‘The Paper Bag Princess’ By Robert Munsch
In the book, ‘The Paper Bag Princess’, Munsch demonstrates the traditional gender roles seen in the west and the urge to fight such roles that young girls are especially placed in. The book, following the journey of a princess Elizabeth whose life is destroyed by a fiery dragon. Wearing nothing but a paper bag, she wanders the ruins, searching for Prince Ronald, her betrothed.
Munsch was clever whilst writing this as he played on the popular trope of princes saving princesses from vicious dragons and switch the roles around. He let young Elizabeth be the hero, outsmarting the dragon with wit and cleverness. This in itself is different from multitudes of stories told as the young girl is allowed to demonstrate her intellect and be resourceful enough to save the boy she likes. It is a refreshing take on a young romance where, in the end, Elizabeth does not allow herself to be talked to by Ronald after she saved his life in such a rude manor.
This book heavily attacks common gender roles and stereotypes in out society. At the start, we see Elizabeth in her “expensive princess clothes” and castle to then being forced
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The expectations Ronald has of Elizabeth and her appearance is what he believes to be a “real princess”. While girls and women are not expected to dress and look like princesses, there is a powerful demand that they be feminine, beautiful, and “ladylike”. This common stereotype is destructive in our society as it sets impossible beauty standards that women cannot achieve; forcing women into a constant competition with each other to be seen as beautiful. Additionally, I find the character Ronald, not relatable but recognizable in my own life and community. His conceited nature and insulting beliefs describe many people I encounter in my day-to-day