Control And Empowerment In Fairy Tales

Throughout history, authors of fairy tales have used morals and themes to convey the meanings of their work. Though there are an infinite amount of themes and topics within these stories, one major theme that is consistent in several tales is the theme of control or empowerment. Examples of tales that accurately portray this theme are Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Bluebeard. In CInderella, a daughter is neglected by her father, tortured by her step-family, and oppressed by a prince. In the story of Hansel and Gretel, two children are abandoned by their starving parents and kidnapped by a cannibalistic witch, and must find a way out of their misery alone. In the tale of Bluebeard, a woman is kidnapped by a closet murderer who forces her

The messages of empowerment and self-control are key to understanding the major themes of the story, such as abandonment and starvation. In most interpretations, both a wicked stepmother and evil witch try to control the lives of two young children, ultimately failing. In the standard version Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm, the stepmother and the witch share several key character traits, such as determination and villainess. The stepmother poses a threat to Hansel and Gretel’s control over their own lives, as the stepmother forces the father to abandon them in the woods to starve. “...we’ll take the children out into the darkest part of the woods. We’ll make a fire for them...Then we’ll go about our work and leave them alone” (Grimm 184). The witch takes a similar toll on the children’s independence, as she kidnaps and traps them in her home with plans of devouring them. “She had built the little house of bread just to lure them inside. As soon as a child was in her power, she killed it, cooked it, and ate it” (Grimm 188). These two characters in the story force both Hansel and Gretel to become empowered, and to make an effort to take control of their own lives. After it is discovered that the stepmother will attempt to abandon the children, Hansel forms the idea of laying shiny stones and bread on the ground as a trail

Though there are countless themes and topics within these stories, one major theme that is prevalent in several tales is the theme of control or empowerment. Though many fairy tales accurately exhibit this theme, the tales of Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Bluebeard are some of the most accredited for an accurate portrayal of this theme. In CInderella, a daughter is neglected and exploited by her father, tortured by her step-family, and indirectly oppressed by a prince. In the story of Hansel and Gretel, two children are abandoned by starving parents and eventually kidnapped by a cannibalistic witch, and therefore forced to find a way out of their misery alone. In the tale of Bluebeard, a woman is kidnapped by a closet murderer who forces her to take control of her situation and escape his clutches. The theme of control plays a major role in many fairy tales, specifically Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Bluebeard, as it helps each fairy tale to convey important messages of self-empowerment, female oppression, and masculine