"The Wendy" by Ariel Goldenthal

4/8/2022

Photo by Emma Norman Photography

Ariel M. Goldenthal received her MFA from George Mason University where she is now an Assistant Professor of English. Her fiction has been published in This is What America Looks Like: Washington Writers' Publishing House Anthology, Emerge Literary Journal, Tiny Molecules, and others. She also reviews nonfiction for Hippocampus Magazine. You can read more of her writing at www.arielmgoldenthal.com.

Grace Hasson recently published her debut poetry collection, Into the Orange Grove. Besides being a poet, she is also an aspiring novelist, songwriter, and playwright. Her work can be found on the LGBTQ+ blog My Umbrella, female empowerment blog Girls Life Magazine, and in several issues of American University’s literary magazine, AmLit. Her music can be found under Grace Hass on SoundCloud. You can email her at dcgrace15@gmail.com, find her on Instagram @words.pictures.love, Twitter @GraceHass15 or Tik Tok @Grace_the_poet.

Introduction to "The Wendy"
by Grace HAsson

Ariel M. Goldenthal portrays a young girl reclaiming her autonomy against her narcissistic mother in a powerful short story titled “The Wendy.” Every time I read this story my heart aches for the narrator, a survivor of domestic abuse. This shows Goldenthal’s ability to pull on our heart strings. Yet, she does it subtly, not pouring pity into the story, but instead making it so raw and real that we cannot help but care. The story follows the narrator throughout her life and leaves us rooting for her and hoping for her to finally find her own voice. Goldenthal’s choices in her development of story, character, and language all combine to make “The Wendy” a story that is both uplifting and haunting. I related to the story in particular because I am currently working on a poetry collection that surrounds the effects of relationships with friends and lovers who are narcissistic. Everyone has come across a narcissistic person throughout their life, in other words, everyone knows a “wendy” and that’s why the story of freedom from narcissism is so important.

Ariel M. Goldenthal is from just outside Philadelphia, but now resides in Washington DC. She got her MFA at George Mason University and now works as an assistant professor there. She has been published by Janus Literary, Tiny Molecules, WWPH Writes, OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters, Moon Park Review, and Emerge Literary Journal. The themes that permeate her writing are honesty, and relationships, especially familial ones, and learning from them. From heart-breaking flash fiction to poetic short stories, she captures the way familial relationships impact us through her creative and narrative writing. She writes raw stories, but also stories of delicate, radiant love. The way she captures people is real, tragic, and crafted in a way that puts us into the mind of abuse survivors.

Goldenthal starts her story with mystery. She hooks us by making us wonder what a “wendy” is. When I interviewed her, Goldenthal stated that the story along with the name, Wendy, came to her at a workshop in Scotland. She also said there were eight years between the writing of the story and when it was published, demonstrating how much time and work was put into this story, and this is clear from the impact of the story once one reads it. “The Wendy” was also Goldenthal’s first piece to be published, and she said because of that it will always have a special place in her heart. She chose to use the name Wendy in particular because of the contrast it creates. In my interview with her she discussed how people associate the name Wendy with the one in Peter Pan and therefore a loving, sweet, and motherly character. Goldenthal contrasts this by using the same name for an unexpectedly selfish and cruel mother figure. Contrast is a great tool in this story and Goldenthal also uses it to contrast characters to develop them further. She contrasts the subdued narrator with her mother throughout the story. This foiling of characters makes them even more distinct and their relationship all the more riveting. The characterization leads to a build up until the last scene, which is rewarding for us. The story has an arc that builds and the explosion of the last scene is a payoff I found relief in reading.

Goldenthal chooses to write chronologically, but with a free-flowing way that captures the way memories work. This allows us to see scenes throughout the narrator’s life to get a full picture of her relationship with her mother. Goldenthal does so by creating smooth transitions between memories, for example, “The plates remind her of her mother smashing one” (117). The story is also framed within the mother’s “diagnosis” as a “wendy,” or, in other words, a narcissist. Goldenthal manages to capture narcissism without ever using the word, which makes her story all the more striking. This story is relevant to current conversations because therapy has become more popular. Pieces like “The Wendy” have always been needed, but people may now gravitate to Goldenthal’s work more due to its capturing of narcissistic abuse. According to Google Ngram Viewer the word narcissism has risen in popularity since 1920 and after 2000 experienced an even sharper increase that has continued. “The Wendy” came out just as the discussions around narcissism became truly on the rise. Stories about trauma and working out self-growth have always been relevant, but are becoming more accepted. Therapy has become more common as it has become more accessible very recently due to a switch to online mediums due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One article I read stated that “[m]ore than half of Americans believe therapy has become more accessible due to technological options available amid the coronavirus crisis.” “The Wendy” is a story that can help people work through their trauma and relationships with narcissists. Stories like Goldenthal’s no doubt will resonate even more with people now that we as a society are recognizing the value of therapy, which continues to help people who have experienced abuse.

In Goldenthal’s story, the abuse is captured through such an honest narration that the story feels real. Goldenthal intentionally wrote the narrator as not hiding anything. This makes us empathize with her even more as well as feel attachment to the story and hope for the narrator to find freedom. Goldenthal has previously stated in an interview that the piece was inspired not by her mother as a person, but because of one thing she said. Her mother once claimed to know who she’d marry and this made Goldenthal wonder how she could transform that into a character. She likes to take characters to the edge of reality, making them extreme but still believable. In one scene the mother says ‘“I used to have beautiful long hair like yours,” she’d say. “You’ll cut it off when you’re a mother too.”’ This is something similar to something many mothers likely say. Motherhood is difficult and no doubt many mothers changed when they became mothers. Yet, Goldenthal takes the dialogue to the next level. What starts as a minor rudeness escalates to guilt tripping and a failure to acknowledge abuse. The mother later attempts to control her daughter by saying, ‘“I’m a bad mother,” . . . repeated in the same guilt-eliciting tone.’ This is realistic, yet makes the narcissism in the character more aggressive than your average person. This makes the story all the more intense.

Goldenthal told me she expresses herself through her writing, but writing also means so much more than that to her. For her, being a writer allows her to try living other lives. She tries on the lives of abuse survivors in her pieces besides “The Wendy,” for example her startling piece “The Devil You Know.” Overall, Goldenthal enjoys trying out seeing through new eyes through writing. Goldenthal added that as a child she dreamed of concurrently being a veterinarian and a ballerina. She has continued her desire to try many things at once and said writing allows her to do so. In the past she’s tried on being a dancer and photographer. She values writing as art just like dance and photography. She continues to take inspiration from music, art, and dance. She loves the way all the arts are interconnected.

Overall, “The Wendy” is a story about standing up against a narcissistic parent, a truly brave feat. Many people have survived narcissistic parents, lovers, or friends who derailed their lives, but eventually learned to overcome the adversity. This story also speaks to people who have yet to gain the courage to find their voice in the face of narcissism. The narrator hides nothing from us, allowing us to feel what she feels and empathize with survivors immensely. The narrator’s story of developing from a scared child to an adult who finally finds independence is inspiring to all, but especially for those who have been affected by narcissistic abuse. I personally relate to finding my voice in my life. This story spoke to how terrifying it is to speak up, but also how trauma builds over the course of years. I found myself in this story and no doubt many others will. That’s the beauty of “The Wendy,” that we feel the narrator’s pain and cheer for her hard-earned victory. We recognize how she has learned over the course of her life that she has her own power and must not be afraid to use it. Survivors deserve to see stories like this published. The “Wendy” reminds us narcissistic and toxic people are not just strangers, but are people we interact with often and are perhaps even in our own families. The power of the truth finally frees the narrator, and my hope is that this story will help more people find freedom, courage, and their voices in the face of narcissism.