Introduction
Feminism is “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of political, economic and social equality of the sexes” (Cole, 2015, p.1). In Opie’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, the character of Snow White is portrayed as an innocent, obedient little girl whereas numerous later feminist versions of the story portray the character of Snow White as a fiery, independent young girl who takes charge of her own story while taking on the Queen and/or the dwarves. For example, Snow White in ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” television series as well as Snow White in “Snow White Wins Case in High Court” story are strong, independent females who fight for their beliefs, among other versions of the Snow White characters that will be discussed further in this research paper.
This research essay will present a side-by-side comparative study, along with a review of the literature, between the original story of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and its feminist retellings (such as “Snow White wins Case at High Court” and “Tale of the Apple”) in order to showcase how the character of Snow White is portrayed in a strong female role in relation to theme, events, setting, role and personalities of the characters, language and style between the various “Snow White” versions.
Review of the Literature
The feminist fairy-tale debate is not new to the modern age. Since the 1970s, scholars have argued that fairy tales have a direct effect on women’s life and dreams, presenting “romantic paradigms that profoundly influence women’s fanatics and the subconscious scenarios for their real lives” (Wanning Harries, 2004, p. 98). On the other hand, feminist fairy tale critics would have none of this standpoint. These critics argued that most popular fairy tales, like “Snow White,” had “heroines who were passive, apparently dead or sleepwalking, dependant on the arrival of the prince for any entry into real life” (Wanning Harries, 2004, p. 99). Interestingly, according to Wanning Harries (2004), children are able to “manipulate fairy tale stories with the same ease and lack of inhabitation they display in playing with pieces of cloth and building blocks” (p. 101). Thus, feminists are mainly concerned with the “brainwashing” of young girls into the “staying at home” gender role and the social construct of remaining “innocent and safe” while depending on their “princes,” or male figures in their lives, rather than venturing outside the home and working towards self independence. In fact, gender equality is the most important standpoint of feminism: the equality of both men and women without the barrier of definitive gender roles or social norms. Nevertheless, views differ about whether traditional fairy tales, as part of children’s literature, can and should be modified to protect children. According to Bolaki (2010), “it is dangerous to tamper with the genre’s emphasis on natural consequences for behaviour because these simplifications may have negative repercussions on the normal maturation process of children, on whom fairy tales are influential” (p. 182).
Another important issue raised by feminists is emerging politics in the fairy tale genre, which is “dedicated to the pleasure principle” in Angela Carter’s words, without destroying its magic. After all, magic is necessary not only for children, but adults too (Bolaki, 2010, p. 183). In Angela Carter’s “Snow Child,” “Snow White” is created out of the Count’s wish. A product of a male fantasy, Snow White is portrayed as the “perfect women,” both pure and passionate, as the white and red colors in her description suggest. Likewise, the Countess is also the product of the count’s desire, but she is aware that a younger woman can replace her at any time she stops being her husband’s object of desire. This is why the Countess immediately perceives the child, Snow White, to be a threat to her safety as the most important woman in the Count’s life. Angela Carter makes it obvious when she shows the Count pitting “his women” against one another in the tale (Bolaki, 2010, p.187). This is likely the reason for resentment of the tale from feminists. Instead of a male character manipulating a female character, feminist retellings have female characters resistant to such manipulation from male characters. Nonetheless, fairy tales are still a branch of children’s materials and merit consideration as such. However, this assumption does not automatically lower one’s expectations of their art: fairy tales must be evaluated like any other art or literature in terms of experience that they provide for both children and adults alike, male or female (Thomas, 1989, p. 270). The different versions of such fairy tales, like “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” can be further compared to feminist retellings on a basis of theme, setting, role and personalities of its characters, and language and style of the version itself.
Theme
The main difference in theme, when it comes to Opie’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and various feminist retellings of the story, is that Snow White becomes a strong independent heroine in charge of her own story, rather than waiting for her “prince in shining armour” to come save her. One feminist version of “Snow White,” in The Merseyside Fairy Story Collective, showcases Snow White as the heroine of her own destiny; like numerous other feminist retellings, she takes charge of her own destiny and defeats the evil found in her world on her own terms.
For instance, when the Queen’s men ordered her to return to the Queen’s palace, after trying to kill Snow White and the Dwarves by sealing the entrance to their mine, Snow White states: “I will not go back to the castle and we will send no more diamonds to the Queen. Everyone will keep the things they make and send nothing to the Queen” (Zipes, 2014, p. 79). Whereas in the Disney’s version, Snow White complies with her orders from male figures and she remains within the homestead. According to Zipes (2012), in the Disney version, “the thematic emphasis on cleanliness, control, and organized industry reinforces the technics of the film: the clean frames with attention paid to every detail, the precise drawing and manipulation of the characters as real people, and the careful plotting of the events that focus on salvation through the male hero” (p. 207). This contrasts with the feminist retelling, as the stories are harsh and jagged, presenting a jagged view of life’s hardships.
Setting
Sometimes, the feminine world defends and establishes itself in its own right by creating a “feminine paradise.” You can see it in families where the mother and daughter get together and play among themselves, scorning the father and the brother a little, and perhaps saying that men must get out of the kitchen (Franz, 1993, p. 52). These women are a fabrication of long generated societal norms, which separate men and women, and give them gender roles while indirectly causing gender inequality. However, in today’s society, there becomes a push for gender equality, which is perhaps why modern retellings of “Snow White” have a setting where both men and women are treated equal, such as in “Snow White Wins Case in High Court” where the story takes place in a courtroom. “Snow White Wins Case in Court” has a fitting setting for the modern stage of storytelling. Taking place in a courtroom, the one place where both sides are heard equally is in turn the same as feminist today writing their stories on the writers’ platform alongside their male counterparts. They want the opportunity to tell their story in their way. There must be a common ground reached.
According to M. Franz (1993), when describing the story “Snow White and Rose Red,” he writes: “it is great thing for a woman not to be masculine, she can be too one-sidedly feminine, and then she is out of life and will not be able to cope with it. The positively only feminine world, where everything is so gentle and roses and nobody quarrels, need a world with [the character like the bear]” (pp. 56-57). So the problem lies in integrating the masculine side into the feminine side world without going an overly aggressive step too far. A woman who wakes up after being too passive, too feminine, faces the possibility of being too aggressive. There needs to be a progress of assertiveness over aggressiveness (Franz, 1993, p. 57). Furthermore, in stories such as “Snow White Wins Case in High Court,” it is important to remember that the stronger role, which the woman takes, the more offended the male characters may become. It is important to have the right amount of assertiveness, as opposed to aggressiveness, within the “Snow White” character (Franz, 1993, p. 53). Nonetheless, the courtroom setting allows each side to be equally heard. In contrast, in the original story of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, the primary setting is a house. This showcases the gender norm of the time with a house being a place where good girls remained.
In Sandra Gilbert and Susan Garber’s analysis, in their book The Madwoman in the Attic, the Disney film follows the classic sexist narrative about the framing of women’s lives through male discourse. No matter what they do, in the stories, women cannot chart their own lives without the male manipulation and intervention. In the Disney film, the prince plays a framing role because he is introduced at the beginning while Snow White is singing “I’m Wishing for the One I Love to Find Me Today” (Zipes, 2012, p. 204). This teaches young girls that they cannot be truly happy until they find a prince to love. In addition, the Prince appears at the end of the film as the fulfilment of Snow White’s dream. Furthermore, in the Disney films, Snow White arrives and notices that the house is dirty. So, she persuades the animals to help her make the cottage tidy so that the dwarfs will let her stay there. Of course, the house setting for the Grimms and Disney was the place where good girls remained and one aspect of the fairy tale and film is about the domestication of women (Zipes, 2012, p. 204). When the prince does arrive, later in the story, he takes all the credit and takes Snow White to his Castle while the dwarves remain as the keepers of the forest (Zipes, 2010, p. 204). The carefully arranged images in the Disney version, narrated through seduction by the animator’s hand, show how viewers (young girls) are not to think for themselves but conform to the ideologies about the domestication of women (Zipes, 2010, p. 207). This idea contrasts with “Snow White Wins Case in High Court” as the story forces young girls to think about the importance of their daily settings while forcing readers to think about their own opinions.
Role and Personality of Characters
In feminist retellings of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the character of Snow White is often quite demanding, ambitious and strong headed. She is in charge of her own story and knows what she wants. She is both opinionated and careful. For example, in “Snow-Fight Defeats Patri Arky,” Snow White, or Snow-Fight as she prefers, often fights with her adopted brother over chores and other tasks around the house. As well, Snow-Fight’s appearance gives her the fiery personality which somewhat mimics the heroine in “Brave”: “Snow-Fight had large green eyes and curly red hair, and her skin was so fair that her nine freckles looks as if they were painted on” (Darcy, 1989, p. 30). This appearance gives her a more determined, fiery appearance as red hair and freckles often symbolized a more independent soul. This symbolizes her breaking free from the cookie cutter image of a Disney princess. There was life respired into the female characters again for the feminist retelling. It wasn’t just Snow-Fight with the fiery spirit because, according to the story, “Ann Arky had left home years before; she could not bear the way her brothers wanted everything organized to suit themselves, expecting herself and her older sister Matri to do simply everything around the house” (Cowman, 1989, pp. 39-40). This was true to the story’s time period, as more and more women were getting up in arms about their gender and societal roles within society. No longer would they stay in the house as Disney princesses have done before them. The modern day “Snow White” was independent and took a stand for her rights, such as Snow Fight.
Language and Style
Feminist retellings of the “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” fairy tale present the story in numerous different ways in terms of language and delivery style: children’s books, poems, television series, and/or films. Some of these adaptations are geared towards an adult audience (ie. “Puce Fairy Book” or “Snow White in New York”) whereas some of these adaptations are geared towards children or the family unit (ie. ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” or “Snow White and the Huntsman” Film). Geared towards an adult audience, “Puce Fairy Book” sheds a realistic view on fairy tales. The speaker in the poem presents the fairy tales view and then presents her realistic feelings towards the unrealistic expectations of her as a woman, for example, “so you tried revisionist tale-telling / and turned them into dwarves – / you wanted happy ever after / I forgot to water the roses round the door” (Artichuk, 2002, p. 36). This passage of the poem, which makes reference to “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” showcases women having flaws instead of being portrayed as the perfect princess taking care of the men in their lives. Major’s writing style is very tongue in cheek. In addition, the poem is very much geared towards an adult audience as, at one point, she makes a very adult reference in “you wanted a lady / sleeping in a garden / no rings on her fingers / never been kissed / other princes had made it through my forest” (Artichuk, 2012, p. 36). This self-explanatory reference is not very child friendly; however, the style of writing used makes the author’s meaning very clear.
On the other hand, language and style is often geared towards adults but can remain for children too, for example, ABC’s television series “Once Upon a Time.” The television show presents a strong female role lead in Emma, the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White, where Emma fights the evil queen and other evil fairy tale characters in Storybrooke. Likewise, Snow White is portrayed as a strong, independent woman who actually saves Prince Charming’s life on numerous occasions. Both women fit the 21st century woman mould, compared to the older version of their characters, especially in Snow White’s case. The story is presented in a multimedia television series format as opposed to a written book version. In addition, the television series is a family oriented series as Henry, Emma’s son, brings his family back together and everyone ultimately (including Henry’s adoptive mother, the Evil Queen) works together for Henry’s best interests. The three strong female roles outshine their male counterparts on numerous occasions; for example, Emma defeats jack in the “Jack and the Beanstalk” adventure when Emma and Captain Hook have to retrieve the magic bean in order to open a portal to the Enchanted Forest. Hook is defeated and, saving the day, Emma “defeats” Jack to retrieve the magic bean. ABC’s “Once Upon a Time” has the right mix of strong female and male characters that work together towards a common goal. This is the answer to feminist prayers, as they only want to gender equality as opposed to the perceived notion that they are bashing the male race.
Conclusion
As time goes on, it is quite optimistic that retellings of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” will include more of a gender equality stance like ABC’s “Once Upon a Time.” Perhaps then, the modern Snow White will remain growing into a beautiful, independent young woman whose world is filled with both gender equality and love. Emma Watson said it best when she gave her speech to the United Nations: “If you stand for equality, you are a feminist.” However, the question remains: will Prince Charming be at our side?
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Sandra Harnum 