The Child as Hero
In the Norton collection of fairy tales which she edits, Maria Tartar chooses to put into one chapter, a collection of tales which she calls "Trickster" tales. This sort of tale typically involves one or more children (often siblings if more than one) who are in some way forced by their parents or circumstance or a combination of the two, to leave the safety of the home and enter the outside world. In this outside world, they run into some kind danger - a witch, ogre, or other supernatural beast - which they are able to overcome, despite their diminutive size, with their wits. They then return home, often with riches, and live happily ever after. Two examples of this sort of tale would be "Hansel and Gretel" and "Jack and the Beanstalk"
Freudian critic Bruno Bettelheim interprets these trickster stories as symbolizing a child's growth into a higher level of independence and away from the oral fixations of early childhood. He argues in The Uses of Enchantment that Hansel and Gretel's belief that their parents are planning to leave them out in the woods is created by their fear over how those who once provided a reliable source of food for them are no longer doing so. In the story, this is said to be because the family is impoverished, but Bettelheim seems to also draw a parallel between this and the event in every child's life where they are no longer able to breast feed or are otherwise pushed by their parents towards a higher level of independence. Either way, Hansel and Gretel begin to see their mother as "bad" and, out in the woods, eventually rediscover what they think to be the "good" mother in the form of the witch and her gingerbread house. Of course, the witch turns out not to be very good and, forced to overcome the threat she represents on their own and without the help of their parents, Hansel and Gretel use their intelligence to defeat her, thus reaching a new level of independence. This is showed to be a good thing because it is represented by the treasure Hansel and Gretel find at the witches house and bring back home, across the threshold represented by the river, and back to their everyday lives.
Although Bettelheim does not specifically discuss the story in his book, one might nonetheless apply a similar interpretation to the English fairy tales of "Jack and the Beanstalk." In this story, we once again see the parent of the main child character unable to provide for him, thus forcing him out into world, where he must be independent. At first, Jack's journey up into the clouds is a kind of regression - up there, he finds what he sees as a "good" mother in the form of the lady giant, who he is able to depend upon for food and security. However, this state of affairs soon ends when the lady giant's husband comes home and Jack is forced to escape from a dangerous situation without the help of his mother or anybody else. During his escapes, Jack steals some gold and, later, a chicken that lays golden eggs and a beautiful singing harp as well. This treasure represents that, like Hansel and Gretel, Jack has moved on to a higher state of independence and maturity.
Picture Credit:
charlottesteel.com/hansel-gretel/attachment/ts159-copy-copy/
Freudian critic Bruno Bettelheim interprets these trickster stories as symbolizing a child's growth into a higher level of independence and away from the oral fixations of early childhood. He argues in The Uses of Enchantment that Hansel and Gretel's belief that their parents are planning to leave them out in the woods is created by their fear over how those who once provided a reliable source of food for them are no longer doing so. In the story, this is said to be because the family is impoverished, but Bettelheim seems to also draw a parallel between this and the event in every child's life where they are no longer able to breast feed or are otherwise pushed by their parents towards a higher level of independence. Either way, Hansel and Gretel begin to see their mother as "bad" and, out in the woods, eventually rediscover what they think to be the "good" mother in the form of the witch and her gingerbread house. Of course, the witch turns out not to be very good and, forced to overcome the threat she represents on their own and without the help of their parents, Hansel and Gretel use their intelligence to defeat her, thus reaching a new level of independence. This is showed to be a good thing because it is represented by the treasure Hansel and Gretel find at the witches house and bring back home, across the threshold represented by the river, and back to their everyday lives. Although Bettelheim does not specifically discuss the story in his book, one might nonetheless apply a similar interpretation to the English fairy tales of "Jack and the Beanstalk." In this story, we once again see the parent of the main child character unable to provide for him, thus forcing him out into world, where he must be independent. At first, Jack's journey up into the clouds is a kind of regression - up there, he finds what he sees as a "good" mother in the form of the lady giant, who he is able to depend upon for food and security. However, this state of affairs soon ends when the lady giant's husband comes home and Jack is forced to escape from a dangerous situation without the help of his mother or anybody else. During his escapes, Jack steals some gold and, later, a chicken that lays golden eggs and a beautiful singing harp as well. This treasure represents that, like Hansel and Gretel, Jack has moved on to a higher state of independence and maturity.
Picture Credit:
charlottesteel.com/hansel-gretel/attachment/ts159-copy-copy/
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