Religious Symbolism in Grimm's Rapunzel

723 Words2 Pages

Religious Symbolism in Grimm's Rapunzel

A fairy tale is seemingly a moral fiction, intended mainly for children. A lesson in critical analysis, however, strips this guise and reveals the naked truth beneath; fairy tales are actually vicious, logical and sexual stories wearing a mask of deceptively easy language and an apparent moral. Two 19th Century writers, the Grimm brothers, were masters at writing these exaggerated stories, bewitching young readers with their prose while padding their stories with allusion and reference: an example of which is "Rapunzel." Grimm's "Rapunzel" is packed with religious symbolism, which lends a new insight to the meaning of this classic story.

The relation between "Rapunzel" and the story of Christianity is apparent immediately as a result of the setting. The witch's garden is described as "a beautiful garden full of the finest vegetables and flowers," depicting perfectly the Garden of Eden from Genesis. Now, with the scene in place, the Grimm brothers begin further correlation between the two stories.

The witch, indicative of the serpent, tempts the mother and father with her rampion so that she might steal their child. In the story of creation, the serpent has the same idea in mind for Adam and Eve. The serpent knows that if man sins against God, he is unable to enter heaven and therefore must face the alternative, a life of eternal suffering in hell. In eating the forbidden fruit, the parents are cursing their child, humanity, to a life apart from God. But, just as with Adam and Eve, the parents must also endure earthly hardships, characterized by childbirth. In Genesis 3:17, Eve is cursed to bear children through intense pain; consequently, Rapunzel was born. ...

... middle of paper ...

...shown through Rapunzel's response.

The witch learns of Rapunzel's interaction with the Prince and places her in the desert, and when the Prince climbs the tower to seek Rapunzel, he finds the witch waiting there for him. At this point, the witch's assumption and belief that she has won coincides perfectly with Satan's arrogance in believing that by killing Christ, he would forever have dominion over man. To the witch's dismay, the Prince hurls himself from the tower, putting out his eyes on the thorns below. This is symbolic of Christ's conscious sacrifice for humanity on the hills over Nazareth. The Prince wanders blindly through the desert, and, after several years, is reunited with his beloved Rapunzel. Ultimately, the story's happy ending is a realization of God's promise that through Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and find everlasting life.

Show More
Related

  • K & T Case Study Case

    2638 Words  | 6 Pages

    K&T Enterprises Ltd is the biggest Tim Horton’s franchise in western Canada. After almost 18 years growing, this company has become a key player in their field of Canada. The purpose of my report is to evaluate K&T’s current situation and strategic plan in orde...

    Read More

  • A Separate Peace

    678 Words  | 2 Pages

    Symbolism is very prominent over the course of this story, giving it that much more meaning. Knowles makes not only one, but several instances to religious principles and more precisely in this case, Adam and Eve. These of jealousy, greed, and selfishness are prominent throughout both stories as well is a significant fall whether it would be as monstrous as humanity or on the smaller scale of relationships. The disruption of peace and harmony are also evident in the two. In addition, it is interesting how the author finds a way to tie them all into each other.

    Read More

  • Symbolism in The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe.

    521 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe many symbolisms are expressed. It shows many times through the expression of the battle between good and evil as well as the sacrificial notion of Aslan when he died to save the life of Edmund.

    Read More

  • Rapunzel Vs The Root Of The Matter

    1188 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fairy tales are a part of childhood. They go back through time depicting magical images of happy children, love stories, beauty, wealth and perfection. Authors, movie and film creators, artists and more draw beautiful images for people to remember and pass on through time. Many times the ugliness of the villains and the horrors that come into play throughout a fairy tale are often not as advertised. However, after careful analysis it is very clear that both authors of the original “Rapunzel” and its retell “The Root of The Matter” by Gregory Frost do not shy away from these evil aspects through their tales, while still capturing the magical moments that make a fairy tale memorable. The Root of the Matter fits the Rapunzel tradition with both

    Read More

  • Coming Of Age In Mississippi By Anne Moody

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    Chapter 21 is about Moody’s college experience of her scenario of at a bus station where a drunk white Southern man proclaiming that Blacks should sit in their seat on the bus (Jim Crow segregation law) and imitating a minstrel show which refers an old stereotype that Black being ignorant and lazy.

    Read More

  • Zohar Shavit Criticism In Fairy Tales

    1995 Words  | 4 Pages

    The telling of fairy tales has changed tremendously as they have been around for a great amount of time. As a child, fairy tails are read by someone who is older, that understands the deeper meaning of the tale. The Brothers Grimm tales were not meant to be for children because of the content that they contained. In Zohar Shavit criticism, he made the point that as time went on, fairy tales were transformed into ones that were more appropriate for children that did not contain all of the violence, sex, and dark meanings. They wanted children to look at the world in a different way than how it was intended for adults (Shavit 327). Literary critic, Robert Sale, once

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Childcare On Campus

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    The state does not pay your entire bill. They subsidize your cost. In general, the assistance is for those that meet low income guidelines and who need help while they are attending job training programs, school or working. Having the availability of these programs helps student parents make better decisions. For example: over 80 percent of students attending Community college said that the availability of on-campus child care was very important in the decision to attend a college. 46 percent of students said that on-campus child care was their first priority when enrolling. 60 percent of students said that they could not have continued college without on-campus child care and 95 percent said that child care allowed them to increase their class load. Federal and state grants for child care for low-income parent’s average $4,600 per

    Read More

  • The Perfect Moral Example

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fairy tales portray wonderful, elaborate, and colorful worlds as well as chilling, frightening, dark worlds in which ugly beasts are transformed into princes and evil persons are turned to stones and good persons back to flesh (Guroian). Fairytales have long been a part of our world and have taken several forms ranging from simple bedtime stories to intricate plays, musicals, and movies. However, these seemingly simple stories are about much more than pixie dust and poisoned apples. One could compare fairytales to the new Chef Boyardee; Chef Boyardee hides vegetables in its ravioli while fairytales hide society’s morals and many life lessons in these outwardly simple children stories. Because of this fairytales have long been instruments used to instruct children on the morals of their culture. They use stories to teach children that the rude and cruel do not succeed in life in the long run. They teach children that they should strive to be kind, caring, and giving like the longsuffering protagonists of the fairytale stories. Also, they teach that good does ultimately defeat evil. Fairy tales are not just simple bedtime stories; they have long been introducing cultural moral values into young children.

    Read More

  • Negative Essay On Inequality In America

    878 Words  | 2 Pages

    Is Inequality in America really as bad as we perceive it? In America, we have many people discussing back and forth on the issue of inequality. Some people claim that inequality is a rapidly growing phenomenon, separating the rich from the poor. Though, other Americans claim that we’re progressing and departing away from inequality.  However, the way in which  we choose to perceive inequality is our choice, but we cannot ignore the fact that it exist. Inequality is an issue that has been constantly debated in the past, and will continue to be debated, so long as we do not put an end to it. Inequality is changing our country. The people who enjoy higher social statuses are spending their money with no limitations, whereas the people in the lower

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast: Beauty and Beast

    1361 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most modern fairytales are expected to have happy endings and be appropriate for children, nonetheless, in past centuries most were gruesome. Consequently, fairytales have been modified throughout time. The stories “Beauty and the Beast” by Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont and “The Summer and Winter Garden” by Jacob and Wilherm Grimm share similarities and differences. The two stories are distinct because of the peculiar year they have been written in. LePrince de Beaumont’s story is written in London of 1783 and Grimm’s in Germany of 1812. At the time, wealthy people in London, were educated and had nannies who would read to their children; whereas, in Germany, the Grimm brothers created their own interpretation into a short story. Because many high class parents in 18th century London would not be able to spend time with their children, nannies would read “Beauty and the Beast” to them since they were intended for children and considered appropriate. In “The Summer and Winter Garden,” the Grimm’s’ story was mostly based to entertain misbehaved children and teach them the valuable lesson that everyone should be treated with kindness. The Grimm brothers’ goal in rewriting this short story is to better children’s behavior which worked quite well. Since these stories have been re-written for children, it would be safe to say the reason why parents expose the two stories to their children is because they both portray the same moral: good things happen to good people. The two interpretations of “Beauty and the Beast,” although written in separate countries, share important similarities and differences even though the authors have different interpretations and came from different cultures.

    Read More

  • St. George Island Research Paper

    829 Words  | 2 Pages

    The entire setting of St. George Island is peaceful and serene. There are no high-rise buildings in the area, so it truly gives visitors a chance to get away from the stresses that plague everyday life. The Gulf side of the island is home to 20 miles of beach and the bay side has miles of marshes, inlets, and oyster bars. St. George Island has some of the most beautiful beaches in the state. So, wherever you go on the island you’ll be sure to have a good time. Take a look at everything the beaches have to offer.

    Read More

  • Kinko's

    1089 Words  | 3 Pages

    Kinko’s has been losing revenues and market share over their competition for the past years; reason why its directors have been doing market research to understand the causes of their business slowdown. It’s fast growing market had substantially developed an ongoing business model, facing changes, rapid expansions & even mergers. Their model of service solutions was not fitting their customer’s needs any longer…now it is needed to increase revenues and fast.

    Read More

  • Fairy Tales Criticism

    1571 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Children’s and Household Tales, more commonly known as Grimms’ Fairy Tales were first published in 1812 by the Grimm brothers, Jacob and Wilhelm. Although the title suggests otherwise, the vast majority were not intended as children’s tales. Containing violence, gore, and suggestive references, the stories were not well-suited for children. The stories were didactic at a time when discipline relied on fear and were written as “warning tales” for children. What made the stories so memorable were the many uses of figurative devices used to enhance them. The use of characterization, imagery, theme, and symbolism helped make the simple narratives beautiful, striking, and

    Read More

  • Environmental Impetitor: Case Study: Donut The Explorer

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many established doughnut chains such as Dunkin Donut, Mister Donut, Krispy Kreme, J.Co are continuing to increase in size and population. Due to its small amount of initial investment, many are now turning to manage this kind of business.

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Maya Angelou's Phenomenal Woman

    1436 Words  | 3 Pages

    Civil rights activist and writer, Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. At the age of three, Angelou witnessed a divorce between her parents and was sent to live with her grandmother. At the age of eight, she was removed from her comfortable lifestyle

    Read More

More about Religious Symbolism in Grimm's Rapunzel

Open Document