The French Author Charles Perrault - Essay Example

due: Bluebeard The story of the man with the blue beard was first created by the French Charles Perraults. Withtime, other versions of the story have been created by other authors, varying in terms of the characters and plot but retaining the same morals. The story revolves around the marriage of a young woman to a rogue bridegroom but she manages to escape being killed, and in some instances, also save other women who had fallen into his trap. In this essay, three versions of the original story will be discussed. They include The Robber Bridegroom, Mr. Fox and Fitcher’s Bird. The plot of the story in the three versions has not changed significantly, although a few differences can be seen in the three stories. For instance, in the story of Mr. Fox, the bride is in love with the man and chooses to go and live with him, although she had many other suitors. In the other two versions, the brides did not voluntarily choose to get married to the man. In Fitcher’s Bird, for example, the ladies would be magically thrown into the poor beggar’s basket when they shook hands, while the young girl in The Robber Bridegroom was married off to the man by her father. Another difference was noted in the characteristics of the bridegroom. Both Mr. Fox and the wizard disguised as a poor beggar were rich and lived in fine houses. The wizard provided the bride with everything that she wished for in terms of material wealth. However, it was on condition that she was not to enter into a special room where he had killed and butchered his previous wives. Unlike the other bridegrooms, the wizard appears to be genuinely looking for a wife because he tells the youngest sister that she has passed the test and would now become his bride. The robber, on the other hand, lived in an eerie house deep in the forest, where he and his friends would take young girls and eat them. Just like Mr. Fox, it is clear he was not interested in having a wife at all. Some aspects of the original story have also changed significantly. The demise of the evil bridegroom is different in most stories although some of them are almost similar such as the story of Mr. Fox and The Robber Bridegroom. The brides discover their inhumane deeds and tactfully report them in front of the guests by pretending that they saw them in their dreams. The use of riddles and figurative language is a common feature in most stories as it makes the story more interesting. It was also commonly used in normal speech among the people during the time when the stories were written. Fairy tales and other stories usually reflect the culture of the society from which the authors come from. As a result, most of the variations reflect the values or vices that were common in the society such as wisdom or cannibalism. Other aspects of the story have remained unchanged throughout the different versions. For instance, all three versions include a naïve bride who is lured by the seemingly nice bridegroom who has other intentions. Also, the groom in all versions is evil. The grooms kill young girls mercilessly, either alone or in the company of their friends. Some even go ahead to cook and eat the young girls. The families of the young girls also pay important roles in the story. The fathers contribute to the plot of the story by giving away their daughters for marriage while the brothers and sisters of the bride help to save the girl by planning to capture and kill the evil groom. The authors may be sending a message to young girls that family ties are important and may even save their lives. The characters used in the story vary depending on the authors. However, their general characteristics remain unchanged in most versions. For instance, the evil, cunning husband is embodied by Mr. Fox, the sorcerer, and the robber. Their character remains the same – cunning, merciless and targeting young beautiful girls. Also, the protagonist in all three versions is a young, beautiful, naïve but smart young girl. She represents the ideal character that the authors are trying to encourage the audience. She begins as a uniformed young girl but by the end of the story she is much wiser and even regarded a hero for exposing the shameful acts of the groom (Greenhill 146). Other important characters in the stories include the families of the brides, including the brothers and sisters who help the bride to escape death. Also, the guests and old woman in some versions help the girl in her journey of self-discovery. It can be noted that although the girls were smart, some were independent (such as the youngest sister in Flitcher’s Bird). Others are dependent (for instance the ones in the tale of Mr. Fox and The Robber Bridegroom) on other characters to be rescued (Eisfield 34) The theme and moral of the story also remains the same in all versions. These stories are still applicable to today’s society as they were back then. The main message is that too much curiosity can ruin your life or put you in grave danger. The sorcerer wanted a bride who was not overly curious, and used the key to the secret room and egg as tests. All the grooms took advantage of the curious nature of the young girls to lure them into their traps, although they failed to realize that the girls were also smart. Just like other fairy tales, the main message is that good eventually triumphs over evil. However, it is essential that apart from being good natured, one should ensure that they are wise. The story is meant for young girls as the audience. It cautions them against getting lured by wealth. Clearly, the story is not intended for small children, unlike most other fairy tales such as Cinderella and Snow White. However, it has remained popular even in today’s culture because, as some scholars propose, it elicits somatic responses such as fright and anxiety (Tatar 14). Some people, even children, prefer this feeling as opposed to pious and saintly behavior. Even today, horror tales and movies are gaining popularity among the younger generation, thus most people will prefer such tales that give a frightful feeling and full of suspense, intimacy vulnerability and wit in a criminal setting. In conclusion, fairy tales are of a diverse nature. Authors may decide to tailor their tales or existing versions of other tales to suit a specific audience or culture. Thus, there can be as many tales as there are cultures. Whatever the intention of the author, fairy tales still constitute an important part of the society, and it is essential that people connect with them for educational, entertainment or other personal purposes. Works cited Eisfeld, Conny. How Fairy Tales Live Happily Ever After: (analizing) the Art of Adapting Fairy Tales. , 2014. Print. Greenhill, Pauline. "" Fitchers [Queer] Bird": A Fairy-Tale Heroine and Her Avatars." Marvels & Tales 22.1 (2008): 143-167. Grimm, Jacob, et al. The complete fairy tales of the brothers Grimm. Bantam, 2003. Heiner, Heidi. "Flitcher’s Bird (A German Tale)." SurLaLune Fairy Tales. 28 June 2007. Web. 8 Apr. 2015. Jacobs, Joseph, and Donald Haase, eds. English Fairy Tales: And, More English Fairy Tales. Abc-clio, 2002. Tatar, Maria. Secrets Beyond the Door: The Story of Bluebeard and His Wives. Princeton University Press, 2004. Read More