Theme: the good guy always gets the girl, in the end
Tales: Rapunzel and Bearskin
One of the most constant themes throughout these fairy tales is the triumph of the 'good guy', and of course his prize is always the girl. He is put through trials and suffering, but in the end is rewarded for his actions. This is the case in both 'Rapunzel' and 'Bearskin'. In 'Rapunzel', Rapunzel is trapped in a tower in a forest by the Witch who had taken her at birth in exchange for radishes. When the Witch discovers she has let a prince into her tower, she cuts off her hair and leaves her in the desert. When the prince comes back, but the Witch is in the tower, so he throws himself out the window, lands in thorns, and wanders blindly. "So he wandered, blind, in the forest, eating nothing but roots and berries, and doing nothing but weeping and lamenting for the loss of his dear wife" (pg 69). And, of course, after all of this suffering, he is reunited with Rapunzel in the end. "...Rapunzel recognised him, and fell upon his neck and wept. Two of her tears moistened his eyes, and they became clear again, so that he could see as well as formerly...they lived together long contented, and happy" (pg 69).
A similar situation happens in 'Bearskin'. After a war, a soldier is wandering around the forest, because he has no other skills but soldiering. He comes across a stranger with a cloven foot, who gives him money but in exchange, "'For the next seven years you must not wash yourself, nor comb your hair or beard, neither must you cut your nails not say one paternoster'" (pg 338), and also must wear the skin of a bear. Bearskin agrees to this, and travels about giving his endless supply of money to those in need. He is betrothed to a young girl, who is not afraid to marry him. However, he must finish out his seven years promise to the Evil One. After his seven years are done, he comes back, looking like a new man. The girl's older sisters become interested, but he remembers his promise to the younger one, and tells her "'I am your bridegroom, whom you first saw as Bearskin; but through God's mercy I have regained my human form, and am myself once more'" (pg 341). As is custom, they kiss, and the other sisters leave in jealousy. We don't see a "and they lived together happily ever after" like we do in 'Rapunzel', but it can be assumed so. Because Bearskin has suffered those seven years, he is rewarded with a girl.
Theme: the thief is always punished
Tales: The Jew Among Thorns and The Master-Thief
Another of the constant ideas throughout these tales is that the thief or evil person is always punished for their actions. In 'The Jew Among Thorns', the Jewish man is punished throughout the story. He follows a fallen bird into a thorn bush, his beard gets caught, and is forced to dance and be torn apart by the thorns. At first, I thought this punishment was cruel, and showed a little bit of the German Antisemitism from the 1930s and 40s. However, in the end, we find out that the Jewish man was actually a thief, and had stolen from people. "'I stole it, I stole it!' cried the Jew; 'but you have honestly earned it'. Upon this the judge caused the Jew to be hung on the gallows as a thief..." (pg 350). Whether or not the Jewish man was a thief, or was bullied into admitting it, it still teaches us a 'lesson'. If we steal or deceive people, we will be punished for it, as we should be.
There is a similar yet slightly different situation in 'The Master-Thief'. The thief tells his parents he is a thief, and even though he tells his parents not to be afraid, his father tells him "'...a thief is a thief, whether clever or not, and I warn you comes not to any good end'" (pg 489-90). His father is, in the end, partly correct. The master-thief goes to the Count's castle, and is put to three seemingly impossible tasks because the Count wants to see how good the thief actually is. However, after he completes the three tasks, the Count tells the thief "'You are indeed an arch-thief, and have won your wager. For this time you may escape with a whole skin, but take care to keep away from my provinces; for if you venture again into my power you shall be elevated on the gallows'" (pg 494). Although the thief is allowed to escape, he is warned with the punishment of death. Also, he is not allowed to keep anything he has stolen, since he has stolen things that belong to the Count.
I find the themes in these tales to be more along the lines of morals, and not the type of themes we found in stories like Don Quijote. I think they are important themes in the Grimm's plan of uniting Germany because they promote ideas necessary for unification. Although they can't promise that every good guy who suffers will get a girl, the idea of being a good person should have resonated with the people reading the stories.
No comments:
Post a Comment