Critical Analysis of Fairy Tale - Essay Example

?Sleeping Beauty Once upon a time in a faraway land, there lived a king and queen with a very lovely daughter. The princess cheers up the heart of everyone in the palace because she gleams with a bright smile on her face. She even smiles when she’s asleep! Before Zonya, her caretaker, wakes her up, she would see the smile on the princess’s face so she kissed her rosy cheeks as if the baby was her own child. The princess would wake up and smile at her. These moments have been most precious to Zonya for she didn’t have a child. She lived her life serving the king and queen since she was six years old. As a little girl, Zonya wanted to be just like other girls who could play in the streets with their siblings. But fate was too unkind for her because she had to replace her mother in the palace. Her father died of an unknown disease. He was a baker and could aptly support his children while his wife worked in the palace. However, when the disease struck him, he didn’t have any money to go to a doctor so he stayed at home under Zonya’s care until he died in his bed. Zonya brought the news to her mother, and in no time found herself serving the palace to replace her mother. Zonya did her best to please the king and queen until one day, she was bestowed some powers by the couple. The king, in particular, favored her for being a good servant so he gave her irrevocable powers to wish for anything except for herself. With this, Zonya uttered wishes for others and made the palace people happy. She was well favored. She wanted to wish for her freedom but she was not allowed to do so. She was actually the one who wished that the baby would often smile and look lovely. In return, the baby princess often smiled at her, and Zonya always cuddled and kissed the princess as if it was her own child. One day, just as Zonya was putting the baby princess to sleep, the queen saw her kissing the princess. The queen felt very jealous and stopped her at once, got her child from Zonya, and called the guards to arrest Zonya. The king was alarmed and came up to see what happened. The queen, who was still feeling very jealous, cried to the king and summoned him to banish Zonya for trying to take away her baby from her. The queen added, “If you don’t banish her now, she will wish for our baby to treat her as a mother.” The king, feeling sorry for her wife, said, “Put the servant into the dungeon!” The guards obeyed the king immediately. The envy of the queen escalated because as days passed, she could feel that the baby looked and longed for Zonya. She cried endlessly while she was in her mother’s arms, and she would not stop crying even though they got the best babysitter in the kingdom. She would only stop when she’s put on her mattress, which Zonya sewed for her. She could feel its warmth so she smiled while she was sleeping. Seeing this, the queen got more and more jealous so she got rid of Zonya’s mattresses and tried to sew some for the princess. It was then when she first made a mattress for her baby that the queen understood how Zonya loved the princess because it was difficult to sew mattresses for the princess to sleep on. The day of the baptism came and Zonya was still in the dungeon. She was suffering at this time because she had not eaten enough food to sustain her. She was not given enough food to make repent for what she did. By now, Zonya was crying due to stomach cramps and the pain just wouldn’t go away. She could not use her power to wish for herself so she suffered remorse pain. While she was suffering, Zonya heard the queen expressed her wishes for her child, saying, “I wish that from now on, you could feel the comfort in my arms and sleep on the mattresses I made for you.” Upon hearing this, Zonya realized that the queen learned to sew and took her daughter in her arms. She was happy to hear this but the pain she suffered was enough to make her utter, “Prick your finger but once and suffer the same pain I’m feeling now.” Hearing herself making this wish, Zonya was astound. She wanted to retract the wish but just couldn’t. Wishes already made cannot be retracted unless another person will suffer on behalf of the other. The party went on that day, without the knowledge of anyone that Zonya made her own wish. Surprisingly, the queen developed expertise in sewing, thus making it impossible for her to prick her fingers. She went on making mattresses for her child and dresses as the princess grew up. Zonya still stayed in the dungeon but was given enough food and water. She was also allowed to go to the garden once a week when the princess was away in the fields, horse riding. It was a strict policy in the palace that Zonya should not see the princess because the latter would wonder who Zonya was and find out her story. Days passed and the debut celebration of the princess came near. In preparation, the queen made a lovely dress for her princess. Thinking of how beautiful her princess had become, the queen made a long dress for her, adorned with the precious gems and crystals. When she was almost done, the princess suddenly showed up. Surprised, the queen pricked her finger with the needle and fell on the floor in an instant. The princess went to rescue her and called on the servants to bring her mother to bed. Alas, Zonya’s wish came true! The queen was brought to her room where she felt too much pain in her stomach. She grew so thin and could not eat because the pains made her restless. The day of the debut came and the princess was so weary for her mother. They proceeded with the party but the day was incomplete for the princess, seeing her mother suffer in bed. When it was time to make her wish, she princess summoned everyone to her mother’s room, proclaiming she would make her wish at her mother’s side. When they were at the queen’s presence, the princess uttered her wish, saying, “I wish you would overcome the pain you’re feeling now.” Everyone was delighted to hear this wish, thinking that the princess was selfless not to ask anything for herself when she could. However, they were surprised to see that the queen did not improve. Just then, one of the special guests, the queen of Crushia, thought that the pains the mother was suffering was inflicted by a bad wisher. Thinking this way, she addressed the crowd, saying, “If she is under a spell, then only a daughter’s sacrifice could save her.” The guests murmured at each other but could not disagree to what was said. Upon hearing this, the princess proclaimed, “Then let me die to make her live! That is my wish for fate to give.” When she said this, the princess lost her consciousness. Everyone in the palace panicked. The king felt remorseful and ordered everyone to leave. Just then, the queen arose and looked for her princess. The king was delighted to see his wife get up but felt sorry for his daughter. The whole palace agonized for the death of the princess but no one could do anything to save her. Before the night ended, one of the princess’s godmothers came. Her name was Queen Lilyka. She was late for the party because she came from a far kingdom and was stranded when one of her chariot horses died on the way. Nevertheless, she made it to the kingdom to make her wish for the princess only to find out that the latter had died. The king told her the story and feeling sorry for the girl, Queen Lilyka made her wish, saying, “The princess will regain life but will sleep for a thousand years or more until her prince kisses her.” To this, the queen said, “But is that enough to make her live?” Queen Lilyka replied, “No, it isn’t. The prince should prove his love to her, or else she will lose her life in a few days. As for the ill wisher who afflicted you with pain, let her feel sorry for what she did and spend her life making way for the princess to marry her prince.” When these words were uttered, the king and queen were appeased that the day will come when the princess will also live happily. Years passed and everyone in the palace died but the princess still slept in her glass coffin. When excavators discovered the palace, they were mesmerized by her beauty but nobody thought that she was real because she did not move. In 2001, they placed her in a museum for people to see how their great ancestors produced such a perfect sculpture of “Sleeping Beauty”. Everyone who saw the princess was amazed by her beauty. The curator of the place, named Sonia always checked on her and seeing that her mattress and dress have gone old, made her a new set and changed what she had on. When she put on what she made, she saw the princess smiled and she felt very happy. She was getting old and had no child, so she thought that from then on, she would treat the princess like her own daughter and make her lovely dresses and mattresses. One day, a handsome professor named Arthur toured his students to the museum. As expected, they were delighted to see the sleeping princess but more than anyone, the professor was attracted to Sleeping Beauty. That night, he returned to see her again, and because it was late, no one was there in the museum except the curator, Sonia. Arthur just wanted to look at the princess but when he peeped, he saw her smiling at him so he tried to open the coffin and feel the warmth of the princess’s hand. He realized then that the princess was real and that she had the sweetest smile he had ever seen so he visited her every night, made friends with Sonia so he could get access to the museum even late at night. Sonia was grateful for having Arthur to help her carry Sleeping Beauty when it was time to change the mattress. As months passed, the two became friends and Sonia treated Arthur like her own son. Together, they would change the princess’s dress and mattress. One day, as Arthur carried the princess to let Sonia change the mattress, Sleeping Beauty smiled brightly at Arthur, enticing him to kiss her. When he did, she suddenly opened her eyes and smiled at him. At awe, Arthur could not say anything but he did not feel scared either. The beauty of the princess could not scare him. Sonia witnessed this and dropped unconscious to the ground. Arthur picked her up and brought her to the princess’s bed. When Sonia awoke, Arthur convinced her that Beauty is real and Sonia should take good care of her. Seeing that Beauty was not a zombie, Sonia brought Beauty to her apartment and taught her everything she needed to survive. She and Arthur worked to send Beauty to school and the three became very close. Arthur soon fell in love with Beauty but the thought of her being a mere sculpture from the olden days stopped him from pursuing her love. Consequently, Beauty learned everything she needed to survive. She also started working as a receptionist in the museum where Sonia works. There she met Louie who asked her out sometimes. Arthur grew jealous of this and tried to distance himself from Beauty. Convinced that Beauty was happy with Louie, he got together with his ex-girlfriend Lavine. Meanwhile, at Sonia’s place, Beauty felt sad not to see much of Arthur. She confessed to Sonia that she has feelings for him but would not want to meddle in his relationship with Lavine. Sonia could not do anything but comfort her. That night, Beauty felt pain all over her body. She was too weak to go to the hospital. Sonia did not know what to do so she phoned Arthur but he was out with Lavine. Days passed and Beauty was feeling very weak and dying. When Arthur finally visited her, he realized that he truly loved her and wanted to be with her despite who she was. When Beauty was asleep, he kissed her, this time feeling sure about his love for her. With that, Beauty awoke and embraced Arthur. The two got married and lived together to see their three kids grow. Finally, the wish of the king and queen to let their daughter live happily came true. Likewise, Sonia who was Zonya in her past life fulfilled her mission of making way for the princess to meet and marry her prince. -THE END- Critical Analysis of the Tale As a young child, I have often wondered about how Grimms’ Sleeping Beauty lived for a hundred years. The idea of sleeping for a hundred years always interested me because I often wanted to stay in bed while my mother woke me up to get ready for school. The same idea served as the main concept of my story. More importantly, however, it was the way that the prince and the princess fell in love that moved me to revise the tale. The original “Sleeping Beauty” by Brothers Grimm is a fairy tale featuring a damsel in distress who is waiting to be saved by her knight in shining armor. The tale highlights the credulity of the princess to prick her finger and submit to the fate that a wicked witch fathomed for her. Her damnation, along with the feeble upbringing that she lives with, raises a concern to readers who experience freedom. The thought of Sleeping Beauty making choices in life, pursuing a career, and marrying the man she loves is the main concept that I had in mind before writing the revision. Raised in a family that gives respect to one’s choices, self-expression and actions, I wrote a tale that allows Beauty to live a normal life by making her live in the present time. The modern setting will also allow children nowadays to relate to the story more. In addition, to make Sleeping Beauty enjoy her youth, I cast the spell on the mother and spare the innocent child in her youth so she can grow up like other children of her age. Nevertheless, the revisions in the story make it less recommendable to very young children but ideal for children aged 10 to 16, especially girls who are about to grow up and make decisions for themselves. Major dynamics in the original tale were given consideration in the revision. These include the curse of the uninvited witch, the change in the curse, the sleeping of the princess and the coming of the prince. However, in the revision, these dynamics were likewise revised to make the motives of the characters more reasonable. First, considering the curse of the uninvited witch, I thought that the story will be more successful in tying lose ends if the curser will repent or pay for casting a spell. As readers can see, the story is full of repentance or making up for past failures. For instance, the mother queen, who does not cuddle her baby and leaves all the child-rearing responsibilities to Zonya, changes her attitude when she realizes that she should be the one to lull her baby to sleep and make mattresses for her. Likewise, having uttered the wish or curse for the queen, Zonya feels sorry and wants to take her words back. Later, she pays for the curse by making way for Beauty and Arthur to meet and fall in love. In other words, unlike in Grimms’ story where motives are left unjustified and the evil wisher is left unpunished, the revised tale presents repercussion of the wrong actions of the characters. At the same time, each character learns a lesson, thus the tale promotes self-reflection and consideration of others. Second is the change in the curse by the godmother who came in late. This scene should not be lost in the revision because it is what gives hope to the readers. In the revised tale, I introduce another character, Queen Lilyka. In my opinion, this character should have a name unlike in the original story because she acts as the savior of the princess. Still, the revision makes reference to the original tale by letting the princess sleep for a long time until she meets the prince, instead of dying. Moreover, in the revised version, I made the princess take up the suffering of her mother as she wishes to die to show the dynamics between the mother and daughter. In the original version and in many stories, authors only highlight the love of the mother for the daughter. Importantly, the said scene where the princess proclaims that she is willing to die to save her mother promotes filial love among children. In justification, the princess does this sacrifice out of her love for her mother and out of respect for the love that her mother gave her. This scene should teach children the importance of sacrifice and reciprocating the love of their parents. It can also touch the hearts of parents who will be reading the story to their children. The third dynamics that I considered was the sleeping of the princess. Definitely, this scene should not be lost because it is the core of the story. Therefore, I incorporated this scene in the plot, imagined Sleeping Beauty in the most beautiful gown just after her debut, and added the use of the glass coffin from Disney’s version of Grimms’ “Snow White.” This glass coffin helps in the transportation of the princess from old to the modern times, from the old, long-forgotten palace to the museum in the 21st century. Moreover, the glass coffin allows the preservation of the princess’s body. With it, the viewers do not realize that the princess is actually human. I also added the mattress made by Zonya to show the relation between the two characters. The sewing of the mattress reveals that Sonia is actually Zonya who came to life in the 21st century to repay her debt and continue taking care of the princess. The presence of Zonya in the story gets rid of the character of the wicked witch. I did not want to include the witch in the story because I find it unreasonable to cast a spell on a child just because of not being invited to a party. More importantly, the character of Zonya highlights the idea that a mother’s love cannot just be found in biological mothers. Rearing children, which takes longer and is often more difficult than bearing a child, should be given importance. This is to tell mothers that it is not enough to just give birth to their children and leave them with babysitters. Parenthood takes more responsibility than others would imagine. As the revised story suggests, the bond between the princess and Zonya was not cut despite the distance between them because Zonya established selfless love for the princess, thus the princess still smiles when she feels Zonya’s mattress on her back. The last dynamics that I took from the original tale included is the coming of the prince to save the princess. Just like in the old tale where the prince comes to bring the princess back to life, I made Arthur kiss the princess to wake her up. Nevertheless, the fairy tale does not stop there because it will be awkward for someone in Arthur’s time to just marry anyone without knowing her much. Therefore, I thought of a reason to test their feelings for each other and came up with the same experience that the beast in Grimms’ “Beauty and the Beast” went through as he waited for Belle’s love to flourish. As I wrote in the new version, the princess will die if Arthur will not profess his love for her in due time. With this, I thought of reasons to make the two separate because only then can they prove worthy of each other. At first, I imagined a third party, Lavine to make the princess jealous. However, if the princess will not be pursued by anyone, it will be the same story, with her just waiting for the man to love her so I thought of giving her some work to do in the museum and then meeting a guy named Louie in order to balance the situation between her and Arthur. With such situations, I believe I have made justice to the female character, put her in equal terms with the male character, and avoided making her look like a damsel in distress. The other dynamics I incorporated include the princess’s effort to learn the new things in her environment. Imagining this in real life situation or in the movies, I smiled at the thought of the princess answering Arthur’s call for the first time, using the shower, watching the television and saying hello to people she sees there, giggling at the sight of people in their bikinis, and using push buttons such as the vending machine to order her food. I imagined the vibrant youth laughing at each new experience, making mistakes and just enjoying the freedom that she is entitled to. By writing a revision of the “Sleeping Beauty,” I made several realizations about myself and the act of story writing. First of all, I learned that I paid much importance to reparation. In the story, I made the mother realize her mistake of leaving everything under Zonya’s care. I made her assume her responsibilities as a mother because I believe that every mother should be directly involved in rearing their child. In the story, the mother assumed the responsibility of putting the princess to sleep and arranging her bed and her party. Although this may not be the only responsibilities that a mother should perform, these scenes suggest how the queen transformed from being a less attentive mother to a caring, “hands-on” mother. My encounters with mothers who showed less care for their children may have influenced me to emphasize the role of mothers in the story. I feel dismayed every time I hear of parents, not just mothers, working all day and not attending to their children’s needs. Likewise, I feel sad to see children who do not care about their parents. Therefore, I made the princess show her love for her mother by sacrificing her life in order to free her mother from suffering. Indeed, rarely can we find heroic deeds like this, and I am uncertain of young readers’ reaction on this decision. Nevertheless, I hope that these concepts can help to develop filial love among the youth nowadays, once they read my story. Furthermore, I realized that I put so much interest in freedom. The thought of the princess exploring a new world convinced me to revise the story. Also, I realized that I could not totally punish a character such as Zonya, especially since she does not mean to utter an ill wish for the queen. As such, I gave Zonya a humane treatment, made her eat and go out in the garden, after a while of being imprisoned. Writing the revised story also made me realize that often, the characters, objects and scenes in the story are put together without pre-planning. Many of my ideas just sprang up while I was writing the story. All I had was an agenda of making a reasonable ending with the characters proving their love for one another and not relying on love at first sight to find the perfect person for them. I also tried to oppose the idea of the Grimms whose female characters often depended on the power of men (Haasse, 13). With this realization, I tried to look back at the stories and thought that Grimm could have had the same experience of pulling things together just to make a reasonable ending. The presence of the mirror in Snow White to help the witch track down the girl, the apple to kill Snow White without enforcing a violent death may be examples of Grimms’ efforts to tie lose endings and achieve a logical plot. Although the said elements could represent other things to some, there is possibility that they were used because they were the ones available in the authors’ imagination or his sociological background. In my case, the imprisoning in the dungeon was taken from other tales I read, the use of the glass coffin is reflective of Disney’s influence, and the concept of Zonya’s reincarnation illustrates my curiosity to Eastern beliefs, which have been very popular now that religious pluralism is being practiced in the contemporary time. Works Cited Grimms, J. Sleeping Beauty Coloring Book. NY: Dover Pub Inc., 1992. Grimms, J. and J. Grimms. Snow White. Missouri. Andrew McMeel Publishing, 1991. Grimms, J. and W. Grimms. Beauty and the Beast. CA: Tabula Rasa Press, 1984. Haasse, D. Fairy Tales and Feminism: New Approaches. Michigan: Wayne State University Press, 2004. Read More