In the story The Farmer’s Children, the fairy tale element is quite apparent at the beginning of the story, although, the story as a whole does not fit the norm of a usual fairy tale. Overall, it is more of a toned down version of a fairy tale, which allows the reader to view it more realistically. Even though, The Farmer’s Children, lacks a few usual aspects of a fairy tale, such as magical creatures or personified animals, the use of symbolism throughout the story, and the stark similarities with the story of Hansel and Gretel, strengthens the fairy tale element of the story.
The first paragraph alone is a great example of how the story resembles a fairy tale because it starts with the word “once”, and then proceeds to set up the setting, which is centralized and focused on one particular location, something that is common among many fairy tale stories. This allows the reader to focus more on the characters themselves, and builds on establishing the common designated roles within a typical tale. The fairy tale aspect, although apparent, is very subtle at first and it is not that clear until the …show more content…
In the story of Hansel and Gretel, the witch enticed the children by appearing to look welcome, but in reality wanted to harm the children. Similarly, the stepmother appears to look welcoming on the outside, but does not quite care for the wellbeing of the two boys. For example, on page 287, the stepmother is mentioned as both “mother and stepmother”(Updike 287), an unnecessary distinction if she treated all the kids fairly. In addition, Bishop describes the stepmother’s house as “an illusion of peacefulness” (Updike 288), which is similar to the façade of the witch’s house of sweets. This parallel comparison helps establish the strong element of inspiration from this particular fairy
The first paragraph alone is a great example of how the story resembles a fairy tale because it starts with the word “once”, and then proceeds to set up the setting, which is centralized and focused on one particular location, something that is common among many fairy tale stories. This allows the reader to focus more on the characters themselves, and builds on establishing the common designated roles within a typical tale. The fairy tale aspect, although apparent, is very subtle at first and it is not that clear until the …show more content…
In the story of Hansel and Gretel, the witch enticed the children by appearing to look welcome, but in reality wanted to harm the children. Similarly, the stepmother appears to look welcoming on the outside, but does not quite care for the wellbeing of the two boys. For example, on page 287, the stepmother is mentioned as both “mother and stepmother”(Updike 287), an unnecessary distinction if she treated all the kids fairly. In addition, Bishop describes the stepmother’s house as “an illusion of peacefulness” (Updike 288), which is similar to the façade of the witch’s house of sweets. This parallel comparison helps establish the strong element of inspiration from this particular fairy