The Encouragement of Gender Roles Through Fairy Tales

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The female protagonists of fairy tales possess qualities in which women are seen and accepted. The main trait of a virtuous woman is that of beauty. Never is the protagonist ugly, or have qualities less than perfect in their looks. She is either the most beautiful, angel like or fairest of them all. As Marcia K. Leiberman states, the prettiest is invariably singled out and designated for reward. (Leiberman cited in CCM package 187) Female heroines are ultimately rewarded with a marriage to a handsome, rich prince and idealistically live happily ever after.

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The first thing that gets the readers attention is of the main characters unforgettable beauty. Despite this beauty she still leads a time in her life of hardship, but is rewarded in the end with a handsome prince. Beauty is an asset of the girls, as Leiberman says, focus on beauty as a girls most valuable asset, perhaps her only valuable asset. (Leiberman cited in CCM package 187)

Beauty women need to have to survive and win in the end.

Upon first meeting, Cinderella is described as a lovely, sweet natured girl. (Charles Perrault cited in Hallet & Karasek 36) When she shows up at the ball she is depicted as the loveliest ever seen. Likewise, Rupunzel grew to be the loveliest child under the sun. (Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm cited in Hallet and Karasek 60) Both Sleeping Beauty and Snow white began their lives angel like and lovely. Sleeping Beauty was as beautiful as an angel (Perrault cited in H & K 29) when she fell into her sleep.

While Snow White slept she remained beautiful. Their beauty prevailed and was exaggerated throughout their plights. Cinderella was lovely despite her rags, Sleeping Beauty despite her 100 year spell, Snow White despite the evil taunts from the wicked Queen and Rupunzel despite her being locked in a tower and then living in misery in a deserted place.

Not only beauty, although prevalent in fairy tales, but other traits as well are possessed and common among the heroines. They display passivity, dependence, patience, and endurance. Cinderella endured her plight of being subservient to her wicked stepmother and sisters, yet remained passive. Cinderella waited patiently for her prince to come with the glass slipper. As Marcia K. Leiberman states, Cinderella plays as passive a role in her story. After leaving her supper at the ball she has nothing more to do but stay at home and wait. (Leiberman cited in CCM package 192) Sleeping Beauty and Snow White both were passive in their stories, demonstrated as they slept awaiting their prince to rescue them. In addition, Rapunzel displayed the same through her time spent in the tower and enduring her life of misery until her prince comes for her.

These traits are common among female protagonists and are portrayed with the meaning that they are qualities women should and do have. Throughout the tales the heroines are dependent upon another for their care and quality of life. Not only are they dependent, they are victimized until a prince comes to save them. As Leiberman states in her essay, So many of the heroines of fairy storiesare locked up in towers, locked into a magic sleep, imprisoned by giants, or otherwise enslaved, and waiting to be rescued by a passing prince. (Leiberman cited in CCM 192) These heroines are victimized yet rewarded in the end. Cinderella cleans, cooks, and cares for her stepmother and sisters, performing her womanly duties. She finally cries after her two sisters leave for the ball. Cinderella watched them until they were out of sight and then began to cry. (Perrault cited in H & K 38)

Her show of victimization and sadness brought on her fairy Godmother, to guide her, displaying Cinderellas helplessness. Sleeping Beauty depends on her father, the King, to keep her safe from the evil fairys spell. She was exploited by the evil fairy early in life and played the role of waiting for her prince to wake her once the inevitable pricking of her finger happened. Once she woke she continued to be dependent and victimized in the second part of the story. As Leiberman verifies, The sleeping beauty, who was, while enchanted, the archetype of the passive, waiting beauty, retains this character in the second part. (Leiberman cited in CCM package 192)

In the next part of the tale the Ogress orders the cook to kill and serve Sleeping Beauty and her children for dinner. Sleeping Beauty first relied on the cook to save her from the Ogresss order and again on the King to save her and her children from the Ogresss final attempt to kill them. As the story confirms, The executioners were just on the point of carrying out their dreadful instructions when the King galloped into the courtyard. (Perrault cited in H & K 34) Snow Whites evil stepmother demanded, because of her beauty, that she be killed and her lungs and liver be served for dinner. Snow White was dependent on the huntsman and later relied on the dwarves to keep her safe. She kept house, and cooked for the dwarves in order to survive. The dwarves also protected her reminding her to not let anyone in while they were away, Watch out for your stepmotherDont let anyone in. (Grimms cited in H & K 52)

Snow White ended up falling into a sleep caused by her stepmother and remained reliant on her prince to come and rescue her. The witch locked Rupunzel up in a tower. As the witch states, I thought I had shut you away from the world. (Grimms cited in H & K 61) When the witch realized Rapunzel, had deceived her, she cut off her beautiful hair and sent her away to a far off place where Rapunzel lived in misery and want. Rapunzel relied on the witch to take care of her and then lived alone until her prince came for her. All of the female protagonists are rewarded in the end by marrying a handsome, rich prince. Cinderella was rescued, taken to the prince and was married.

Sleeping Beauty was married and in the end rescued a second time by her prince and lived happily. Snow White loved her prince as soon as she woke and a wedding was arranged. Rapunzel, too, was saved by her prince and lived happily ever after. Fairy tales show that these traits of women are inscribed and needed in order for survival. As Karen Rowe states in her essay, [f]airy tales are not just entertaining fantasies, but powerful transmitters of romantic myths which encourage women to internalize only aspirations deemed appropriate to our real sexual functions (Rowe cited in H & K 348) These tales inscribe roles upon women to fulfill, marriage being the ultimate goal, and accepting suffering to reach that goal. Not only do women follow these unset rules, but also they live them in every part of their lives.