The story of Pussy Riot is reminiscent of an archetypal plot, the fairy tale «Bluebeard» — about a girl who opened a forbidden door. I knew it was impossible, but I opened it. And there are skeletons, skeletons, skeletons…
So, is it a mistake or not — when did the girl open the forbidden door? On the one hand, she knew the rules, right? It is not good to climb where they are not asked. Maybe he has a shrine there, and in general. She climbed in — so why then grumble that, they say, they are strangling? On the other hand, isn’t it better to know how things really are and what is hidden behind the pleasant blue beard of the owner of the castle? My beloved Clarissa Estes *, analyzing the fairy tale, says that the voices of the sisters who persistently persuaded to open the forbidden door are the voices of female intuition, wisdom and vigilance, which insist: you have no right to hide your head in the sand, a terrible truth is better than an eternal lie , dare, open, find out!
But in our situation, unlike a fairy tale, there is another side — this is society. This is you and me, observers, unwitting participants and «consumers» of the discovered truth. Skeletons rained down on our heads, truths one more unpleasant than the other. We learned something that it was impossible to know, and we didn’t really want to know. About society, about the state, about the church, about the attitude towards women, about their acquaintances and just fellow citizens, about themselves. Everyone who speaks out about this situation begins to turn himself inside out, against his will.
Everything that is inside: complexes, fears, aspirations — everything comes to light, as if the girls launched an epidemic of opening secret doors, and crackling, creaking, rattle began throughout the country. During these months we have thought and talked about many things that were not customary to talk about for many years. About values, about faith, about choice — no matter what position someone took in the dispute.
And it turned out that we are not at all as cynical, indifferent and mundane as we are almost accustomed to thinking of ourselves that we have something sacred, even if everyone has their own. And no matter how hard and unpleasant it is now, we have a real chance to stay — to become — alive. Only it won’t happen by itself.
In a fairy tale, a young truth-seeker was saved from a fierce death by brothers who arrived in time. According to Estes’ interpretation, the brothers are the voice of reason that comes to the rescue when the terrible truth is revealed, when it is necessary to fight the sorcerer, rake up what was found, identify and bury the corpses, stop the blood, restore order. Grow up. Like all fairy tales, this one is about growing up, about belated initiation, because it is the naive, dependent, not fully grown up who are at risk of becoming Bluebeard’s «clients», about how to overcome dependence on a rapist, stop being an obedient «pussy» and find the strength to rebel — better late than never**.
* K. Estes “Running with the Wolves. Female archetype in myths and legends” (Sofia, 2007).
** Fragment of a blog entry by Lyudmila Petranovskaya on August 16, 2012.