Analyzing Grimm's Short Stories

There are classic fairy tales that have been passed down from generation to generation for many years. Today, most young children know the familiar tales of “Little Snow White”, “Cinderella”, and “Rapunzel.” Although Walt Disney’s versions differ from the Grimm’s versions, the themes of these stories all remain the same. In “Little Snow White”, “Cinderella” and “Rapunzel” there is a theme of naivety among the three princesses. Snow-White, Cinderella and Rapunzel all have sweet and innocent personalities that cause them problems for them in their stories. In the short stories, “Little Snow White”, “Cinderella”, and “Rapunzel” by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, all three main characters suffer from their passive attitudes and their naivety and lack …show more content…
Snow-White was warned as soon as she arrived at the dwarfs house that “the queen will soon find out where you are, so take care and let no one in” (Grimm’s “Little Snow White”), yet she still falls for the queens tricks three times. Ironically, the first time the queen arrives at the cottage Snow-White tells herself she would not “dream of any mischief so she stood before the old woman… [Who] pulled the lace so tightly that Snow-White lost her breath, and fell down as if she were dead” (Grimm’s “Little Snow White”). Snow-White was trying to avoid mischief and instead got herself into more trouble by listening to the queen’s trick. After this instance the seven dwarfs tell her that, “the old woman was the queen [and to] take care another time, and let no one in” (Grimm’s “Little Snow White”). However, once again Snow-White did not listen to the dwarfs and fell again to the queen’s trick when she tried to kill her with a poisoned comb. She continues to harm herself by being too naïve to recognize when she is being tricked. The dwarves have to warn her a third time to “not open the door to any one” (Grimm’s “Little Snow White”). In Snow-White’s defense she does gain some common sense by the third time and thinks “I dare not let anyone in, for the dwarfs have told me not too” (Grimm’s “Little Snow White”). However, that naivety comes back and she once again gives in to temptation. Her lack of intelligence …show more content…
She is not able to take care of herself, “the Grimm’s dwarfs expect her to act in a mature manner” but she is not capable of protecting herself from her step mother (Stringham 640). Snow-White is still a young girl and she is not old enough to understand good and evil. This is why she keeps falling for the queen’s tricks over and over again. If Snow-White was older, she would hopefully have realized that she was bring tricked by the queen. She would have listened to the dwarf’s advice and would have been able to protect herself. She is immature like a child because she relies on the other characters in the story to save her. When the queen’s servant is ordered to “take Snow-White away into the wide wood, that [she] may never see her more,” the servant decides to spare Snow-White’s life (Grimm’s Little Snow White). He tells her that he “will not hurt thee, thou pretty child” (Grimm’s Little Snow White). He refers to her as a child, not only because she physically is young, but because in his eyes, she is too immature to handle the situation on her own. The servant thinks that “the wild beasts would tear her to pieces” and that it would be better to just “leave her to her fate” (Grimm’s Little Snow White).
The lack of immaturity in Snow-White is also apparent in Cinderella. She makes the mistake of running away from the prince two times, just like how Snow-White fell for the queen’s disguise three times. If she wouldn’t have run