The Journey to Maturity: Hair and Vanity in Alcott’s Little Women and Grimm’s “The Goose Girl”
Hair, even today, is often used to symbolize femininity: while neat and tidy hair is often associated with womanliness, high social status, and proper behaviour or manners, short, messy, and boyish haircuts typically represent the opposite. Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women uses hair to symbolize the identity and growth of the young, impressionable female characters using the disproving of hair as an instrumental part of determining a woman’s worth, while the Brothers’ Grimm story The Goose Girl demonstrates a woman whose worth is defined by her physical appearance. The contrasts and comparisons between these two stories not only illustrate the …show more content…
The goose girl also shows maturity in the way she styles her hair: according to Heidi Anne Heiner’s analysis of the story, “young girls wear their braids down, while women would wear their hair pinned up as a sign of maturity.” (Heiner). The description of the goose girl’s hairstyle, “braid[ed]…hair…up in a bun” (279) illustrates the demonstrated maturity she shows as she refuses to intervene on the royal family, although she is truly the woman the prince is to be marrying. While on the journey to her betrothed, the princess’ hair is not mentioned, however it can be assumed that it is being worn in a more free style, as illustrated by the way she so willingly and freely obeys the refusal her waiting maid demonstrates, exhibiting her lack of knowledge as a figure of both high authority and her role as a high-ranking woman. As her life becomes more tragic, she is forced to mature rather quickly after leaving her mother and therefore begins to wear her golden hair up in fear that it may be either recognized or …show more content…
The differing lengths of the stories do not stop them from conveying the same message, as they both demonstrate accurate stories of girls who obtain appearances that define their self-worth, place in society, maturity, and eventually were able to utilize their appearances to achieve the proper social standings. Although the characters experienced many hardships throughout the stories, the ultimate conclusion ends in their favours, leaving the readers with a satisfying ending that truly demonstrates 19th-century feminism in both America and
Hair, even today, is often used to symbolize femininity: while neat and tidy hair is often associated with womanliness, high social status, and proper behaviour or manners, short, messy, and boyish haircuts typically represent the opposite. Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women uses hair to symbolize the identity and growth of the young, impressionable female characters using the disproving of hair as an instrumental part of determining a woman’s worth, while the Brothers’ Grimm story The Goose Girl demonstrates a woman whose worth is defined by her physical appearance. The contrasts and comparisons between these two stories not only illustrate the …show more content…
The goose girl also shows maturity in the way she styles her hair: according to Heidi Anne Heiner’s analysis of the story, “young girls wear their braids down, while women would wear their hair pinned up as a sign of maturity.” (Heiner). The description of the goose girl’s hairstyle, “braid[ed]…hair…up in a bun” (279) illustrates the demonstrated maturity she shows as she refuses to intervene on the royal family, although she is truly the woman the prince is to be marrying. While on the journey to her betrothed, the princess’ hair is not mentioned, however it can be assumed that it is being worn in a more free style, as illustrated by the way she so willingly and freely obeys the refusal her waiting maid demonstrates, exhibiting her lack of knowledge as a figure of both high authority and her role as a high-ranking woman. As her life becomes more tragic, she is forced to mature rather quickly after leaving her mother and therefore begins to wear her golden hair up in fear that it may be either recognized or …show more content…
The differing lengths of the stories do not stop them from conveying the same message, as they both demonstrate accurate stories of girls who obtain appearances that define their self-worth, place in society, maturity, and eventually were able to utilize their appearances to achieve the proper social standings. Although the characters experienced many hardships throughout the stories, the ultimate conclusion ends in their favours, leaving the readers with a satisfying ending that truly demonstrates 19th-century feminism in both America and