Status Updates From Mary Poppins

Chapter Nine, “John and Barbara”# Story” is a melancholy narrative about the inevitable movement of time and suggests that all of us once could understand the birds and wind and even the sun beams. But we forget as we grow older…except for Mary Poppins. This is the only narrative which center on the baby twins.

One othe wonderful quality of Mrs. Rory is her immense age. She has lived through various creations and recalls King Alfred and William the Conqueror as if they were childhood friends.

There trio of women along with Mary Poppins returning stars to the sky is truly magical. I wonder about what elements Travers is drawing from.

Chapter Eight, Mrs. Corry, is a bit longer and introduces some very odd characters, but only after involving a pair of store attendees—the butcher and fish monger—so naturally alive I think Dickens would be impressed. But then the troop head off to a gingerbread shop run by the tiny twittering Mrs. Corry and her giant daughter Miss Fanny and Miss Annie.

Chapter 7, “the birdwoman“ is a very short one but it gives us one of the most famous characters in the Mary Poppins narrative. It is not as central as it is in the Disney film to any larger theme. However it contains a charming image of a woman whose speech is limited to only “feed the birds: tuppence a bag.” Jane and Michael are the ones who weave the magic of this encounter more than Mary Poppins.

“Bad Tuesday” depicts Michael having terrible day. No reason is given and it seems to get worse as the day progresses. His sinfulness springs from a weight in his chest which encourages him to “not care!” And it only abates when he, like Scrooge, is faced with deadly judgement. The magic compass that allows for world teleportation is the mechanism of his journey but no real explanation is given to Michael.

I should mention that it is in chapter three that the tea party on the ceiling with Uncle Wig takes place. Here Poppins is in control but becomes irritated when Jane and Michael try to talk to her about U cow Wig and the affects of laughing gas.

Chapter five presents an explanatory narrative of the cow sho jumped over the moon. (I’m reminded that Tolkien presented a redoing of the rhyme in “The Fellowship of the Ring.” Mary gives the story in an almost trance and seems annoyed when she comes out of it. The cow searching for a magic star at the end is also interesting.