The Princess fairytales
“How have I become who I am today? ” This is a question that adults ponder on a daily basis. There is a large amount of resources such as authoritative figures, books and experiences, which can influence your character. There is however, an important force that contributes to a human’s characteristics today- fairytales. Fairytales are fanciful tale of legendary deeds and creatures, usually intended for children. What is not known though is what effect a fairytale has on a person today. Bruno Bettelheim’s The Uses of Enchantment, reveals a revelation on the enormous value of fairytales.
In order to support Bettelheim’s theories the fairytales The Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid, The Mouse Princess and The Seventh Father of the House have been analyzed. Theories similar to Bettelheim’s by psychologists Sigmund Freud, Renee Hall and Jack Zipes are used to describe the meanings and importance of these fairytales. Characters representation in these fairytales support psychologists' theories such as those in Bruno Bettelheim's The Uses of Enchantment that suggest that fairytales have an influence on children through the principles of reality versus pleasure principle, self discovery and approach to problems.
Representation of characters in the fairytales Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid and The Mouse Princess, support psychologists Bruno Bettelheim and Sigmund Freud's theories that suggest fairytales contribute to progress in a child through recognition of pleasure to the reality of life. Bruno Bettelheim develops the concept of the moral conscience first explored by Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud's theories says, " The commands of the moral conscience come from the personal perception and appropriation of values which we discover in the stories or examples of persons we want to be like". SG1) Freud means to say that our thoughts come from our perceptions of stories or persons that we wish to be like. Bettelheim builds on this theory, and further explains, " Identification with [characters] teaches that there are developments-possibilities of progress from the pleasure principle to the reality principle". (UE43) Bettelheim means that fairytales can help a child realize the difference between pleasure and reality, through the solutions characters find to their problems. For example, in the fairytale The Princess and the Frog, the main character Tiana is characterized as a girl who wishes upon an Evening Star.
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Tiana therefore finds pleasure in believing that her dreams can come true by wishing on the star. Reality is shown to Tiana by her father though, when he says, " ... that old star can only take you part of the way, you've got to help it along with some hard work of your own. " (P&F8) From this fairytale, a child can learn that success takes work and dedication, and that one must not believe in success coming instantly. Another fairytale where the reality versus pleasure principle can be shown is The Little Mermaid. Like Tiana, the little mermaid is a character who seeks pleasure in dreams of transforming from mermaid to human.
The mermaid's reality though, shows in the excerpt that says, " A two-edged sword seemed to thrust itself through her delicate body; she fainted, and lay as though dead. " (LM61) Children can learn that in reality, a sacrifice, big or small, sometimes has to be made in order to achieve your goals in life. In the story The Mouse Princess, pleasure is shown by the Prince's brothers when they choose beauty in order to find success. Reality is shown to the brothers though, when the authors says," Indeed, there was little to choose between them for looks and arrogance. (MP206/207) The Prince's brothers find that their wives were not adequate enough. A child gets the message from this fairytale that there are consequences when one does not search for quality in order to gain their desires in life. CONCLUSION The character's representation in the fairytales Princess and the Frog, The Seventh Father of the House, and The Little Mermaid, support the theories of psychologists Bruno Bettelheim and Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph which suggest that fairytales contribute to a child's progression through the process of self- discovery.
In The Uses of Enchantment, Bettelheim states, "Children are searching for the solutions... "Who am I? How ought I to deal with life's problems? "... the fairytale has a consistent structure with a definite beginning and a plot that moves toward a satisfying solution which is reached at the end. " (UE47/57) Bettelheim explains that fairytales provide answers to important questions that children begin to question when their lives begin. The answers that they obtain help to shape the child's process of thought, leading him to discover his capabilities.
The structure provided in the fairytale in turn gives the child a guideline to follow. A child identifies with the structures and characters, which both help the child understand why the child feels and thinks the way he or she does. Psychologist Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph, in her article entitled, Fairytales as Guide to Self Understanding, she says, "Due largely due to the work of Carl Jung, Marion Woodman, Joseph Campbell and others fairy tales along with myths have become a satisfying and surprising way to get a larger view of oneself...
Becoming one's authentic self or Individuation is always the endgame of the fairy tale’s journey. " (MR1) Randolph simply states that through reading and understanding fairytales, one can find themselves by the end of the story. The process of self discovery is shown in the fairytale The Princess and the Frog, when Tiana is faced with the problem of being magically turned into a frog. Tiana finds herself when the story states, "There was something special about her. She knew that my daddy taught me well.
He always knew what was important. "(PF54) Throughout the story, Tiana finds that her strength is staying focused to the task that she had originally planned to succeed at, which was having her own restaurant. From this experience, a child learns that there may be extraordinary problems that one may encounter, but at the end of the trial, one will always learn something about himself. In the fairytale The Seventh Father of the House, the traveller discovers that he has the drive to follow through with his plans to find a place to stay.
The traveller must ask seven men in order to find a place to stay. By the end of the process, the traveller finally asks," Good Evening Father! Will you put me up for the night? " (7F14) By the end stage of this fairytale, the traveller has learnt that he indeed has the drive to follow through on plans, even though he had to go through many men in order to get to where he has ended. From this ordeal, a child learns that in order to find yourself, or what you are good at, you must never give up.
The process of self discovery can finally be seen in the fairytale The Little Mermaid. The mermaid almost lost her life in an attempt to figure out what she truly wanted in her life. In a turn of events, the fairytale states, "The knife quivered in her hand-then she flung it far out in the waves; she looked at the prince, she threw herself from the ship into the sea, where she felt her body dissolving into foam. " (LM68) The mermaid thought she knew what she wanted, then realized that the suffering she had gone through was not worth her dream.
A child can learn that one has to go through ordeals, big or small, and some may even suffer in the hopes of finally becoming the person he would like to be. CONCLUSION A character's representation in the fairytales The Princess and the Frog, The Mouse Princess and The Seventh Father of the House support psychologists Bruno Bettelheim and Jack Zipes theories that suggest fairytales contribute to the development of a child through the concept of the correct approach to problem solving. In The Uses of Enchantment, Bettelheim states that, " ... too many parents want their children's mind to function as their own do.. f he becomes more able to understand others, and eventually can relate to them in ways which are mutually satisfying and meaningful. "(UE1) This means that fairytales can help a child's mind function in a manner that is understanding to them and give the child proper problem solving skills that would be essential to them for the future. Jack Zipes analysis of problem solving through fairytales can be found in his work entitled, Why Fairytales Stick, Zipes says, " fairy tales were designed to communicate ideas about natural instinct, social relations, normative behaviour, character types... (JZ99). Zipes suggests that a fairytale was meant to serve the function of helping to solve problems, therefore shadowing the beliefs of Bettelheim. In the fairytale The Princess and the Frog, when Tiana turns into a frog, the reader is introduced to an unrealistic situation, but still a process where problem solving tactics are involved. Tiana was able to solve her problems by asking questions and making sure she received answers that would help her solve the dilemma.
A child can learn the important skill of problem solving from Tiana by following in her footsteps and asking for help from the right person in order to solve a problem. In the fairytale The Seventh Father of the House, problems arise between the Prince and his brothers. The story says, "But the Countess and the Duke's daughter glared haughtily at one another over their bridegrooms' heads, all their past friendship forgotten in their present rivalry. " (MP215) The Prince was able to successfully find a bride through this hard work and perseverance.
The Prince was able to solve his problem and gain positive aspects when he earned his father's crown, and earning the resentment of his lazy brothers. This story teaches children that without the correct problem solving skills, the result of the task will be negative. Similarly to Tiana, the traveller in The Seventh Father of the House was able to analyze the situation that he was put in, and ask a multitude of questions to several people, and finally able to find a healthy solution to his task- finding a place to stay.
“How have I become who I am today? ” This is a question that adults ponder on a daily basis. There is a large amount of resources such as authoritative figures, books and experiences, which can influence your character. There is however, an important force that contributes to a human’s characteristics today- fairytales. Fairytales are fanciful tale of legendary deeds and creatures, usually intended for children. What is not known though is what effect a fairytale has on a person today. Bruno Bettelheim’s The Uses of Enchantment, reveals a revelation on the enormous value of fairytales.
In order to support Bettelheim’s theories the fairytales The Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid, The Mouse Princess and The Seventh Father of the House have been analyzed. Theories similar to Bettelheim’s by psychologists Sigmund Freud, Renee Hall and Jack Zipes are used to describe the meanings and importance of these fairytales. Characters representation in these fairytales support psychologists' theories such as those in Bruno Bettelheim's The Uses of Enchantment that suggest that fairytales have an influence on children through the principles of reality versus pleasure principle, self discovery and approach to problems.
Representation of characters in the fairytales Princess and the Frog, The Little Mermaid and The Mouse Princess, support psychologists Bruno Bettelheim and Sigmund Freud's theories that suggest fairytales contribute to progress in a child through recognition of pleasure to the reality of life. Bruno Bettelheim develops the concept of the moral conscience first explored by Sigmund Freud. Sigmund Freud's theories says, " The commands of the moral conscience come from the personal perception and appropriation of values which we discover in the stories or examples of persons we want to be like". SG1) Freud means to say that our thoughts come from our perceptions of stories or persons that we wish to be like. Bettelheim builds on this theory, and further explains, " Identification with [characters] teaches that there are developments-possibilities of progress from the pleasure principle to the reality principle". (UE43) Bettelheim means that fairytales can help a child realize the difference between pleasure and reality, through the solutions characters find to their problems. For example, in the fairytale The Princess and the Frog, the main character Tiana is characterized as a girl who wishes upon an Evening Star.
Tiana therefore finds pleasure in believing that her dreams can come true by wishing on the star. Reality is shown to Tiana by her father though, when he says, " ... that old star can only take you part of the way, you've got to help it along with some hard work of your own. " (P&F8) From this fairytale, a child can learn that success takes work and dedication, and that one must not believe in success coming instantly. Another fairytale where the reality versus pleasure principle can be shown is The Little Mermaid. Like Tiana, the little mermaid is a character who seeks pleasure in dreams of transforming from mermaid to human.
The mermaid's reality though, shows in the excerpt that says, " A two-edged sword seemed to thrust itself through her delicate body; she fainted, and lay as though dead. " (LM61) Children can learn that in reality, a sacrifice, big or small, sometimes has to be made in order to achieve your goals in life. In the story The Mouse Princess, pleasure is shown by the Prince's brothers when they choose beauty in order to find success. Reality is shown to the brothers though, when the authors says," Indeed, there was little to choose between them for looks and arrogance. (MP206/207) The Prince's brothers find that their wives were not adequate enough. A child gets the message from this fairytale that there are consequences when one does not search for quality in order to gain their desires in life. CONCLUSION The character's representation in the fairytales Princess and the Frog, The Seventh Father of the House, and The Little Mermaid, support the theories of psychologists Bruno Bettelheim and Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph which suggest that fairytales contribute to a child's progression through the process of self- discovery.
In The Uses of Enchantment, Bettelheim states, "Children are searching for the solutions... "Who am I? How ought I to deal with life's problems? "... the fairytale has a consistent structure with a definite beginning and a plot that moves toward a satisfying solution which is reached at the end. " (UE47/57) Bettelheim explains that fairytales provide answers to important questions that children begin to question when their lives begin. The answers that they obtain help to shape the child's process of thought, leading him to discover his capabilities.
The structure provided in the fairytale in turn gives the child a guideline to follow. A child identifies with the structures and characters, which both help the child understand why the child feels and thinks the way he or she does. Psychologist Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph, in her article entitled, Fairytales as Guide to Self Understanding, she says, "Due largely due to the work of Carl Jung, Marion Woodman, Joseph Campbell and others fairy tales along with myths have become a satisfying and surprising way to get a larger view of oneself...
Becoming one's authentic self or Individuation is always the endgame of the fairy tale’s journey. " (MR1) Randolph simply states that through reading and understanding fairytales, one can find themselves by the end of the story. The process of self discovery is shown in the fairytale The Princess and the Frog, when Tiana is faced with the problem of being magically turned into a frog. Tiana finds herself when the story states, "There was something special about her. She knew that my daddy taught me well.
He always knew what was important. "(PF54) Throughout the story, Tiana finds that her strength is staying focused to the task that she had originally planned to succeed at, which was having her own restaurant. From this experience, a child learns that there may be extraordinary problems that one may encounter, but at the end of the trial, one will always learn something about himself. In the fairytale The Seventh Father of the House, the traveller discovers that he has the drive to follow through with his plans to find a place to stay.
The traveller must ask seven men in order to find a place to stay. By the end of the process, the traveller finally asks," Good Evening Father! Will you put me up for the night? " (7F14) By the end stage of this fairytale, the traveller has learnt that he indeed has the drive to follow through on plans, even though he had to go through many men in order to get to where he has ended. From this ordeal, a child learns that in order to find yourself, or what you are good at, you must never give up.
The process of self discovery can finally be seen in the fairytale The Little Mermaid. The mermaid almost lost her life in an attempt to figure out what she truly wanted in her life. In a turn of events, the fairytale states, "The knife quivered in her hand-then she flung it far out in the waves; she looked at the prince, she threw herself from the ship into the sea, where she felt her body dissolving into foam. " (LM68) The mermaid thought she knew what she wanted, then realized that the suffering she had gone through was not worth her dream.
A child can learn that one has to go through ordeals, big or small, and some may even suffer in the hopes of finally becoming the person he would like to be. CONCLUSION A character's representation in the fairytales The Princess and the Frog, The Mouse Princess and The Seventh Father of the House support psychologists Bruno Bettelheim and Jack Zipes theories that suggest fairytales contribute to the development of a child through the concept of the correct approach to problem solving. In The Uses of Enchantment, Bettelheim states that, " ... too many parents want their children's mind to function as their own do.. f he becomes more able to understand others, and eventually can relate to them in ways which are mutually satisfying and meaningful. "(UE1) This means that fairytales can help a child's mind function in a manner that is understanding to them and give the child proper problem solving skills that would be essential to them for the future. Jack Zipes analysis of problem solving through fairytales can be found in his work entitled, Why Fairytales Stick, Zipes says, " fairy tales were designed to communicate ideas about natural instinct, social relations, normative behaviour, character types... (JZ99). Zipes suggests that a fairytale was meant to serve the function of helping to solve problems, therefore shadowing the beliefs of Bettelheim. In the fairytale The Princess and the Frog, when Tiana turns into a frog, the reader is introduced to an unrealistic situation, but still a process where problem solving tactics are involved. Tiana was able to solve her problems by asking questions and making sure she received answers that would help her solve the dilemma.
A child can learn the important skill of problem solving from Tiana by following in her footsteps and asking for help from the right person in order to solve a problem. In the fairytale The Seventh Father of the House, problems arise between the Prince and his brothers. The story says, "But the Countess and the Duke's daughter glared haughtily at one another over their bridegrooms' heads, all their past friendship forgotten in their present rivalry. " (MP215) The Prince was able to successfully find a bride through this hard work and perseverance.
The Prince was able to solve his problem and gain positive aspects when he earned his father's crown, and earning the resentment of his lazy brothers. This story teaches children that without the correct problem solving skills, the result of the task will be negative. Similarly to Tiana, the traveller in The Seventh Father of the House was able to analyze the situation that he was put in, and ask a multitude of questions to several people, and finally able to find a healthy solution to his task- finding a place to stay.
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