Hushpuppy Analysis

In a small, marginalized town called Bathtub, there lived a young girl named Hushpuppy and her father, Wink. Because Wink is terminally ill, he chooses to raise his daughter under tough circumstances so she could learn to live without him. He constantly yells at her, leaves her alone for long periods of time to fend for herself, and even lives in a different house. Hushpuppy does not seem to understand why her father is treating her this way, so she burns down the trailer she was living in. Her dad is, then, forced to let her move into his house, but not without restrictions. He draws a boundary along the middle of his house and instructs Hushpuppy that she is not allowed to cross it. At this time, a violent storm passes through the flood-prone community. It leaves the town devastated and with few survivors. Wink and Hushpuppy survive the storm and rescue a few neighbors. They are all sent to “the other side of the wall” – a more privileged sector where they were given treatment. Wink, Hushpuppy and a few other survivors escape after spending a few days in the evacuation center because it was an unfamiliar environment – “like a fish tank without water”.
Upon return, Hushpuppy discovers a bar along with a group of girls and hopes to find her mom. She

They representations of everything Hushpuppy is afraid of, and everything that destroys the norm in her world. Beasts are known be destructive, which mirrors the fact that Hushpuppy’s world is being destroyed – literally by the storm and figuratively because her father is terminally ill. Also, unlike domesticated animals, beasts are unpredictable just like Hushpuppy’s situation. The destruction of her hometown, the absence of her mother, and the death of her father are all very harsh realities, and could easily make a child feel lost. However, beasts can be tamed just as fears can be overcome and problems can be