Reading Anne Sexton’s “Snow White” challenged my view of fairytales. Unlike the happy cartoon, Sexton’s poem focuses on the Queen’s obsession with beauty, fueled by the magic mirror. The constant pressure to be “fairest” makes the Queen cruel, and Snow White’s innocence is described in a way that feels strange. This darkness made me view fairytales in a less childish light and it makes me wonder if fairytales, like maybe even “Bluebeard” where a wife disobeys and gets killed, are more about warnings and social norms than happily ever afters.
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