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The Virtue Of Convenience In Grimm's The White Snake

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Wisdom on a Platter In “The White Snake,” a servant utilizes a king’s magical snake. By eating the white snake, he gains the ability to hear the conversations of animals and insects, then befriends them. Through his kindness, the animals and insects aid the servants in courting the king’s daughter and living happily ever after. The story explains the virtues of kindness and compassion. The importance of knowledge and compassion are also stressed. The fairytale reveals its virtues through diction, symbolism, and personification of characters. The first lesson of “The White Snake” is that one should be kind to others. The lesson appears in the text by showing the protagonist, the servant youth, how rewarding kindness can be. The conversations among the animals and insects reveal knowledge that the servant would have been ignorant of, …show more content…

The servant’s actions could also be interpreted as a guideline on how to treat animals and value living beings. The servant’s tale of The White Snake tells story of how karma is a true concept. In response to being saved by the servant the chicks vowed: “‘We will remember you—one good turn deserves another!’” (Grimm & Grimm 70). The gratitude of the animals would be critical to the servant’s fate, he would later learn. Continuing his journey on foot, he heard an announcement of the king’s daughter’s wish for marriage. The announcer also emphasized how “‘if he does not succeed he will forfeit his life’” (Grimm & Grimm 70). Nonetheless, the servant youth proclaimed himself a suitor for the princess’s hand in marriage. The king’s daughter is reluctant to wed the servant due to the differences in their social classes. The theme of social classes is especially prevalent in the stories that are centered around kingdoms. The servant was given a slew of tasks that her other suitors failed to accomplish. In particular the princess “went down into the garden and strewed with her own hands ten

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