Marxism Fairy Tales

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Mankind has used fairy tales to both entertain and educate each other and their families about the world around them since the beginning of time. Fairy tales have been used to explain more mature aspects of life to children such as social roles, religion, culture, everyday dangers, morality, and so on. A popular sociological theory on the purpose of fairy tales is that they are used to explain to children and relate to families via social Marxist ideas; many tales by the Brothers Grimm can be related to this theory. “The Golden Children”, a tale from The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, clearly showcases class advancement which is linked to a fulfilled life, an exceedingly Marxist idea.
Marxism is a socioeconomic theory that originated …show more content…

This tale instantly established that the family is part of the proletariat, “There once was a poor man and a poor woman who had nothing but a little hut and supported themselves by fishing and were living hand to mouth,” ( Grimms 284). The father of the family comes across magic and good fortune while fishing for his and his wife’s daily meal and catching a magic golden fish who promises wealth and good fortune if the man is kind enough to release him. The man trusts the fish, lets him go, and comes back to a large castle filled with luxurious food. He and his wife are now overjoyed to find possessions normally reserved for the bourgeoisie in their new home, “When she opened the cupboard, she found cake, meat, fruit, and wine. Everything looked at her enticingly. ‘What more could my heart desire?’ She exclaimed with joy,” (Grimms 285). This effortless class promotion appealed to the everyday working class in Germany who began creating and spreading tales such as this. Since the time of Grimm, rise tales have become a common motif in literature, especially so in fairy tales. Characters in these tales are often depicted as relatable, trustworthy, and good, everyday

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