October.18- Snow White

I have always considered Snow White to be one of the “classic” Disney fairytales. Most Disney films include a time of trouble and jealously as well as a “happily ever after.” I think Snow White has always appealed to me because I love happy endings and it might seem cheesy but every little girl longs for the same ending as their own favorite Disney princess. It was interesting to see that each version of Snow White in “The Classic Fairy Tales” shared some similarities as the Princess endures her struggle with the cruel and jealous Queen.

The versions that I found the most interesting and were the most enjoyable were The Young Slave by Giambattista Basile and Snow White by the Brothers Grimm. Although these versions were incredibly different, it was fun to read how Snow White was so similar to the version I had already known and how different the Young Slave interpreted its own version of Snow white.

I have always thought the cause of Snow Whites “death” was that of the poisonous apple. After reading the many versions, this always seemed to be the case, but in The Young Slave the main character, Lilla, is impregnated after ingesting a rose leaf.  After the birth of her daughter Lisa she was placed on a spell that caused a comb to be caught in her daughters tresses that would ultimately lead her to perish. After her mother dies and her cruel aunt finds and wakes her, she is beaten by her Aunt and thought of as a slave. She requests that her Uncle bring her back three gifts, one of which is a doll, whom she ultimately tells her life story. Her Uncle over hears and from then on gives her the life she deserves, while her Aunt is sent away.  My favorite part of this story is the closing sentence; “Heaven rains favors on us when we least expect it.” I think this was used to express Lisa’s happy ending. I think every fairytale is used to express a life lesson and in this case it shows that life can change when you least expect it, there will always be a point of good and struggle.

Snow White by the Brothers Grimm was much similar to the version that I grew up with. For me, the mirror, the poison apple and the seven dwarfs played a huge role in the Disney movie so I expected them to be in the stories that I read. This story included all three, so there was no doubt that this was going to be my favorite. Because they incorporated more of what I knew into the story, it made it seem more like the classic fairytale. When the stories are so different, it doesn’t feel like the fairytale that I enjoy and have grown up knowing. In this version, Snow White struggles with the jealously of the queen and conquers over her to get the happily ever after with her prince charming that she deserved. Ultimately, Snow White was the fairest one of all.

Reading the different versions of each fairytale has been fun and interesting. It is weird to know that there are other versions around the world that some consider being their ideal fairytale story. It is hard to sometimes go out of the box and believe other interpretations are real and well known because I have grown up knowing and believing a certain story. I think we are influenced by the stories and have grown up with the some of the values that are instilled in them so its interesting to view other interpretations and the values and norms that are placed in other versions.