Evolution of Wednesday Addams
There are many flavors of this “child of woe.” Her first appearances in the original comic paint a grim-looking silent little girl fascinated with death, which is a callback to Victorian esthetic and gender norms. Yes, really. In Victorian times being brave meant different things for girls and boys. While boys were supposed to courageously fight in a war and conquer the elements in jungles and deserts, brave girls were taught not to fear death. Wise, really, considering how much of it was around at the time. Her silence can also be explained by her young age (about five) and the fact that the adults did most of the talking in one-panel comics.
The original black-and-white sitcom fleshed out her character and finally gave her the name. “Wednesday” was inspired by a traditional nursery rhyme, according to which a child born on this day is “full of woe” as opposed to, say, a “Tuesday child” who is “full of grace.” She is, however, a cute and sweet little thing in the series, loved, supported, and pampered by her parents. In fact, Wednesday acts and sounds the most “normal” of her family. This often lulls unsuspecting visitors into a false sense of security until they meet the rest of the Addams clan. Apart from caring for a pet spider, owning a decapitated doll, and drawing trees with human heads, little is spooky about sixties Wednesday.
The nineties movies starring Christina Ricci made Wednesday a darker character with violent tendencies and a penchant for sadistic games. From a cheerful child, she blossoms into a morbid teenager, torturing her brother Pugsley, burying cats and people alive, attempting to kill her infant sibling, burning down a summer camp, and delivering sinister one-liners with an iconic deadpan expression.
The recent Netflix addition to Wednesday canon sees her sixteen (which is anything but sweet). She properly grows into her dark personality, with all the grisly interests and signature black humor. Plus, she gets psychic abilities that allow her to see the past and the future and commune with the spirits. Still, Wednesday isn’t afraid of getting her hands dirty for maiming her schoolmates, digging up graves, and investigating gruesome murders.
What exactly makes the pale spooky girl who does not seek popularity our undying fave? We believe the answer lies in her confidence. We all wish to be as comfortable as she is in her own skin. We all want to genuinely not give an F about what others think of us. We would love to be able to speak our mind, scathing and unfiltered. Unleashing piranhas on bullies without barely any consequences to ourselves would also be nice…
Another enviable thing is, of course, Wednesday Addams’ family. Despite all the dark twists, the Addamses are ironically very wholesome as a family unit. We all want supportive parents who don’t just accept us despite our quirks but really appreciate and nurture what we are. Even now that Wednesday goes through her teenage rebel phase, leaving her family in the rearview mirror, we know where she comes from. She is a member of a tight-knit group who would take a hatchet for each other… then use it against the fiend and efficiently get rid of the body – no questions asked. Being validated and accepted so wholly from her earliest years, Wednesday carries the sense of belonging with her – and doesn’t seek it anywhere else.
This radical selfness lies at the core of her charm under the layers of ghoulish and macabre. So if you want to be more like our gloomy girl, you don’t have to spend hours watching tutorials on Wednesday Addams makeup or thrift tirelessly to assemble your very own replica of Wednesday Addams costume. You need to embrace your authenticity and allow yourself to be unapologetically you. Even if it doesn’t involve pet spiders, torturing siblings, or guillotining dolls.
So, take a small break from your studies or looking for a perfect writing model by an expert essay writer free of charge in the WowEssays sample database and take the quiz to find out how much of Wednesday Addams you are!
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