Other themes include: Love Always Conquers All Embrace Your Fears Being Different is Special True Love Consumes You THe continuing appeal The tale of Beauty and the Beast originates from the French author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, written in 1740 (The Original Beauty and the Beast Story). Despite how old this tale may be, it proves to have a continuing appeal to each generation since it was written. The appeal is due to the underlying message, the modern adaptations, and the archetypes. This tale continues to appeal to a modern audience because the underlying message of the story is relatable to all ages and all generations. The idea of not being deceived by appearances is a theme that everyone can connect with since it can apply to many aspects of life, such as: meeting someone for the first time, trying new foods, observing the cover of a book, and acquainting with an unfamiliar animal. As well, the modern adaptations of this story are what allows for the continuing appeal. There have been many remakes of this tale to adapt to its modern society from the time this tale was published. Disney is an example of a production company that has taken the original tale and made it more family-friendly. If there were no adaptations throughout the generations, the tale would gradually lose its appeal from the version that was originally made. The recurring patterns of archetypes are also what allows for a modern audience to connect with the story. The Beast's magical shape-shifting transformation at the end of the tale is a major event that continues to catch the attention of the viewers. The theme of true love is also a classic subject that viewers are familiar with and continue to adore. The characters, the situation, the setting, and the symbolism in this tale are what makes the story interesting to all people from all walks of life. Ultimately, the message that this tale reveals, the adapted versions, as well as the archetypes in the story are what appeal to each generation's modern audience. Moral of the story The moral of the story is that one should not judge a book by its cover and that true beauty is found from within. In this tale, the Beast has a rough, unappealing exterior, portraying him as a ferocious animal. Once Beauty gets to know the Beast past his appearance, she realizes that he is a kind, genuine being and ends up falling in love with him. In the film, the materialistic prince that the Beast begins as mocks the basic gift of the rose the enchantress presents to him. The rose may have been the only gift the enchantress could afford to give, showing it is the thought that counts behind the action. In both cases, the story teaches that inner beauty is much greater than superficiality. This concept can apply to real-life scenarios. When meeting someone new for the first time, it is easy to assume to already know who that person is solely based on their physical attributes. This is a misconception because the physical appearance is impermanent, acting as a temporary shell that encloses one's true self within. It takes the right amount of time, effort, love, and patience to crack open that encapsulating shell to reveal the true beauty that is left within it. This story teaches the lesson that one should take the chance to uncover a person's inner beauty rather than familiarizing with their physical beauty. Being able to look past the facade that one may have can lead to the discovery of something more beautiful than ever before. Works Cited"Beauty and the Beast (2017)." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 July 2017.
Craig, Amanda. "Beauty and the Beast: the dark history of a literary fairytale." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 10 Mar. 2017. Web. 10 July 2017. Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, Martine Reid (Commentaires), Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot De Villeneuve, Walter Crane (Illustrations), and Rachel Louise Lawrence (Goodreads Author) (Adapter), Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot De Villeneuve, James Robinson Planché (Translator). "Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve." Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 July 2017. "Plot Summary." IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 July 2017. "The Original Beauty and the Beast Story | Beauty and the Beast History." Pook Press. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 July 2017.
0 Comments
Archetypes and ThemeCharacter - The Devil Figure In the tale Hansel and Gretel, the character of the old witch falls under the archetype of The Devil Figure because she manipulates young children by luring them into her sugar-filled house and making a meal out of the them. When a child comes into her control, she lets them overeat until they are fat enough for the witch to cook, kill, and eat. As a devil figure, it is evident that she has continuously done this for a long period of time since the tale mentions her hosting regular feast days for occasions like this. The witch, being the antagonist of the story, follows the characteristics of a devil figure by deceiving Hansel and Gretel into thinking she is a friendly and nurturing old lady. The old witch ends up getting a taste of her own medicine when Gretel shoves her in the hot oven. Symbolism - Water vs. Desert In this tale, Hansel and Gretel are abandoned by their parents, specifically their mother, in the middle of the woods. This setting can be seen as a desert because it represents an unfamiliar environment for Hansel and Gretel as well as the beginning of the conflict in the story. When escaping the old witch, the children come across a lake before reaching their house. The lake can symbolize a spiritual rebirth for Hansel and Gretel because they return to their father with pearls and precious stones that they could sell for food. This is a new chapter for Hansel, Gretel, and the father to live together as a happy family. Situational - The Initiation Early in this tale, Hansel and Gretel overhear their mother talking about her plan to get rid of them due to their food scarcity. In this moment, Hansel develops a plan to drop white pebbles on his way to the woods so that he and his sister may find their way back home. This can be seen as the initiation because when Hansel and Gretel hear their parents talking about leaving them in the woods, the children become aware of the problems they must overcome, causing Hansel to develop the plan. This is the moment in the story where everything changes for the family, making the children more aware of their current circumstance. Theme - The Consequences of Greed Greed is an excessive desire for more of something, such as food, money, or power. In this tale, it is evident that the witch is extremely gluttonous because she wants to feed Hansel so much food that he becomes extremely fat, making a more juicier meal for her to eat. She becomes so intoxicated with this idea that when she concludes that Hansel is not fattening as quickly as she hopes for, she even tries to trick Gretel to crawl into the oven to eat as well. In the end, the witch's greed consumes her as Gretel pushes her in the oven instead. Archetypes and themeCharacter - The Creature of Nightmare In the tale Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf follows the archetype of The Creature of Nightmare because he is a monstrous animal that preys on the lives of both Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. The human attribute of gluttony is present in the wolf by his desire to overeat to compensate for not eating for three days. By the end of the tale, both characters are maliciously eaten by the hungry wolf. Symbolism - The Whirlpool This archetype fits the theme of hunger present in the story. Naturally, all living creatures have the desire to consume food in order to survive. It is part of reality that a wolf would choose to eat a human being to satisfy its basic necessity of hunger, demonstrating the destructive power that nature can have on others. Situational - The Fall In this tale, the protagonist, Little Red Riding Hood, is evidently too young and too naive to be walking through the forest by herself. When speaking to the wolf, she does not realize that it is unusual for a wolf to speak. In addition, she bluntly describes the location of her grandmother's house, risking both her life and her grandmother's life by revealing who Little Red Riding Hood is visiting and where she is heading to. This is the moment that Little Red Riding Hood's innocence comes into fault by unknowingly sharing personal information about herself and her whereabouts. This consequently causes the wolf to find the grandmother, eat her alive, and eventually eat Little Red Riding Hood as well. Theme - Young and Naive Little Red Riding Hood is a young girl that is sent to deliver custards to her ill grandmother in another village. On her journey to her grandmother's house, she ends up talking to Gaffer Wolf, which is clearly a stranger to her. Despite the antagonist being a big bad wolf, this proves Little Red Riding Hood's naivety because she ignores what she has been taught since a young child - do not talk to strangers. During this conversation, she reveals personal information to the wolf, unfortunately costing two lives in the end. This catastrophe shows the consequences of innocence in a young child. Archetypes and ThemeCharacter - Mentor In the tale Cinderella, the fairy godmother can be seen as Cinderella's mentor because she plays a clear role of being a mother-figure. Since Cinderella's mother passes away and her stepmother is vicious, her godmother is the only motherly figure she has in her life. Her godmother is able to sympathize with Cinderella's current position in her household so she is not hesitant to provide her with the finest of gifts. The godmother provides Cinderella with a stunning carriage with a beautiful dress to wear to the ball, which she grants by the magical powers from her magic wand. Symbolism - The Castle The castle, specifically the King's, is where the grand ball takes place. It is symbolic for this story because although this is not Cinderella's castle, it becomes a significant place for her as she meets her true love. This is the place where she finally gains respect from her stepsisters and gets married to the prince, making this a strong place of safety for Cinderella. Situational - The Journey Cinderella's journey is to secretly attend the ball without her stepsisters and stepmother knowing as well as return home before midnight. When heading to the ball, she is unaware that this event is where she finds the truth about her self-worth, beauty, and her true love. This one decision causes Cinderella to find happiness for the rest of her life. Eventually, the events that take place in this journey resolves the corrupt family dynamics in Cinderella's household where Cinderella is not seen as a cinder wench anymore. Theme - Stay True to You This theme is about staying true to who one really is, despite the changes in circumstances. This is an apparent theme in this tale because Cinderella's stepsisters torment Cinderella for wearing ugly rags and doing grungy chores. Cinderella still does what she is told of, despite the mistreatment she receives. When she finally reveals herself in beautiful clothing, the stepsisters fall to her feet in awe. Throughout the tale, Cinderella remains kind-hearted, shown when she humbly forgives her stepsisters and even finds lords for them to marry. Whether Cinderella is forced to be a distasteful slave or an enchanting princess, she keeps her optimistic outlook on life whilst treating others with kindness. Archetypes and themeCharacter - Damsel in Distress In the tale Rumpelstiltskin, the poor miller's daughter falls into the archetype of Damsel in Distress because she is unwillingly told to spin straw into gold using a spinning wheel and spindle. Aside from being forced, she is unfamiliar with using a spinning wheel, let alone spinning straw into gold. In these moments, she is desperately looking for a hero to aid her in this difficult task. Symbolism - Numbers This tale uses the number three in many instances. One example is the repetition of, "whir, whir, whir" for spinning the wheel. More examples include the amount of times the King demands the miller's daughter to spin the straw, the amount of times Rumpelstiltskin comes back to help her, and the amount of gifts Rumpelstiltskin asks in return. Rumpelstiltskin also gives the girl three days to guess his name. The number three is used in the tale as a storytelling pattern, which is familiar for readers to understand what is told. It is also a form of the two literary devices rule of three and repetition, making the information told more memorable and enjoyable. Situational - The Fall This archetype is seen when the miller's daughter realizes that she does not know the name of the little man. This causes her be somewhat dumbfounded as she spends all that time in the multiple rooms of straw with the man without learning his name, showing a descent from a higher to lower state in her being. It is common courtesy to learn the name of the hero that saves the damsel in distress. Theme - The Destructive Power of Greed This is a theme that is shown through the characters of Rumpelstiltskin and the King. Rumpelstiltskin offers to help the miller's daughter, not from the goodness of his heart, but with a price. Each time he helps her, he asks for something to give in return, such as her necklace and her ring. When she has no more to give, he goes to the extent of requesting to have her first-born child. In the end, when the girl finally guesses his name, his frustration becomes so overwhelming that he splits his body in half, demonstrating the influence that gluttony can have on oneself. The King is also greedy because after the abundance of gold string made the first day, he obtains more straw and puts the miller's daughter in an even larger room so that he can possess more of the shiny gold string. The King is in one of the highest hierarchical ranks, living in a stunning palace with loyal servants, but craves the superficial desire to wear the most expensive-looking attire. Sources"Greed." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 07 July 2017.
|