The Destruction Of The Male Rescuer Archetype Analysis

In her essay, “The Deconstruction of the Male-Rescuer Archetype,” Carolina Fernandez emphasizes how the figure of a “male-hero” has evolved and changed overtime. Fernandez supports her main argument using Spanish fairy tales to oppose the strong-traditional vision of Machoism and demonstrate how women do not need a figure of a hero or rescuer, since they can free themselves and become independent. Although some of the fairy tales used as examples had a male rescuer, her main argument demonstrates how in the last decades the gap of inequality between men and women has diminished and explains how women have reacted and understood that they do not need a male figure to overcome difficulties or obstacles in life.
Heroes should display courage
As Emma Donoghue writes in “The Tale of the Needle” an old spinner is the one in charge to bring the princess to life. The experienced woman becomes a teacher for the princess and provides her with tools to achieve independence (Fernandez, p. 58). Using this fairy tale as an example, Fernandez explains that true awakening comes as a result of embracing knowledge and being able to think independently. In addition, the fairy tales clash with the idea that women should not receive education and should stay passive following instructions. It proposes that women do not need heroes but rather accessibility to education to overcome ignorance and reach independence. Even though the old spinner in “The Tale of the Needle” helps, in the end the awakening is a solely decision the princess has to make. In the same manner, in “Sleeping Beauty Revised” we find a similar case in which the main character and narrator has to overcome her insecurities of being a divorced parent trying to give the best to his child and opposing what her mother and aunt say about her bad-parenting decisions (Fernandez, p. 63). In the story she is able to wake up by ignoring what everyone else had to say and putting aside the guilt she suffered. As a result, the protagonist is able to reach liberation by changing her mentality without any external hero or Prince Charming. In order to succeed in life, we do not need another person to save us or tell us what to do, but endure a process of self-recognition to outshine