MT3966

toc Parenting styles in the film __Hotel Transylvania__.

In the film __Hotel Transylvania__ we find two examples of different parenting styles, and we see their effects through the struggles between the parents and their children. The first example, and the most prominent, is the relationship of Dracula, the main character, and his daughter, Mavis. Dracula applies authoritative parenting (Boyd, 196). He is willing to give her anything she wants for her birthday. What she really wants is to leave the hotel, and see the world. He goes to extreme measures to ensure that she won’t leave the hotel. He has, in this way, supreme control over her, but he is still warm and gentle towards her emotionally. He is nurturing and kind in allowing her to try to make it to the village, but firm in his decision that she should never truly leave. In the textbook, authoritative parents show great support for their children and also place “mature demands” of them (Boyd, 196). In the case of Dracula and his daughter, this is taken to the extreme level. Mavis is turning 118 years old, in vampire years that’s the equivalent of a human teen turning 18. She is now an adult. Her father is demanding that she not leave the castle turned hotel that they call home. Her father’s past experience of losing her mother to humans has made him afraid of the outside world, and over protective of his daughter.

This leads to her attempt to leave home which is ruined by her father. In the film Mavis says, “…A Dracula’s word is sacred, that trust is the core of our [beliefs].” Barrett’s fifth law says, “There’s power in precise terms.” Dracula allows his daughter to leave to a nearby village only to be overrun by zombies dressed as living humans. The zombies attack her with torches and pitchforks. Through classical conditioning, she becomes afraid of humans (Boyd, 29). The story takes a turn, when an ordinary human boy, Jonathan, comes to stay at the hotel. He is immediately caught by Dracula. Dracula forces Jonathan to dress as a monster, so not to scare off the other guests, and to Change his name to Johnny Stein. Throughout the film Dracula tries to expel the boy, but is unable to do so. Johnny and Mavis fall in love, until it is revealed that he is a human and she becomes afraid of him.

Mavis’ social and psychological domains are affected by her father’s actions. Socially she is unable to get out of the hotel to meet people her age. Her lack of friends makes her rely on her father even more. He in turn also dotes on her a great deal. When the new boy, Johnny, comes to the hotel she is immediately drawn to him. This is a result of the authoritative parenting that her father implements. She is outgoing and welcoming to the stranger, and capable of acting independently of her parent (Boyd, 196).

Also in the film, Hotel Transylvania, there is a werewolf couple, Wayne and Wanda, who have many, many, children. These children are less likely to listen to their parents. The children are aggressive and out of control. As soon as when they arrive at the hotel, the pups immediately make a mess of the hotel lobby. Wayne and Wanda do little but comment on the behavior of their children. The werewolves are an example a permissive, uninvolved, type of parent (Boyd, 196).

The writer’s purpose in showing these two different styles of parenting is to show the struggle that being a single parent can be in the case of Dracula, and how being a couple, like the werewolves, doesn’t necessarily negate the issues that a parent faces. Dracula is a good father despite his efforts to keep his daughter with him forever. He wants to keep her in the hotel where she is safe. She is respectful of his wishes and listens to his fears. In the case if the werewolves, their children have little to no respect for their father. He asks them to do something and gets a negative response every time. It becomes clear through this example that to be an uninvolved parent doesn’t make parenting easier. In addition to a lack in parental control, the sheer number of children that they have has risks. It is unclear in the film exactly how many children they have. In having many children, parents are at higher risk for having a baby with a genetic disorder (Boyd, 55).

In these two examples we see two very different parenting styles. One family is nurturing to a fault, and one is almost completely disregardful of their children. In the end I believe Dracula to be an example of a good parent, and the werewolves to be an example of a very dysfunctional family. In the case of Dracula and his daughter, Mavis, I believe that his authoritative approach to parenting to have in the end a positive effect on Mavis. In the case of the werewolves, Wayne and Wanda, I believe that their lax, permissive, parenting style to have a negative effect on their children; possibly as a result of the number of children that they have.

Boyd, Denise, Helen Bee. __Lifespan Development__. 2nd Custom Ed. Upper Saddle River. Pearson. 2012. __Hotel Transylvania__. Dir. Genndy Tartakovsky. Perf. Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Andy Samberg, Steve Busemi, and Ceelo Green. DVD Columbia Pictures. 2012.

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Rubric

Content/Development--40%
If the word count is below 900: -2%

**Style/Mechanics--30%**
=Final Grade: 98%=