If you thought Mary Poppins was nothing but a charming musical about a magical nanny who teaches two children how to behave and a father how to love, then you were wrong. Or, at least, you have completely missed the film’s subtle undercurrents.
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If you thought Mary Poppins was nothing but a charming musical about a magical nanny who teaches two children how to behave and a father how to love, then you were wrong. Or, at least, you have completely missed the film’s subtle undercurrents.
See, Mary Poppins is about, in part, the “ongoing struggles of institutional Christianity to adequately respond to the triumph of secular humanism,” according to a new paper published in the journal Culture and Religion. What’s more, the film “attempts to create a new Christian aesthetic structured around liberation and social transformation.”
A few examples: When Mary Poppins pronounces herself “practically perfect in every way” this is a reference to Mary, the mother of Jesus who, while not completely perfect, was elevated above other humans. When Mary Poppins is singing “A Spoonful of Sugar” and a robin perches on her finger, this is a nod toward “classic Franciscan iconography.” At the end, when George Banks gives the tuppence to the bank chairman, he is rendering unto Caesar what is Caesar’s, just as Jesus instructed.
I’m not sure I buy any of that. I also called an amateur Mary Poppins scholar, who happens to be my sister, and explained the theory to her. She was dubious as well. (If you question her credentials, be aware that she knows the lyrics to all the songs and can say Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious backwards.)
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But just as I was prepared to dismiss the entire thesis, I got to the part about the Bird Woman. Remember her? If not, watch the clip above. The Bird Woman plays a small but pivotal role in the film, feeding birds on the steps of St. Paul’s Cathedral. Here are some lyrics from the song “Feed the Birds” that are highlighted in the paper:
All around the cathedral, the saints and apostles Look down as she sells her wares. Although, you can’t see it, You know they are smiling, Each time someone shows that he cares.
And here’s what the author has to say about that:
The actions that the lyrics authorise—that the saints smile upon—are more than just kindness and simple generosity: they are an alternative social action. And while ‘feeding the birds’ specifically seems fairly insignificant, it nonetheless operates within a specific social vision—the Biblical mandate of ‘stewardship’. As opposed to capitalism, which sees nature as a commodity —as something endlessly subject to commodification and the human demands for profit— stewardship imposes a responsibility on humanity to care for nature. The Bird Woman carves out a space for stewardship even within a modern urban setting, and the lyrics of the song strongly endorse it.
I don’t know. Maybe there is more to Mary Poppins than umbrellas and chimney sweeps. Or maybe not. Unfortunately we’ll never know for sure because Mary Poppins never explains anything.
(The paper, by Vincent F. Rocchioa, is not online. The clip above features the divine Julie Andrews.)