'Bluebeard' By Charles Perault: An Analysis

The phrase “curiosity killed the cat” was used to convey that unnecessary investigation or prying could lead to dangers. A man named Charles Perault, wrote the fairy tale “Bluebeard”, published in 1697, which helps argue the phrase and shows the extent of which the dangers can come to: death. However, the course of events in the fairy tale was used for the purpose of scaring the audience of children who read the tale into behaving and following the rules in the hopes that they do not become reckless later on in life, though death is a bit extreme to teach children to behave. But, the story could also be used by adults in order to teach that lesson to their children. Perault’s fairy tale builds on the credibility of the moral that unnecessary

In this fairy tale, Perault utilizes the presence of an obstacle or task when Bluebeard gives his young wife the keys. “And finally, this is the passkey to all the rooms in my mansion. As for this particular key, it is the key to the small room at the end of the long passage on the lower floor. Open anything you want. Go anywhere you wish. But i absolutely forbid you to enter that little room, and if you so much as open it a crack, there will be no limit to my anger.” (Perault 189). Bluebeard gives his young wife this warning about going into the room, and she, being a young, naive girl does not realize that this is actually a test to demonstrate her obedience to her new husband. This appeals to the logos of the young children audience is subtly emphasized through the test; if you follows the rules everything will be okay, but if you break the rules there will be consequences. This scene persuades the young audience that it is not worth it to put ourselves into other people’s business, especially when they tell us otherwise, even if we are presented the opportunity to. How we react to this type of solution tells us about ourselves as a person, as it told us about the type of person the beautiful girl was; naive and