The Influences Tom Thumb

The Influences of Tom Thumb After his adventures, which have been told in many different ways, Tom Thumb learned a very valuable lesson. In one telling of the story, after Merlin had granted Tom’s parent’s wish of having a son, even if he was only as tall as a thumb, Tom fell into a river and was eaten by a fish only to be brought to King Arthur’s court and become a jester of sorts. In another writing of the story, his parents’ wish was granted by the fairies and then Tom promised his father he could return if his father was to sell him for some gold. He then was almost killed several times by getting into trouble with thieves, getting eaten by a cow, and then getting eaten by a wolf. The lesson that Tom learned from these incredible adventures
As the story’s original written copy was created in the 1600’s, the story has morphed drastically as times changed. “Tom Thumb” was such an early story that the ideas were new and amazing at the time that it was written. Having fairies and a boy the size of a thumb were crazy and creative ideas in the1600’s. The story, “Tom Thumb,” was heavily influenced and morphed by the variations of the story, the society at the time of the first writing, and the creativity of the 1600’s. The time and society strongly impacted “Tom Thumb,” and made the story relatable for the people of the time. “There was once a poor peasant who sat in the evening by the hearth and poked the fire, and his wife sat and spun. Then said he, ‘How sad it is that we have no children. With us all is so quiet, and in other houses it is noisy and lively’” (James Baldwin). At the time, couples really wanted to have a heir so that their family could continue growing, as well as so they
“...the queen of the fairies came flitting in at the window and kissed him and gave him the name of Tom Thumb. Then seven other fairies came dancing in…” (James Baldwin). Fairies are very mystical things and though there were many superstitions in ancient times, fairies are a stretch. Having fairies as a main plot point was a new and much pondered idea. “Tom never grew any larger than his father’s thumb, which was only of ordinary size” (Grimm). Tom himself was only as big as a thumb, so most likely about 2 inches tall, and that would have been an unheard of idea. People are generally only used to what they know and see, so the idea of a boy being as tall as a thumb was very creative. “Little did this this good-hearted couple realise that their humble guest was, in fact, none other than Merlin, the greatest and most skillful wizard who ever lived” (Grimm). Though Merlin was a popular character in many stories as well as a big chunk of folklore, a wizard was still a very creative idea. The ability to perform magic and bewitch things was usually looked down upon by most people, whereas in this story he is a nice old traveler. For these few reasons and more, “Tom Thumb” is a very creative story for its