I: The History of the Orphan
What is an Orphan?
Before we begin our discussion, let us clarify precisely of whom we speak when we use the word orphan. It is significant for us to first elucidate that our subject exists in the realm of fiction, not reality.We apply the word “orphan” with a lower-case “o” when discussing the real life circumstance of being an orphan, in contrast to the upper case “O” which we use to identify the subject of our study.
The definition of the Orphan that we are concerned with does not take place exclusively in recognizing a parentless child. To be without mother or father is a life circumstance distinguishing familial structures rather than defining the nature of individuals. Our study is of character not situation. We identify this character as Orphan by observing traits and abilities. Although many of the characters we will be discussing are in fact parentless, this status is more symbolic than essential.
