Fairytales have long had a role in the socialization of children into society. Several of these tales focus on the theme of curiosity, but curiosity and its evaluation can take on different roles depending on the story. In order to fully analyze curiosity’s role in fairytales, it’s helpful to look at some examples, in particular, “Fitcher’s Bird” and “The Story of Cupid and Psyche”. In discussing these tales, I hope to examine what curiosity represents, the link between curiosity and disobedience, and the influence of gender on the consequences of curiosity. First of all, what does curiosity represent? In “Fitcher’s Bird”, women are seen as particularly susceptible to the temptations of curiosity. The two sisters are unable to resist the
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The protagonist is given a command, often with no explanation or rational reason behind it. The voice giving the command is always male, and they are the ones evaluating the results. In both “Fitcher’s Bird” and “The Story of Cupid and Psyche” the husband is the male authority figure, determining what the women can and can’t do. Men somehow manage to put the women at fault. In the case of “Fitcher’s Bird”, instead of it being a story about a serial killer getting punished for his wicked acts, it turns into a cautionary tale against curiosity in women. Somehow the murderer is justified in his deeds, since the women disobeyed his warnings. It is only through the acts of the third sister, who serves the purpose of a helper actant, that the other sisters are redeemed. Although the wizard receives justice in the end, the tale’s condemned crime is not one of murder, but rather a woman’s sexual curiosity. From the warning not go into the small room, to the cautioning not to discover her husband’s true identity, men are always making the rules, and then determining the consequences for not following these …show more content…
In this tale, the servant boy is “overcome with such curiosity” as to what the King’s mysterious dish is every day, that he uncovers it, and even takes a bite of the white snake that he finds on the plate (98). Although he has explicitly disobeyed the King’s orders, no punishment is given out. Rather, the servant is rewarded for his curiosity. This is a sharp contrast to the negative consequences women are given for their curiosity and disobedience. Instead of a punishment, the boy gains knowledge, and is able to leave home and go on his adventure. Since these are both noble, acceptable things for a male to desire, his curiosity is seen in a positive light. These differences in the evaluation of curiosity provide a lot of insight on the role of gender as a socializing factor in children, teaching different lessons—what is acceptable behavior—for boys and
The protagonist is given a command, often with no explanation or rational reason behind it. The voice giving the command is always male, and they are the ones evaluating the results. In both “Fitcher’s Bird” and “The Story of Cupid and Psyche” the husband is the male authority figure, determining what the women can and can’t do. Men somehow manage to put the women at fault. In the case of “Fitcher’s Bird”, instead of it being a story about a serial killer getting punished for his wicked acts, it turns into a cautionary tale against curiosity in women. Somehow the murderer is justified in his deeds, since the women disobeyed his warnings. It is only through the acts of the third sister, who serves the purpose of a helper actant, that the other sisters are redeemed. Although the wizard receives justice in the end, the tale’s condemned crime is not one of murder, but rather a woman’s sexual curiosity. From the warning not go into the small room, to the cautioning not to discover her husband’s true identity, men are always making the rules, and then determining the consequences for not following these …show more content…
In this tale, the servant boy is “overcome with such curiosity” as to what the King’s mysterious dish is every day, that he uncovers it, and even takes a bite of the white snake that he finds on the plate (98). Although he has explicitly disobeyed the King’s orders, no punishment is given out. Rather, the servant is rewarded for his curiosity. This is a sharp contrast to the negative consequences women are given for their curiosity and disobedience. Instead of a punishment, the boy gains knowledge, and is able to leave home and go on his adventure. Since these are both noble, acceptable things for a male to desire, his curiosity is seen in a positive light. These differences in the evaluation of curiosity provide a lot of insight on the role of gender as a socializing factor in children, teaching different lessons—what is acceptable behavior—for boys and