The Wicked Stepmother Motif

The wicked stepmother trope is a motif throughout House of Salt and Sorrows, as Craig uses the character of Morella to make use of readers’ expectations of classic fairy-tales and foreshadow later revelations.

Over and over again, Craig draws attention to the ways in which Morella fits the wicked stepmother trope. First, she highlights Morella’s young age in comparison with Ortun, her ‘foreign’ customs and inability to blend in with the family, and also her tension with the Thaumas girls. These traits alert the reader to potential problems between Morella and her new family, isolating her among them. Next, Craig states that Morella is beautiful, intentionally pregnant, and sexually manipulative of Ortun. These traits show that Morella is aware of her status as an ‘outcast’ in the family, but that she relies on what she can bring to Ortun in order to...