The Prince and the Dressmaker Literary Analysis Essay

Colors and shapes are our distinction of objects within our sight, but colors especially can be used to symbolize more than just its hue. They can be distinct with saturation, brightness, and warmth, but even more than that, feelings, emotion, relationships, wonderful things that simply cannot be described with a flat value. In the novel The Prince and the Dressmaker, the author Jen Wang uses these vibrant, colorful facial expressions, scenes, and experiences to help convey that supportive, healthy relationships are a core part of acceptance. Prince Sebastian’s relationships with Frances, and his parents play a major role in the public acceptance of men wearing dresses, or clothes that don’t fit the stereotypical masculine look.

First with Frances, Sebastian’s designer of his flamboyant dresses. A friend, an ex-friend, and in the end: a lover. One of two people that knew his secret and supported him. Someone that Sebastian needed desperately, because no one else was there to stand with him, yet couldn’t earn her affirmation through the one-sided relationship, thus leading him to lose courage and give up. His reliance shown on panel 3 of page 175, the moment Frances leaves, saying, “What if I talked to someone? Are you going to lock me in a basement to keep me from telling everyone who you are”, Sebastian is left in a dark solitude, devoid of color, because Frances was his only friend, the light in his dark world(170,175). The following pages show him giving up on this life, saying that he will marry Juliana, still devoid of color(176-179). What led to this, why did this happen? I believe it’s due to their relationship being one-sided, not healthy, not supportive, Frances supported Sebastian, but nothing was reciprocated. As shown previously on page 35, Sebastian is the one standing on the stage shining with a vibrant orange, Frances is in the audience, nothing more, almost as grayscale as the rest(35). Frances cuts the dresses, Sebastian displays them. No matter what page, Frances is drawn with more mellow colors, Sebastian more intense and extreme. Sebastian is the important one, Frances is “no one”, looking down and her eyes dull. An unsustainable affair that they could not continue with, and thankfully amended and reborn later. These pieces of evidence show the author using expressive traits of color to show the discontent, and the breaking point with him left in the dark room, just precedes him proceeding to give up and abandon this life. This all supports that this relationship mattered a lot for his journey towards acceptance, but he has lost courage even with his dissatisfaction in his eyes towards this result, against the contrasts of his mother’s(175, panel 3).

Conversely in the end, Sebastian mends the relationships back together to gain acceptance from onlookers. Quite unrealistic since the parents support their children, and Sebastian learns from his mistakes. It truly warms my heart even though this would never slide in medieval France. 

Leroy builds upon the foundation that Frances has built for Sebastian, because he realizes that he isn’t a lost cause, nothing went wrong, “Because someone still loved him”(263). 

Sebastian’s relationship with these two people show how close bonds are the most important affirmation for an individual, and the most important step towards overall confirmation.