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Feathertop

184 statements
35 feature instances
6 referencing feature instances

Feathertop	type	TVTItem
Feathertop	label	Feathertop
Feathertop	page	Feathertop
Feathertop	comment	In 1852, Nathaniel Hawthorne published the Fairy Tale-style Short Story "Feathertop". It tells about the day-long life of Feathertop, a scarecrow made by the witch Mother Rigby.Proud of her handiwork, Mother Rigby brought Feathertop to life with a magic pipe that gets its powers from Hell. Specifically, by filling Feathertop's head with smoke he gained life and from that point on he has to keep smoking that specific pipe to stay alive and maintain the illusion of a handsome human appearance. While she was at it, Mother Rigby also set out a course for him by suggesting he should woo Polly Gookin, the daughter of Master Gookin, who owed her for one thing or another. Feathertop went on his merry way and became the talk of the town as soon as he arrived, with each townsman coming up with a grander theory as to who he was. Using the magic cane Mother Rigby gave him, he found Master Gookin's house with ease and as his mother predicted, once he whispered a specific word to the man, he was at Feathertop's service. Polly, meanwhile had seen Feathertop when he arrived and was delighted to learn that the handsome man wanted to spend time with her. It went well and would've ended well if there didn't happen to be a large, truthful mirror in the room. Polly caught sight of Feathertop's reflection and fainted in shock. Prompted by her behavior, Feathertop looked too and, terror-stricken, fled the town to return to Mother Rigby's cottage. The witch asked if either Master Gookin or Polly had affronted him, but Feathertop insisted on their innocence and elaborated that he had seen himself, that he knew now what a monster he was, and that he refused to live any longer. And so, he threw away the magic pipe and fell into pieces. Mother Rigby considered reviving him, believing him no less of a hoax than people in general, but decided against it because Feathertop had made his choice clear. Instead, Feathertop's remains were repurposed to what he was originally made for: a scarecrow to protect Mother Rigby's corn-patch.Following the story's original publication in The International Magazine, it was collected in 1854 as part of Mosses from an Old Manse. At least as early as 1908, it became a popular pick for stage, television, and movie adaptations, which sometimes go by the story's own name, Feathertop, and sometimes by the first stage adaptation's name, The Scarecrow. The play, written by Percy MacKaye, is particularly influential on how modern perception of the story came to be.
Feathertop	fetched	2024-04-20T09:15:20Z
Feathertop	parsed	2024-04-20T09:15:20Z
Feathertop	processingComment	Dropped link to AnAesop: Not a Feature - IGNORE
Feathertop	isPartOf	DBTropes
Feathertop / int_1439161f	type	Heroic BSoD
Feathertop / int_1439161f	comment	Heroic BSoD: Both Polly and Feathertop break down when they see his true self in the mirror.
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Feathertop / int_1e94f652	type	Widow Witch
Feathertop / int_1e94f652	comment	Widow Witch: Mother Rigby is described as having worried Goodman Rigby to death, although it's unclear how. They seem to have been married for quite some time beforehand.
Feathertop / int_1e94f652	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_1fc8335e	type	Deal with the Devil
Feathertop / int_1fc8335e	comment	Deal with the Devil: Master Gookin has made one. The what for what isn't elaborated on, but there is the oddity that he holds four offices. He's simultaneously a magistrate, member of the council, merchant, and elder of the church. And it is made clear that he has yet to repay his (full) debt, which gives Mother Rigby control over him by means of one word that's only to be whispered. He's positively terrified upon hearing that word, but does what he must, even if that includes sacrificing his own daughter.
Feathertop / int_1fc8335e	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_24e5adb9	type	Beast and Beauty
Feathertop / int_24e5adb9	comment	Beast and Beauty: Subverted. For one, while Polly's beauty, grace, and innocence are without question, much more is made of how strongly these traits manifest in Feathertop. For two, while their interest was mutual, it was under the assumption they were both human. Once Polly sees him as the scarecrow he is and the full extent of his true identity hits Feathertop with equal force, it's game over.
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Feathertop / int_2cac89cf	type	The Ingenue
Feathertop / int_2cac89cf	comment	The Ingenue: A description of Polly has no need for more than four words: "pretty and horribly naive".
Feathertop / int_2cac89cf	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_2f329e3c	type	Tomato in the Mirror
Feathertop / int_2f329e3c	comment	Tomato in the Mirror: Subverted. Feathertop always knew he was a scarecrow, if perhaps not what he exactly looked like. But due to all the gifts and confidence bestowed on him by his mother and the admiration of the townsfolk, he momentarily forgot. Looking into a mirror while in the middle of Becoming the Mask to see himself for the first time was a shock he didn't recover from.
Feathertop / int_2f329e3c	featureApplicability	-0.3
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Feathertop / int_30ed4f7d	type	Sleazy Politician
Feathertop / int_30ed4f7d	comment	Sleazy Politician: Mingles with Corrupt Politician, in that politicians are several times made the target of an unflattering comment regarding either their competence or honesty.
Feathertop / int_30ed4f7d	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_4d1423b9	type	Become a Real Boy
Feathertop / int_4d1423b9	comment	Become a Real Boy: Played with. Mother Rigby is impressed with herself when she sees how human-like Feathertop ends up, and after remembering what he really is Feathertop himself is of the opinion that if Polly had truly fallen in love with him he might have become a real man after all.
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Feathertop / int_516f986d	type	Loving a Shadow
Feathertop / int_516f986d	comment	Loving a Shadow: Polly was charmed by the handsome young Feathertop, who was actually a hollow scarecrow all along. The narration wryly notes that this sort of thing happens all the time.
Feathertop / int_516f986d	featureApplicability	1.0
Feathertop / int_516f986d	featureConfidence	1.0
Feathertop	hasFeature	Feathertop / int_516f986d
Feathertop / int_5c9503db	type	Classy Cane
Feathertop / int_5c9503db	comment	Classy Cane: Possibly overlaps with Magic Staff. The one item that Feathertop is gifted that isn't the hellish pipe or affected by it is a plain, oaken stick that in his hands changes into a gold-headed cane. He gets it so it'll guide him to Master Gookin's doorstep.
Feathertop / int_5c9503db	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_5c9fb18	type	Pumpkin Person
Feathertop / int_5c9fb18	comment	Pumpkin Person: Feathertop has a withered, somewhat shrunken pumpkin as his head.
Feathertop / int_5c9fb18	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_5ca80293	type	Pragmatic Villainy
Feathertop / int_5ca80293	comment	Pragmatic Villainy: Mother Rigby could have easily made Feathertop one of the scariest scarecrows mankind has ever seen, but this particular scarecrow was meant for her own corn patch and she wouldn't want that messing up her view.
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Feathertop / int_66dfe36a	type	Missing Mom
Feathertop / int_66dfe36a	comment	Missing Mom: Nothing is shared about the identity or whereabouts of Polly's mother.
Feathertop / int_66dfe36a	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_6bda9a30	type	Meaningful Name
Feathertop / int_6bda9a30	comment	Meaningful Name: There's a grand three reasons listed as to why Feathertop received that particular name. For one, he wears a hat with a rooster's tail feather pinned to it. For two, his pumpkin head is filled with feathers. And for three, his wig, which was the late Goodman Rigby's, is of the feathertop style.
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Feathertop / int_820ac351	type	It Amused Me
Feathertop / int_820ac351	comment	It Amused Me: Feathertop was meant to be a scary scarecrow, but because Mother Rigby was in a good mood she reasoned it to be better and more rewarding to make him aesthetically pleasing. To this end, she dressed him in the finest clothes she had around that were only collecting dust anyway. It's when she takes a good look at her creation that motherly affection sets in and on a whim she decides to bring him to life. And then on a whim she decides her puppet should hook up with the daughter of a man who owes Hell a favor.
Feathertop / int_820ac351	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_90984c54	type	Glamour Failure
Feathertop / int_90984c54	comment	Glamour Failure: There are three instances. The first two occur when Feathertop walks into town and immediately becomes the person everyone talks about. Everyone sees him as glamorous, exotic, and regal, except for a dog and a young boy. The dog takes a sniff of Feathertop and then flees, while the boy only mumbles something about a pumpkin. The third instant is stretched between Polly and Feathertop and revolves around a large mirror owned by the Gookins. Firstly, Polly practices her lady-isms in front of the mirror in preparation of being introduced to the handsome Feathertop, only to be shown how artificial she's being. Still, she and Feathertop hit it off well, but only until Polly glances to the mirror once more and sees Feathertop's reflection as a scarecrow. She breaks down, prompting Feathertop to look too and see the truth of who he is beneath the magic.
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Feathertop / int_984ef9ef	type	"Not So Different" Remark
Feathertop / int_984ef9ef	comment	"Not So Different" Remark: The narrator comments that Polly practicing her behavior in the mirror (e.g. making false expressions, hiding behind her fan, practicing comments) demonstrates how in some ways she's just as artificial as Feathertop.
Feathertop / int_984ef9ef	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_9fa4bb34	type	Hillbilly Moonshiner
Feathertop / int_9fa4bb34	comment	Hillbilly Moonshiner: Hinted at. Mother Rigby lives in the countryside and she mentions obtaining some of the clothes she uses for Feathertop from a Native American in return for a gill of strong waters.
Feathertop / int_9fa4bb34	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop	hasFeature	Feathertop / int_9fa4bb34
Feathertop / int_a8cff6a	type	Familiar
Feathertop / int_a8cff6a	comment	Familiar: Dickon, who serves Mother Rigby without question, although all he's tasked to do is to refill or light her pipe. He is implied to be a demon due to the pipe being lit with coals from Hell. He is The Ghost and either The Voiceless or The Speechless, because while he's constantly talked to, he never says anything back and the narrator himself admits that all he can perceive of Dickon is the tasks being fulfilled.
Feathertop / int_a8cff6a	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_b747dbd8	type	Tall Tale
Feathertop / int_b747dbd8	comment	Tall Tale: The "unreckonable amount of wealth" Rigby gifts Feathertop to make him the equal of his fellow men are a gold mine in El Dorado, ten thousand shares in a broken bubble, half a million acres of vineyard at the North Pole, a castle in the air, a chateau in Spain, and the salt within a ship she personally made sink.
Feathertop / int_b747dbd8	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_bc37d80d	type	So Proud of You
Feathertop / int_bc37d80d	comment	So Proud of You: With the exception of his immediate genesis, which went too slow for Mother Rigby's taste, she's done nothing but praise him for his beauty, his choice to call her "mother", and his kind heart. As she puts it: "I hold myself a better witch than yesterday, for thy sake."
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Feathertop / int_bee8baee	type	Faint in Shock
Feathertop / int_bee8baee	comment	Faint in Shock: Polly does this when the mirror shows her Feathertop's true form.
Feathertop / int_bee8baee	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop	hasFeature	Feathertop / int_bee8baee
Feathertop / int_bf3c06aa	type	Nightmare Weaver
Feathertop / int_bf3c06aa	comment	Nightmare Weaver: One of the powers ascribed to Rigby. She likes to hand them out and then sit down and enjoy her victim's agony.
Feathertop / int_bf3c06aa	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop	hasFeature	Feathertop / int_bf3c06aa
Feathertop / int_c9597a03	type	Self-Deprecation
Feathertop / int_c9597a03	comment	Self-Deprecation: From the narrator: "Shall I confess the truth? At its present point of vivification, the scarecrow reminds me of some of the lukewarm and abortive characters, composed of heterogeneous materials, used for the thousandth time, and never worth using, with which romance writers (and myself, no doubt, among the rest) have so overpeopled the world of fiction."
Feathertop / int_c9597a03	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_ca87e3ec	type	No Name Given
Feathertop / int_ca87e3ec	comment	No Name Given: This being a pre-1900 North American story, none of the three elderly characters have a given name. They're Mother Rigby, Goodman Rigby, and Master Gookin.
Feathertop / int_ca87e3ec	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop	hasFeature	Feathertop / int_ca87e3ec
Feathertop / int_cbfd6e47	type	Flying Broomstick
Feathertop / int_cbfd6e47	comment	Flying Broomstick: Feathertop's spine is Rigby's former flying broomstick. Incidentally, it doesn't appear that Feathertop himself can fly.
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Feathertop / int_ce6555f0	type	Lighter and Softer
Feathertop / int_ce6555f0	comment	Lighter and Softer: A 1992 children's book adaptation by Robert D. San Souci gives Feathertop a much happier ending through The Power of Love, allowing him to become truly human.
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Feathertop / int_d90ab0d2	type	Big, Stupid Doodoo-Head
Feathertop / int_d90ab0d2	comment	Big, Stupid Doodoo-Head: Mother Rigby shows her more childish side when Feathertop's metamorphosis to "human" doesn't happen quick enough. Her choice of words include "thing of straw and emptiness", "rag or two", "meal bag", "pumpkin head", and "nothing". Once she runs out of insults that are literally just descriptions of Feathertop's composition, she loudly asks "where [she] shall find a name vile enough" for her creation.
Feathertop / int_d90ab0d2	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_dd3d1f69	type	Wicked Witch
Feathertop / int_dd3d1f69	comment	Wicked Witch: Mother Rigby is one, being described as "one of the most cunning and potent witches in New England". Although for the most part she isn't actively evil, she's incredibly dangerous, fickle and impulsive, and holds a negative view of people. But she also thanks her familiar for his service and genuinely wants the best for Feathertop.
Feathertop / int_dd3d1f69	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop / int_dfe120e5	type	Functional Magic
Feathertop / int_dfe120e5	comment	Functional Magic: Type Device Magic for Mother Rigby's pipe, made from meerschaum and amber and painted with demonic figures that dance around, has magical properties because it's in contact with Hell. On her command, it is lit with a coal plucked straight from the down-below fires by her familiar Dickon. It's exact range of possibilities isn't addressed, but the one important to the story is that it brings Feathertop to life and gives him human form when it's inserted in his "mouth". From then on, he's required to use it to maintain his life and look.
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Feathertop / int_ebf8525f	type	Devil's Job Offer
Feathertop / int_ebf8525f	comment	Devil's Job Offer: Mentioned. Rigby's neighbors believe that a tattered but once luxurious coat Rigby possesses belongs to the "Black Man" and that she keeps it for him to easily slip on whenever he has business in the area. Since she uses the coat for Feathertop, that's unlikely to be the case.
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Feathertop / int_f3626b09	type	Mercy Kill
Feathertop / int_f3626b09	comment	Mercy Kill: Rigby considers reviving Feathertop after his suicide, but decides against it because he has already made it clear that being what he is is not going to work for him.
Feathertop / int_f3626b09	featureApplicability	1.0
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Feathertop	hasFeature	Feathertop / int_f3626b09
Feathertop / int_fe1ccea	type	Evil Parents Want Good Kids
Feathertop / int_fe1ccea	comment	Evil Parents Want Good Kids: Mother Rigby, who, among others, murdered her husband and is a nightmare sadist, doesn't need Feathertop to be a good person, but all the same she's delighted (and moved) by just how tender and honest he is.
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Feathertop / int_ff34c05a	type	Item Crafting
Feathertop / int_ff34c05a	comment	Item Crafting: An entire paragraph is spent on what items Mother Rigby uses to make Feathertop. A (flying) broomstick serves as the spine, while a meal bag stuffed with straw brings volume to the torso. A disabled flail becomes one arm and a pudding-stick loosely tied to the broken rung of a chair the other. The right leg is a hoe handle and the left a random stick pulled from the woodpile. Lastly, a withered pumpkin filled with feathers is picked for the position of being the scarecrow's head. It's give a blue knob as nose.
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The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

Feathertop	hasFeature	American Literature (E to I) / int_3dc1fb9f
Feathertop	hasFeature	Flying Broomstick / int_3dc1fb9f
Feathertop	hasFeature	Glamour Failure / int_3dc1fb9f
Feathertop	hasFeature	Scary Scarecrows / int_3dc1fb9f
Feathertop	hasFeature	Short Story / int_3dc1fb9f
Feathertop	hasFeature	Witch Works / int_3dc1fb9f

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