Charles Baxter, in his story “Gryphon”, creates an imperfect character. Miss Ferenczi was hired by Five Oaks Community as a sub teacher to cover for a teacher that had become sick. Her presence in Five Oaks was a great impact to the community. Miss Ferenczi’s world is one of no limits and freedom. She teaches students to think outside the box and keep an open-minded mind. She encourages her students to push their boundaries.
Baxter, the main character, is forced to learn new things despite social norms. The narrator describes Miss Ferenczi’s large scar as being intriguing when introducing her. The students thought that Miss Ferenczi’s appearance was unique compared to other substitute teachers. Miss Ferenczi’s appearance can be a symbol to change students’ imaginations. Her face was marked by two vertical lines that ran from her sides of mouth to her chin. Tommy was reminded by the scars that covered Miss Ferenczi’s face. This particular characteristic of hers is going to play a significant role in later chapters, and also demonstrate an incredible countless character. Tommy, narrator and protagonist of the tale, commented that her two lines reminded him, in some way, of Pinocchio. Both Miss Ferenczi’s and the fictional character have a tendency to lie. Pinocchio’s nose expands when he tells lies.
The students question the truthfulness of her substitutes later in the story. When she was teaching arithmetic to her students, she said “think about six times 11 equals to sixty eight as a substituting fact”. Six times eleven is not sixty-eight but sixty-six. Miss Ferenczi’s fantasy world is similar to that of Pinocchio, a character who is likened to a lie. The gryphon that Miss Ferenczi uses to introduce the story is the dominant image. In the story Miss Ferenczi represents the gryphon, a magical half-lion/half-bird creature. She told me that an Egyptian man who was working for a Circus had shown her the animal in its cage. It was a half-bird and half-lion. She is the one who mixes myth and truth in her stories. She told her students that there is a plant which eats meat. This is actually true. Carol was insistent. I’m sure it is true. She encourages them to think of other explanations. “I feel that you shouldn’t use a word if it is not something you like.” Miss Ferenczi was able to see that Tommy struggled with the spelling of the word “balcony”. She told him she didn’t expect him to use it. She was also telling him that he had the option of bending the rules. Other myths can also be uncertain, such as the belief that diamond rings were not important, or that women wear diamonds on their fingers because they are magical. Or that there are dangerous creatures below the ocean that have “never been studied by scientists” and that when taken to the sky, the fish explode. Miss Ferenczi gave the truth and also told lies. She said that nobody had ever studied the creatures below, so how could she have known if they would explode if they were lifted into the air?
This lesson has a gryphon as a symbol for imagination. It is also a story that encourages students to imagine beyond what they see. It will also help these students to broaden their minds, just as Miss Ferenczi helped student shape their thinking. She says the teacher at Five Oak has no idea on how to help students develop broader thinking. The Gryphon represents Miss Ferenczi, who wanted to be different and teach the student about a concept that was real. When she told Wayne Razmer his fate, he was afraid. Miss Ferenczi told her students the first time she taught the class “there’s no death and you shouldn’t be afraid”. Wayne then pulled out a death-card, which foreshadowed this part of the story. Miss Ferenczi explained to Wayne that the death card meant he would soon be facing his fate. However, she also reminded him of her earlier statement, “death is not the end, but rather a new beginning”. She said: “But don’t be afraid, it isn’t really dead. It is more like change”. The boy’s mother did not want to scare her son, but prepare him for real life. She wanted him to face the world with confidence and not fear what was coming. Even if her intentions were good, she was wrong to tell a fourth grade class this. Wayne reported Miss Ferenczi’s actions to Mr. Faegre.
Miss Ferenczi went too far in educating students about the reality of life. She was reported by the school and had to leave Five Oaks. The adults there could not accept that she went against the social norms and thought for herself. Tarot is still used by many cultures in order to read fortunes. Miss Ferenczi’s students have been taught many ways to learn. She has not only focused on one type of learning but also helped them to expand their minds. She tells her students not to waste time worrying about things that they do over and over. She wanted to show the students what was important and useful in their lives. The social expectation was that going to school is serious and boring. She changes this by teaching students the truths and lies of myths. This keeps them interested, while also letting them learn about real life. She taught her students to be independent and not follow what the society dictates.
Although Miss Ferenczi’s character is unique, she still represents the freedom and individuality that society shouldn’t limit. In the story, she helped her students understand life and to think “outside the square”.
