I have really
enjoyed reading the Brother Grimm Fairy Tales this past week. I have always
loved fairy tales, but adding these dark twists make me love them even more. I
have always had a sick sense of humor so I love these violent acts that were
added in. In The Juniper Tree when
the stepmother cut up the boy’s body and put it in the stew, oh my god. And
then the dad ate him! And said it was the best strew he had ever tasted! Wow, I
really just love that. Like who would think to write that? Wow. That was great.
And then in The Two Traveling Companions when the shoemaker cut out the tailor’s
eyes! Why would anyone do that? “Oh I will give you food, but give me your
eyes!” That does not help the tailor in any way. That is just sick. I think it
added a good element to the story.
I do think these
stories teach good lessons though, while still having brutal acts in them. In The Two
Traveling Companions, people are being taught to always do good. Karma is a
real thing. When the tailor helped out all of the animals, they all helped him
out. When the shoe maker cut out the tailor’s eyes, abandoned him, and tried to
hurt him, the shoemaker was the one who ended up dying of starvation. When you
do the right thing, things go your way and end well; that is a great lesson for
everyone to know. This lesson was shown in multiple other fairy tales like The Juniper Tree and The Three Snake Leaves.
I really enjoyed
The Three Snake Leaves as well
because of the romance. The prince was willing to be buried alive to show his
love for the princess. And then he even brought her back to life! But then the
story shows how girls are evil and don’t appreciate things boys do for them,
and the princess cheated on him and had him murdered. But she could never get
away with that. The loyal servant who was probably my favorite character, saved
the prince’s life! He did not have to do that, he could have saved the snake
leaves for himself, but he didn’t. I also loved that the King went against his
own daughter because she was a terrible person. She deserved that. It was a
good twist, even though it was a little less violent.
I totally agree. Karma does seem to be in own character kind of in the Two travelers. I also want to note how the story kind of brushes on the idea that no matter how prepared you are life manages to throw you a curve ball. Even further, I think that no good deed goes unpunished in a sense. Also you have to consider how funny it is that the shoemaker cuts out the tailors eyes, but even with all his preparation does not see his own undoings or his own consequences get the best of him. You have the symbolism of eyes here and seeing. Yet the shoemaker can't see past his actions, and even though he is prepared and sees the finer details, he doesn't see the bigger picture which leads to his demise.
ReplyDeleteLike Emily, I have always been a fan of fairy tales, especially the Brother Grimm takes on classics. I agree with both Emily and Jon that Karma is prevalent in many of the stories, especially in the Two Travelers. I enjoy stories in which justice is served and what goes around comes around. I think that these stories are good examples of this. I like Jon's point that the eyes are symbolic and also adds a bit of irony to the story.
ReplyDeleteI’ve also liked fairy tales since I was a child. I didn’t necessarily understand the morals then, but now I’ve come to see their importance. The story of the Two Traveling Companions was one of the tales I enjoyed reading about. I do believe the shoemaker got his own in the end. Karma does have its funny ways of working. I think the tale speaks about being a good selfless friend and good things will come of it. Don’t be a pessimistic toad who is always so selfish because it will only lead to a miserable, lonely life. Unlike some of the other fairy tales we’ve read, I think the Two Traveling Companions has easy to distinguish morals. Some of the tales we’ve read make it difficult for the reader to understand their true message.
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