I woke up this morning with an essay on my mind. Not one of mine; one by the far greater Annie Dillard—one that I read in college and have never forgotten. One that horrified me with its importance and applicability. It’s called “The Fixed.” Annie is 10 and her elementary school class is watching a moth develop at school. It’s in the cocoon stage—just about to hatch. The teacher allows all the children to hold the cocoon and connect with the life inside before placing it in a mason jar to let the moth complete its transformation. The moth struggles and breaks free of its cocoon at last! But it is a Polyphemus Moth, and they are very large—too large to fit in mason jars. The result is that the moth is unable to fully spread his wings, and he becomes crippled forever.
As I said, I woke up thinking of this essay. The thousands of times and ways we as humans, especially women, put each other in mason jars in our most vulnerable moments. Surround the jar with our posse and criticize instead of aid. We women are experts at this—but the same message could be applied to any man, any child, any majority v. minority, any political party, anyone.
Too often we restrict or without compassion decree for our own convenience, “You can only be THIS BIG/THIS SHAPE. Take up THIS MUCH space.”
Or in extreme cases: I define what you are in THIS mason jar.
And the results are tragic. So many flightless moths, crippled and crawling away.
I’ll link the essay here. You’ll never forget it.
