The Princess Bride's Stereotypes

Almost every single book that has ever been written teaches at least one life lesson; children’s books and fairy tales, in particular. Matilda teaches us that knowledge is power, The Little Engine That Could teaches us that anything is possible if we believe that it’s possible, and The Three Little Pigs teaches us that a solid foundation is important. The Princess Bride is a fractured children’s fairy tale. I have found five life lessons in The Princess Bride that are relatable, and fit into the book as well as life.
The first lesson in The Princess Bride is to never judge a book by it’s cover, and to never follow stereotypes. This lesson is super common and cliche, but really does apply to the story, and to life. Fezzik and Inigo may seem

like criminals/kidnappers, but are they really? Fezzik is a giant, and giants are typically mean and scary. But, Fezzik is a gentle giant who is tagging along with a criminal because he lost his parents as a child, and no longer wants to be lonely. Some would say that Inigo is a murderer, because he is looking for a man that he wants to kill. But, Inigo is actually just a heartbroken man, seeking to honor his father by killing the man that killed him. Those are examples of the lesson in the book, but the lesson applies to life, as well. In life, we constantly judge a person by what they look like, or by what others make them out to be. The world would be a much better place if we stopped judging people based on their appearance, and stopped believing what others say about a person, and instead finding out ourselves, and creating our own opinions.
Another life lesson from The Princess Bride is to leave some mystery in your...life. This is my take on “Leave some mystery in your writing” (Lance), from Nifty Lance. Prince Humperdink begins to fall for Princess Buttercup when he starts learning things about her. For the longest time, they never talked so they never knew anything about each other, but once he starts to actually get to know her, he begins to fall for her. In life, it is important to not share every life detail all at once, or else others would become extremely bored, because there would never be anything to talk about. Sharing details over time results in more successful relationships with others, and will also make a person seem more interesting.
My favorite lesson that I found in the book is that good things happen to those who wait.

Inigo patiently waits over 15 years to honor his father. While he waits, he prepares and betters himself to ensure success. He refuses to give up until he is able to achieve his goal. After waiting and not giving up, he is able to kill the man that killed his father at last. Another example in the book is Princess Buttercup, with love. She promises to never love again because she thinks that her one true love, Westley, is dead. In due course, she finds Westley and they end up together. If she wouldn’t have waited for Westley, she would have settled for a man who was not right for her, and would have missed out on loving her soulmate. This lesson strongly fits into life, as well. Those who are impatient will not see as much success as those who are patient and wait for what they want. It is so important for a person to not settle for less than what they want, and to have the ability to better themselves while waiting for their

goal.
Another important life lesson from The Princess Bride is to always make your intentions known. A fairly silly example of this lesson is Inigo. Before killing the man who killed his father, he says, “Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die!” (Goldman). The kidnapping of Princess Buttercup is also a silly example of this lesson from the book. Her kidnappers make it known to her that they are going to kill her. They even tell her more than one time that killing her is their plan. At one point, she is out in the water, surrounded by sharks, and lets her kidnappers save her, knowing that they are going to kill her anyways. In life, making intentions known is key in having strong relationships. If intentions aren’t clearly known, a person could get the wrong idea or interpret your actions in the wrong way.
The last lesson that I found in The Princess Bride is to always be prepared.

This is a simple lesson, and a lesson that can be found in many fairy tales. When Westley gets into a battle of wit with Vizzini, he drinks a cup with poison in it. Little did Vizzini know, Westley had spent time making himself immune to the poison, in order to stay alive and continue his mission to save the Princess. Talk about dedication! Westley is also prepared when being tortured in the Zoo of Death. He taught himself to leave his mind, in order to not think or feel anything, so that he could stay alive, to once again, save the Princess. This lesson also applies to life. Preparedness is one of the most important things when hoping to achieve a goal. A person cannot expect to be successful if they didn’t take the time to put in work and prepare themselves with what is necessary to achieve that

goal.