Week 15 Discussion

The specific observations Of the story “Little Snow White” that strike to me as relevant is the womanly feeling of insecurity, empowerment and jealousy. The stepmother is obsessed with being seen as the most beautiful that she will go through great measures to make sure her only competition and the only girl to be seen as beautiful as her is dead. “The queen took fright and turned yellow and green with envy. From that hour on whenever she looked at Snow-White her heart turned over inside her body, so great was her hatred for the girl. The envy and pride grew ever greater, like a weed in her heart, until she had no peace day and night.” To feel such hatred for a girl only because of her beauty is a shallow, insecure thing of a woman to do. The position of a woman and her role compared to a man is relevant and seen in this story as well. The way the dwarfs allow her to stay because she is so beautiful, they expect her to do her womanly duties such as clean and cook while they do their jobs outside in the world. “The dwarfs said, “If you will keep house for us, and cook, make beds, wash, sew, and knit, and keep everything clean and orderly, then you can stay with us, and you shall have everything that you want.” It also brings into light how beauty in a girl can affect her life in beneficial ways where she is more likely to receive help and how it can be negatively affected in a sense where other woman would be jealous where they will wish bad upon you or do bad to you themselves.

This was an interesting piece to read. In “The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales” Bruno Bettelheim presents a psychologically oriented analysis of fairy tales, saying that they are effective tools for assisting kids in navigating the emotional obstacles of growing up. Bettelheim’s analysis stands out by his emphasis on the significance of fantasy and imagination in the emotional development of children. He states that fairy tales help children to work through difficult emotions and ideas in a secure and controlled setting, and that the use of magical aspects and archetypal characters may assist kids in making sense of their own inner worlds. This is especially so in Sexton’s poem “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” which reimagines the story’s arc in a darker, more sexually charged light. Sexton’s use of bright, visceral language and graphic images assists in her to approach forbidden issues and emotions in a more authentic environment.

Throughout the reading of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” written by Anne Sexton there were a lot of small and large things I picked up on while reading the psychological oriented story. A major theme that stood out to me throughout the story was jealousy and envy. The stepmother turned on Snow White as soon as the mirror deemed her a better fit, the Queen had an internal struggle that she couldn’t come to terms with as her beauty was being eaten up by age. Another specific observation I noticed in the story was the little bit of foreshadowing when it came to introducing the Seven Dwarfs. It was seven everything from the mountains, week, all the way down to the beds and number of forks in the home.  Jealousy and ev=envy really could take over a person as the Queen was plotting on Snow White’s demise.

Bruno Bettelheim’s psychologically oriented reading of fairy tales emphasizes the symbolic and metaphorical meanings of the stories, rather than their literal plot details. He argues that these tales serve a therapeutic function for children, helping them to work through their unconscious fears and anxieties. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Bettelheim observes that the story reflects the anxieties of adolescent girls as they navigate the transition from childhood to adulthood. The character of Arnold Friend represents the dangers of sexual awakening and the threat of male aggression, while the protagonist Connie represents the vulnerability and confusion of adolescence. The story can be seen as a cautionary tale about the risks of exploring one’s own desires and the need for parental guidance and protection. In “Little Snow White,” Bettelheim notes that the stepmother represents the child’s own mother, and that her envy and attempts to kill Snow White reflect the child’s fear of losing the mother’s love and attention to a rival sibling. The dwarfs, on the other hand, represent a nurturing and protective father figure who helps Snow White survive and ultimately triumph over her jealous stepmother. In “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” by Anne Sexton, Bettelheim’s ideas about the symbolism of the fairy tale are also relevant. Sexton’s version of the story explores themes of female identity and empowerment, as Snow White must navigate a world in which she is constantly objectified and threatened by male figures.  

In the story “Little Snow-White” the observations that stood out to me were sexism and jealousy. Snow White was an innocent girl who was poisoned by her own step mother because she was jealous of her beauty. Jealousy can destroy even families just because someone is better than the other in any way. In the story sexism is also shown to Snow White by the dwarfs when her only way to be accommodated was by taking care of them. The author stated, “If you will keep house for us, and cook, make beds, wash, sew, and knit, and keep everything clean and orderly, then you can stay with us, and you shall have everything that you want.” “So she kept house for them. Every morning they went into the mountains looking for ore and gold, and in the evening when they came back home their meal had to be ready. During the day the girl was alone.” Furthermore, this represents the role of women is to clean while the dwarfs symbolize men going out to work and coming home to food on the table. This reminds me of the story “Where Are You Going? Where Have You Been?” because Connie also represents women and where they stand in society. Women are taken advantage of and allow themselves to be manipulated.

For me the analysis of the work Blanche-Neige by Bettelheim is the one most linked and close to the details presented in the poem written by Anne Sexton. The poem begins with Snow White’s stepmother hiring a hunter to kill her. Bettelheim in his analysis interprets the role of the hunter as “not a figure who slays friendly creatures, but a person who dominates, controls and subdues wild and ferocious beasts”. (Bettelheim page 205). Then in the poem, the purity of Snow White is highlighted by the details of her appearance. The repetition of the color “white” is significant and is even included in the maiden’s name “She was undefiled…beautiful virgin” (Sexton lines 12-14). White representing the symbol of purity, the hunter could not bring himself to kill Snow White. Conversely, he preferred to lie and deceive the mother-in-law by giving her a boar’s heart because her character was associated with that of an animal. Second, the analysis of the naivety of Snow White is another of the observations related to the poem. We tend to associate too much beauty with stupidity. In the poem, despite being given very detailed instructions from the dwarves not to open the door for her safety, she continued to open the door and hurt herself every time. In his analysis Bettelheim, highlights the stereotype that is associated with beauty and its adolescent character. The innocence of the character is incredible because despite the fact that her stepmother wants her dead she still remains clueless about the dangers surrounding her.

Bettelheim’s psychologically oriented reading of “Little Snow White” offers an insightful observation regarding jealousy, which can be compared to Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” In “Little Snow White,” the stepmother’s jealousy of Snow White’s beauty represents the child’s fear of being rejected or hated by others because of their beauty or perceived superiority. Similarly, in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Connie’s mother is always frustrated with her daughter because she knows she is beautiful and admires herself often, which can be interpreted as a fear of being rejected or resented by others because of her attractiveness. Both characters must confront their fears and learn to accept themselves for who they are. This comparison shows how the underlying themes and psychological insights of fairy tales can be applied to other works and highlight the relevance of these stories in understanding human nature and the challenges we face in life.

 In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” we can observe a motif similar to fairy tales. The main character is a fifteen-year-old girl entering adulthood, who is discovering herself and naturally has conflicts with her parents. The mother, according to the girl, is jealous of her beauty, since her beauty has long sunk into oblivion. The oedipal problem of mother and daughter; a mother who feels that she is growing old against the backdrop of a beautiful and flourishing daughter, at the same time, she feels that she is losing control over her daughter and fades into the background. By the way, the mother copes with the older sister of the main character, most likely because , at the time of her growing up, her mother was younger. And the daughter believes that she is better than her mother and her sister in everything. Also, in the story, like standard fairy tales, there is a weak figure of the father, who sits with his head down, does not talk to anyone, and naturally is not able to perform any functions of the father. According to the Bettleheim, “it is the father’s duty to protect the child against the dangers of the outside world, and also those that originate in the child’s own asocial tendencies. The mother is to provide nurturing care and the general satisfaction of immediate bodily needs required for the child’s survival”. We understand that the father is completely unable to do this, and the mother is not able to understand and help her daughter with understanding her growing up and her love and possibly erotic unrest. After that, Friend appears in the story, a person from outside, in part, perhaps his name was chosen just like that, a friend is not part of the family. […]

Some specific observation made by Bettlehiem that struck me was the use of the symbolism of the evil stepmother.  According to Bettleheim, the villainous female character symbolizes the main character’s inner tensions and tribulations. All three of these works can be viewed from this angle. In “Little Snow White,” Snow White’s struggle with her own burgeoning sexuality and power is represented by her stepmother. Similar to this, Connie’s interaction with Arnold Friend in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” mirrors her internal struggle to claim her identity and negotiate her developing sexuality. The Queen represents Snow White’s inner tensions and wants as she develops her own femininity in Sexton’s poem.  Another important insight by Bettleheim is the exploration of themes related to sexual awakening and coming of age. Fairy tales often provide a platform for this exploration, and the selected works are no exception. In “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” the young female characters grapple with their burgeoning sexuality and encounter predatory figures. Bettleheim’s perspective allows us to delve into the psychological implications of these encounters and understand the characters’ struggles to assert their identities amidst external threats.

What specific observations in Bettleheim’s psychologically oriented reading of the story strike you as insightful and relevant to “Little Snow White,” “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, or the poem “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” by Anne Sexton? One of the observations that  Bettleheims have noted is that the mirror in “Little Snow White,” represents how the step mother is obsessed with her beauty and cannot tolerate anyone being more beautiful than her, and how the step mother asks the mirror every time who is more beautiful and upon  receiving the response that “snow white is more beautiful” she ends up killing the snow white after multiple tries. Bettleheims also analyzes that the huntsman can be considered as a father figure because he ended up letting snow white run away into the woods and killed a young boy took out his liver and lungs to prove to the queen that he has killed snow white. Bettleheims also noted that little snow white is a story about a psychological development of a girl that is growing up, and even though the seven dwarfs tell her not to be aware of her step mother and not open the door for anyone, Snow white still opens the door every time once for eating the apple, the other time for buying the comb and laces, even though she knows that she was attacked on each and every time.

First, Bettelheim sees the story of “Little Snow White” as a story about the psychological struggle of complex maturation, especially in overcoming the Oedipal complex. He believes that the stepmother represents the child’s fear of separation from the mother and the desire to eliminate the father. This can be seen in Oates’ “Where are you going, where are you from?” through the character of Arnold Friend, who represents the fear of sexual awakening and the threat of male authority. Similarly, Sexton’s poem “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” highlights the psychological tensions of young girls through the protagonist’s attempts to cope with the world of adult sexuality. Second, Bettelheim argues that fairy tales provide a safe way for children to cope with anxiety and fear. In “Little Snow White,” the forest represents the subconscious, while the dwarf symbolizes aspects of the mind. Oates’ stories and Sexton’s poetry also use symbolism to explore the psychological tensions and fears of their characters. For example, Oates uses the car as a symbol of freedom and danger, while Sexton explores themes of jealousy and aging through the role of the evil stepmother. Finally, Bettelheim argues that fairy tales offer a sense of hope and resolution as the protagonists overcome obstacles and achieve personal growth. In “Little Snow White,” the character eventually triumphs over the evil stepmother and lives happily ever after with the prince. Similarly, in Oates’ story, the character of Connie must face the fears of adulthood and sexuality, but ultimately chooses to face them head-on. Sexton’s poetry also offers a sense of resolution as Snow White accepts her finitude and the inevitability of aging

In “Little Snow-White” by The Brothers Grimm, the story tells how the queen, Snow White’s stepmother, is consumed by jealousy of her child who, in growing up, surpasses her in beauty. To be completely transparent, I don’t think I had ever actually read the full fairy-tale; I only knew her as a princess. There are a few points of Bettleheim’s psychoanalysis of this story that are, in my opinion, incredibly insightful. The first being the three drops of blood that fall onto the snow when Snow White’s mother pricks her finger in the beginning of the story. Bettleheim states, “Fairy tales prepare the child to accept what is otherwise a most upsetting event: sexual bleeding, as in menstruation and later in intercourse when the hymen is broken. Listening to the first few sentences of “Snow White,” the child learns that a small amount of bleeding—three drops of blood (three being the number most closely associated in the unconscious with sex)—is a precondition for conception, because only after this bleeding is the child born” (Bettleheim 202). I would have never considered the possibility of blood representing anything in a fairy-tale, let alone a precondition for conception. “The stepmother’s narcissism is demonstrated by her seeking reassurance about her beauty from the magic mirror long before Snow White’s beauty eclipses hers” (Bettleheim 202). Narcissism is another concept I didn’t consider with the queen constantly consulting the mirror about her beauty. I also had no idea that the word Narcissism comes from Narcissus, in Greek mythology, who loved only himself, so much that he falls in love with his own reflection in a pool of water, staring at it for the remainder of his life. Bettleheim’s reading was very enlightening, and I might find myself analyzing some more fairy tales in the future.

Both “Little Snow White” and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” highlight the importance of making smart decisions and the potential consequences of making risky choices. In “Little Snow White,” Snow White’s decision to eat the poisoned apple from a stranger, even though clearly it was a risky decision, leads to her downfall. until she is rescued by the prince’s kiss. Similarly, in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?”, Connie’s decision to flirt with a stranger and ignore her better judgment ultimately puts her in a dangerous situation and potentially worse consequences. Both stories serve as warning us about the dangers of trusting strangers and making rash decisions. By showing the negative consequences that can result from poor decision making, these stories encourage us to think critically about our own actions and the potential risks involved. It serves as a reminder for us to make smarter decisions and avoid making impulsive ones.

In the readings “Little Snow White” and “Where Are you Going, Where Have You Been” by Joyce Carol Oates, both of these stories have their similarities. Even though there is not a lot of strong resemblance to Bettelheim’s phycological ordinated reading, a connection can be drawn. During my observation, I would say there are connections or similarities between the actual characters themselves, rather than the plot or events that take place. For instance, I noticed that Connie and Snow-White share similar character traits. One trait for both of them can be how they are both proved to be credulous and over trusting. To explain this, Snow White trusted the evil queens and allowed her to her house twice. On the other hand, Connie doesn’t necessarily have a moment where she is over trusting but shows signs of this character trait while conversing with a stranger in the story. Furthermore, even though there is no direct correlation, readers can draw a connection with the similarities at hand.

In Bettelheim’s reading, one observation I made is how he talked about how the queen in Snow White is jealous of Snow White. This reminded me of the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates. Although both stories aren’t related by any means, the way Snow White’s stepmother was jealous of her beauty can be compared to how Connie’s mom was always frustrated with the fact that Connie knew she was beautiful and would admire herself often. Another thing I noticed that both Snow White and Connie were gullible. Snow White had allowed the evil queen to enter her house twice, because she wanted to become more beautiful, and Connie opened the door for a complete stranger and made the mistake of entertaining a conversation, which then lead to her eventually leaving with him, and we don’t know what happened to her at the end.

Bettleheim discusses narcissism in his psychological analysis of the variations of Snow White, and it made me realize how much of a role narcissism plays in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” By Joyce Carol Oates. The main character, Connie, is a teenage girl obsessed with her appearance and puts herself in an incredibly dangerous situation with an admirer because of her narcissism and want for attention. This story warns of the “evil consequences of narcissism,” such as in “Little Snow White.” Bettleheim also states that it is the parent and child who both have these narcissistic personalities. I did not consider Connie’s mother narcissistic, but this quote from Bethlehem’s article is interesting and made me look at her in a different light. “It is the narcissistic parent who feels most threatened by his child’s growing up, because that means the parent must be aging” (Bettleheim, 203). Although she never says anything grandiose about herself, it is her mean disposition towards Connie that may come from fear of her own aging, which makes her narcissistic.

I believe that growing up is indeed a significant theme in both stories. As Bettelheim suggests, “The message of these stories is that oedipal entanglements and difficulties may seem to be unsolvable, but by courageously struggling with these emotional familial complexities, one can achieve a much better life than those who are never beset by severe problems.” (Bettelheim 199) I think Snow White becomes more adaptable and resilient when she is forced to leave her home and find a new life. Similarly, Connie encounters a frightening and manipulative character named Arnold Friend, which makes her realize the harsh realities and complexities of the world. From my perspective, the act of confronting these adversities and impediments is a vital component of their individual development. Snow White and Connie undergo arduous experiences that facilitate their maturation while also imparting upon them a profound comprehension of themselves, others, and the world. In each story, growing up is an immense undertaking. Bettelheim’s analysis says that when you’re becoming an adult, it’s important to face tough stuff and get through it.” To survive, they must develop initiative and realize that their only recourse lies in intelligent planning and acting. They must exchange subservience to the pressures of the id for acting in accordance with the ego. Goal-directed behavior based on intelligent assessment of the situation in which they find themselves must take the place of wish-fulfilling fantasies: the substitution of the bone for the finger, tricking the witch to climb into the oven.” (Bettelheim 162) Snow White has to leave her home and start a new life, which makes her stronger and better at dealing with change. Connie meets a scary guy named Arnold Friend, and it helps her see how hard life can be. I think that going through tough times helps Snow White […]

In Bettelheim’s writing, multiple fairy tales are analyzed and the characters are broken down psychologically. What struck me as insightful is when Bettleheim mentions the “Oedipal” relationship between the daughter, step-mother, and father in snow white. It is mentioned how the mother is jealous of the daughter for growing up to be beautiful and how this affects what happens in the story. This same sort of family dynamic is displayed in “Where are you going? Where Have You Been?” Although both of these stories are completely unrelated, this story also includes a mother resentful of the fact that her daughter is attractive. It’s almost like the author subconsciously takes this element from snow white to implement into her story. Even the father in both stories have a few similarities with how they both sit on the fence and do nothing to diffuse the tension between the daughter and the mother

In “Little Snow White” and “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, something that consistently stands out is envy and narcissism. “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” demonstrates a sort of envy because Connie, who is also completely narcissistic, often looks at others to compare their beauty to hers. This can be seen as envious because if she does find someone who is prettier or has a “better-looking” feature than her, she will do what she can- such as alter her looks- to become more beautiful than that other person.  In “Little Snow White” the theme of envy is obvious through her Step-Mother. She is so envious of her own step daughter that she is capable of killing Snow White just to become the “fairest of them all” (which she tries to do multiple times). Narcissism in “Little Snow White” is demonstrated from both the step-mother and Snow White herself. As Bettelheim mentioned, “Snow White’s narcissism nearly undoes her as she gives in twice to the disguised queen’s enticements to make her look more beautiful, while the queen is destroyed by her own narcissism” (page 203). The first two attempts that her step-mother, “the queen” made to kill Snow White were feeding her narcissism because she was trying to enhance her beauty with things that were being sold to her. Snow White was already so beautiful, but she gave into material things-a corset and a comb- that would add on to her beauty (as a corset is known for enhancing a woman’s body, and a comb that would make her hair add to her beauty). Meanwhile, her step-other’s narcissism clearly shows through her trying to bring Snow White to her demise, just to make her the most beautiful on the land, and the […]

I believe Bettelheim’s analysis of Snow White related the most to the details presented in the poem by Anne Sexton. For example, in the beginning of the poem, Snow White’s stepmother hired a hunter to kill her, and Bettelheim interpreted the hunter’s role as “not a figure who kills friendly creatures, but one who dominates, controls, and subdues wild, ferocious beasts” (Bettelheim page 205). In the beginning of the poem, Snow White’s purity was emphasized through details of her appearance. The color “white” comes up a lot and is even included in her name and, “She was unsoiled… lovely virgin” (Sexton lines 12-14). White is a symbolism of purity and because of this, the hunter could not bring himself to kill Snow White because she was not a beast nor evil. However, the hunter dominated and controlled the stepmother by deceiving her and giving her a boar’s heart because the stepmother’s character was that of a beast. Another observation that related to the poem was the analysis of Snow White’s naivete. It is presumed that beauty means you’re dumb and, in the poem, even when Snow White was given specific instructions by the dwarves to not open the door for her safety, she was a “dumb bunny” (Sexton stanza 7) and proceeded to open the door and got hurt each time. In Bettelheim’s analysis, he pointed out how that was a reflection of not only the beauty stereotype but also her position as an adolescent. This reflects innocence in Snow White’s character despite knowing that her stepmother was out to get her, she was still oblivious to the evils in her world.

One observation pointed out to me in Bettelheim’s reading is that he pointed out the jealous Queen, who happened to be Snow White’s stepmother. Snow White, the most beautiful young lady in her land, wanted to enhance her beauty more than how she was. I think about society where celebrities use cosmetology to improve their beauty which sometimes goes over the board that causes their lives. There is always someone out there that envies people for their beauty and sometimes for their accomplishments. It also reminded me of Connie in the story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” Connie was happy and into herself with her beauty, and her mother was jealous. Connie wasn’t given the traditional parenting advice about talking with strangers or opening the door to strangers, and because of this, she learned the hard way. Connie wasn’t given a chance as Snow White did, even though it was by the dwarfs; Snow White knew how to take on responsibilities like cooking, cleaning, and caring for herself and others. Like Connie, she was all about her beauty, leading her to seek attention from elsewhere. In the end, Snow White becomes a wife, while in Connie’s story, she disappears with a stranger that might have cut her life short. I remember growing up, I loved jewelry to the point where my grandmother used to have talks with me, and one of them was explaining to me that I must not get caught up with vanity because it can lead to danger, which I thanked her for because to this day, not even my wedding ring I want to wear outside.

One observation that stood out to me in Bettleheim’s reading is him pointing out the narcissism in the story. This narcissism was not only pointed out for the evil queen, but for Snow White herself. Snow White even though already being the fairest in the land, wanted to enhance her beauty more, the letting the evil queen in the house twice, one item being a comb, and one being a corset. Before I read this breakdown of the story I did not view Snow White’s folly as narcissism, however I can see that conclusion being made. This led me to think of Connie in the story “Where are you going, where have you been”. In this story Connie is very proud of her looks and in love with her self. This leads her to seek out attention which unfortunately gets the attention of Arthur Friend. Connie’s narcissism leads to her demise, her loss of herself as we don’t know what actually happened after she left the house. It was intriguing to me that when reading both of these stories, I was a bit annoyed by the gullibility of the protagonists from both of these stories.      

In “Little Snow White,” “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” by Joyce Carol Oates, and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” by Anne Sexton it can be made easier to understand by Bettleheim’s beliefs on fairy tales. Fairy tales, according to a certain theory, help people examine their unconscious brains and deal with psychological concerns. This is true in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” since the protagonist’s thoughts and ambitions ultimately lead to her tragedy. Another theory holds that the evil stepmother in “Little Snow White” depicts the ego’s desire for power and control. This is important in “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” since the opponent is the protagonist’s ego. Bettleheim’s perspectives help in understanding the themes in these works. Similarly, Anne Sexton’s poem “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” explores into the original fairy tale’s darker elements, such as envy and the desire for power. Sexton’s description of Snow White’s interaction with the dwarfs is especially outstanding since she presents them as flawed persons with their own fears and goals. This is consistent with Bettleheim’s finding that fairy tales help people to confront their own psychological issues by projecting them onto fictitious characters.