Fairy tales are a part of every culture. People from all walks of life have heard some version of the informational tales and Disney has profited greatly from them, while altering the meaning of the tales. In "Perrault's Stories or Tales from Times Past, with Morals (1697)," Sleeping Beauty and her children are almost devoured by the Prince's mother, who is part ogre. Disney has left this out of their version of the tale. "Puss in Boots," is the standard story of a cat that benefits it's owner. Ironically, no one seems to mind that the cat in this story has on a pair of boots and has the ability to speak to humans.
"Blue Beard," was a puzzling, gruesome fairy tale. It involves an older, strange man that seduces, and ends up marrying his young neighbor. While her husband is away on business, the young wife is given full run of the house. He husband gives her only one warning, don't enter the small closet. As curiosity has killed the cat, the young wife unlocks the closet door, finds all her husband's dead former wives, she then notices that the key is magical and stained with blood. These fairy tales all involve some form of magic and control/power struggle. Blue Beard murdered his former wives because, they disobeyed him. This tale ends with Blue Beard being murdered by his current wife's brothers, as he is attempting to kill her. This fairy tale has no real moral. The disobedient wife lives, while the disobeyed husband is murdered. There is a slight lesson in karma toward the husband.
Most interesting are the difference variations of "Little Red Riding Hood." The Grimm version is the one closest to the American version, although every tale has a different ending. The Italian version has the harshest ending of all. An ogre plays the part of the wolf and savagely eats Red Riding Hood. "Little Thumb," is similar to "Hansel and Grettle." The only difference is that Little Thumb and his brothers return to their parents every time they are abandoned in the woods. This brings up the question: Why? How do you return to and take care of people that don't want you?
I feel like every time we've talked about "Blue Beard" people have brought up the phrase, "Curiosity killed the cat", but not one person has actually finished the phrase. The full phrase actually reads as follows:
ReplyDelete"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back."
The full phrase really describes what happens to Blue Beard's wife. She is curious and while she is almost killed, she gains something that brings her satisfaction: her dead husband's riches.
I do also agree with the karma finally coming to Blue Beard in the end.
It's an interesting question you pose about why we go back and take care of people that may have treated us badly. I think there is good nature in most of us that would cause us to forgive those that treated us badly. In a tale such as this, I feel there are lessons about fogiveness as well as family. We may not always see the problems that caused the neglect as a child, but when we mature and have our own experiences we may be faced with similar situations and catch ourselves acting like those that raised us. In this way, we should hope to be educated and not perpetuate the same neglect.
ReplyDelete- Scott
I did find it odd that there were many animals that spoke and this seemed completely normal even in the darker tales. I agree that Blue Beard gets what he deserved...and that we as the audience always want the "good person" to win (in this case his wife); but there is something to be said about giving her another chance after making a mistake. And it's interesting that most of us wrote about Little Red Riding Hood; I found this to me the most memorable tale for me out of the ones we were assigned; and yes it has not changed all that much in its' different versions (except for the details of the eating of people). : ) And I think there is some sort of lesson in Tom Thumb about always respecting your parents or elders maybe? Just a thought...
ReplyDeleteThe most disturbing fairy tell for me was definetly Tom Thumb. I realize that that might appear odd knowing that when this tale was told most familes were carving out existence. I found it difficult to understand the lack of natural affection between the parents and their offspring. Perhaps I am thinking to deeply, attaching the value system of today on a world long past, however who does that? Who leaves their own children alone in a forest to fall prey to animals? I could not appreciate the lesson of the Tom Thumb outwitting the oger because I was still perplexed by the parents (LOL).
ReplyDeleteAngela Robinson
As for your question to the fairy tale Tom Thumb, I'm guessing that the bond forged between dependent children towards their forsaken parents is so strong, that even when said impotent parents choose to abandon them in the woods, they can only think of returning home...? That or if Tom Thumb chose to find foster parents, we would have a completely different fairy tale. It think most of the original fairy tales are alternated by companies such as Disney to make the stories more children friendly. While people argue this process destroys the original culture that fairy tales represent, I, myself enjoy Disney movies because more and more of these movies defy traditional stereotypes and create characters such as Mulan and Belle that show young children the importance of courage and intelligence, using awesome female leads as well.
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