snow white
Little Snow-White
Little Snow-White by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm is a beautiful fairy tale comprised of a simple master plot, intricate dichotomies and an inspiring protagonist; Snow-White. Following a standard “rags to riches” master plot, the narrative is one that sets the bar high for young girls growing up. Little Snow-White encourages girls to aspire to be a “good woman” and convinces one that in order to be content, one needs extravagant items, marriage and wealth, all the things the protagonist happens to be. Snow White is pious, charming and – repeatedly emphasized- very beautiful, all the characteristics required in becoming a “good woman”. These admirable traits allow the reader to sympathize with her loss of status and interpret Snow-White as the innocent in the classic dichotomy of good versus evil. How different would the story of Snow White if Snow wasn’t portrayed as a “good woman”? To be a “good woman” is the most desirable goal in life, yet this idealized model’s attributes are unrealistic to the point of being impossible and the actual traits themselves vary from author to author. In Little Snow-White the highlighted traits to being a good woman are piety, charm, passivity and beauty. When born, Snow-White is described as being “a little daughter who was as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony wood” (Grimm and Grimm). These colors are described with universal images that aide the reader in creating a picture of beauty. Throughout the story Snow-White is consistently referred to as lovely, beautiful, ethereal. Her beauty allows her to escape the huntsman with her life for “she was so beautiful the huntsman took pity on her, and he said, ‘Run away, you poor child.” (Grimm and Grimm) She does not need ambition or determination; she can rely on attractiveness, faith and be passive throughout the narrative to be rewarded for performing her role as a woman so well. Without all of these attributes Snow White wouldn’t have been brought
Little Snow-White by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm is a beautiful fairy tale comprised of a simple master plot, intricate dichotomies and an inspiring protagonist; Snow-White. Following a standard “rags to riches” master plot, the narrative is one that sets the bar high for young girls growing up. Little Snow-White encourages girls to aspire to be a “good woman” and convinces one that in order to be content, one needs extravagant items, marriage and wealth, all the things the protagonist happens to be. Snow White is pious, charming and – repeatedly emphasized- very beautiful, all the characteristics required in becoming a “good woman”. These admirable traits allow the reader to sympathize with her loss of status and interpret Snow-White as the innocent in the classic dichotomy of good versus evil. How different would the story of Snow White if Snow wasn’t portrayed as a “good woman”? To be a “good woman” is the most desirable goal in life, yet this idealized model’s attributes are unrealistic to the point of being impossible and the actual traits themselves vary from author to author. In Little Snow-White the highlighted traits to being a good woman are piety, charm, passivity and beauty. When born, Snow-White is described as being “a little daughter who was as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as ebony wood” (Grimm and Grimm). These colors are described with universal images that aide the reader in creating a picture of beauty. Throughout the story Snow-White is consistently referred to as lovely, beautiful, ethereal. Her beauty allows her to escape the huntsman with her life for “she was so beautiful the huntsman took pity on her, and he said, ‘Run away, you poor child.” (Grimm and Grimm) She does not need ambition or determination; she can rely on attractiveness, faith and be passive throughout the narrative to be rewarded for performing her role as a woman so well. Without all of these attributes Snow White wouldn’t have been brought