Breaking free from the Seduction Plot

The seduction plot is key to Charlotte Temple, where Montraville charms Charlotte and persuades her to elope with him. As a young and naïve girl, she struggles to make a decision. If she leaves with Montraville, she will let her parents down. If she stays with her family, she gives up love and romance. Montraville takes advantage of Charlotte’s confusion, carrying her off to New York with him after she faints from the stress. The vulnerable girl ends up in misery as Montraville deserts her, when she falls sick and pregnant. In the end, Charlotte passes away. This narrative, where a young girl falls prey to an attractive man, is common to many novels. Readers find it easy to point out such a plot, cultivating its popularity. Usually, this plot is favourable due to the comfort it brings from its familiarity. The seduction plot does not disrupt the status quo – males are the dominant gender and females are weak and vulnerable. Yet, it perpetuates the issue of female oppression.

However, in recent years, more and more adaptations of the seduction plot has surfaced. This change is in line with challenges posed to gender norms and stereotypes. For example, the film, Frozen, features two female protagonists, Anna and Elsa. Anna is a simple-minded and naïve girl who dreams of meeting her sister, Elsa, again, and finding true love. The latter desire is one many female adolescents can relate to. At Elsa’s coronation, Anna meets Hans, a charming man with an ulterior motive. He pretends to be smitten by Anna, imitating her comical, silly gestures and participating in her singsong tendencies, apparent in the ‘Love is an Open Door’ sequence.

In this clip, Anna and Hans act in an animated and child-like manner – both parties “finish each other’s sandwiches”, rather than sentences, and link their little fingers as a symbol of promise. Yet, at the end of the song, he proposes to her and she agrees without hesitation. The amalgamation of childish conduct and discussion of adult topics, such as marriage, is typical of adolescence – it is the in-between period. Anna is at an age of experimentation – forming her identity and learning what is appropriate or acceptable. As an adolescent, Anna is an easy prey to Hans. She has set her mind on finding her true love and is quick to act on it, not questioning the speed and sincerity of Hans’ move.

Yet, the movie does not conclude with a tragic end for Anna, as is the case for many seduction plots. Though she puts her trust in Hans to take care of Arendelle and save her from Elsa’s attack, she does not depend on him to make her own choices. After finding out that Hans has betrayed her, she takes responsibility to mediate with Elsa and restore order to her land. Ultimately, it is the two sisters who work together to solve the conflict, while male characters such as Kristoff, an ice man whom Anna meets on her travels to find Elsa, play supporting roles.

It is promising to see more and more female characters break free from the seduction plot, which has oppressed females for a very long time. While it may provide some form of comfort, through the standard narrative, I believe that there is good in change – as an audience or reader, it is necessary for one to question the norms we commonly adhere to and challenge them, especially if they are repressive. The seduction plot does not respect female adolescents as it neglects the ability of a young girl by assuming that she is weak, vulnerable and dependent, while privileging males, even though their act of manipulating females is corrupt. At a young age, Anna and Charlotte both struggle with making decisions – Charlotte is tempted to leave with Montraville but cannot bear to leave her family while Anna wrestles with putting her marriage with Hans on hold to save Elsa and Arendelle. Yet, at the end of the day, both Charlotte and Anna persevere through their trials, despite the varying ways in which they manage their difficulties. It is clear that female adolescents struggle to navigate choices but are still able to take responsibility for them, posing a challenge to the seduction plot.

Jerusha Soh Ann