The Underlying Truth of Thumbelina

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Recommended: Analysis of fairy tale in a literature essay

Fairytales exist to create a time for children where they dream of imaginable creatures and people that they wish to be. Some fairytales teach children morals of some sort while some teach them the difference between good and evil. But when an in depth look into the fairytale is executed, what is found? In The classic fairytale treasury’s fairytale Thumbelina Hans Christian Andersen illustrates the patriarchal views that continue to control stereotyped traditional views of men and women in society by insinuating Thumbelina as a sensitive, beautiful, fragile being and the prince and male animals as rich, strong, powerful beings.

Hans Christian Andersen depicts Thumbelina as a beautiful small fragile woman by choice of diction and juxtaposition in order to attest to the traditional view of a woman in society. Thumbelina is viewed as fragile by her mother since she is to sleep in a “shell of a walnut” with “the blue petals of violets her mattress and a rose petal her cover” (Andersen, pg. 1). While Thumbelina is sleeping, she is stolen by an ugly frog, which starts her journey. During this journey, Thumbelina continues to fall into the arms of unattractive creatures. The juxtaposition that Andersen creates between Thumbelina and the creatures further endorses that she is the traditional view of a woman by showing that she is the “damsel in distress” since she has no way to escape. Also the juxtaposition that is created between the “beautiful and delicate” (Andersen, pg.1) Thumbelina and the “cold and thin” (Andersen, pg.2) Thumbelina illustrates the urgent need of saving. Anderson uses diction of words such as “Beautiful’, ‘lovely’, and ‘delicate” (Anderson, Thumbelina) compared to words such as “poor’, ‘terrible’, ‘tattered” ...

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...h for a male to be a male; he must be masculine. A woman, in addition to being a female, must be feminine”, meaning that males possess certain traits that society has given them and females possess certain traits that society has given them. These traits have become the traditional stereotype that defines our society in more ways than most. However said, there will always be gender difference among men and women, movies will have damsels in distress and knights in shining armor, which in turn will continue to teach the traditional ways of society.

Works Cited

Hodgkison, Kate Reynolds, and Eugenie Brightman. "Hans Christian Andersen." University of Leeds. Web. 05 Jan. 2012. .

"The Social Roles of Men and Women." Www.hu-berlin.de. Web. 05 Jan. 2012. .

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