimately, Gunty leaves the reader with the question of whether true freedom is ever attainable for Blandine, or if her efforts are in vain. Her journey throughout the novel suggests that freedom may be less about escaping one’s circumstances and more about coming to terms with them. Blandine’s intellectual and spiritual pursuits may not provide the escape she desires, but they do offer moments of clarity and self-realization, which could be seen as a form of freedom in itself. This nuanced portrayal of freedom and entrapment makes Blandine’s character both tragic and compelling, as she navigates a world that constantly seems to conspire against her desire to break free.
ReplyDeleteYour comment raises a compelling question that I grappled with while reading The Rabbit Hutch. If Blandine has so much trauma connected to—and limited opportunities for academic advancement—in Vacca Vale, why doesn’t she leave? Your comment made me realize that Blandine’s immobility is a metaphor for attaining freedom from trauma. Also represented by James Yager physically coming back into Blandine’s life in the pre-climax of the novel, Gunty is showing the depth that Blandine’s experiences with parental abandonment and James’ exploitation have had on her views of what she can accomplish in life. She feels stuck, and from that idolizes the mystics as “they, unlike her, never stopped searching for portals. They treated prayer as a getaway car, cathedral as rabbit hole, suffering as wonderland…” (Gunty 254). The juxtaposition of the last simile, “suffering” and “wonderland”, shows Blandine’s mindset that the mystics idolize pain. Blandine may be using this as an excuse to continue punishing herself, for instance, when she leaves high school, even though James observes “a letter in her bedroom from some guidance counselor…pushing her to apply to the Ivy Leagues” (51). Like the mystics, who dedicate themselves to God and a life of piety, Blandine also dedicates herself to the mission of saving Chastity Valley (fitting name!), as tells Jack “we can’t leave Vacca Vale… We’re the only ones who can save it” (183). This blind-sighted mission of saving the Valley may be Blandine’s idea of penance to punish herself, and try to become “ethically self-sacrificial” (27).
Your comment masterfully captures the essence of Rabbit Hutch and examines the underlying themes of freedom and entrapment. In the novel, Gunty uses Blandine’s spiritual journey as a lens to examine freedom. We know that medieval mystics have always fascinated Blandine, as she longs to experience the same spiritual ecstasy they sought. “Blandine longs for the ecstasy the mystics found, the divine light that lifted them out of their bodies” (pg. 157). The search for this kind of spirtual freedom becomes a way for her to disconnect with the world and overcome her traumatic past.
ReplyDeleteHowever, Blandine’s search for freedom is continually hindered. The harsh reality of her environment, societal pressures, and personal trauma serve as constant barriers, pulling her back into a state of entrapment. We see her this desire for spiritual liberation clash with the weight her surrounding put on her thus highlighting the novel's focal point, the tension between one's apirations and realities.
The idea highlighted throughout the novel about how freedom truly is an internal process really stuck with me. I like how Gunty drove home the idea that freedom may be found not in escape but in coming to terms with the complexities of her own reality masterfully in the book.