Fairy Tales 2010

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Dense vs. Dashing

It's interesting that this week is all about boys and how they grow up and mature, yet "The Boy Who Went Forth..." glorifies a young man who is a complete fool. He gets money, glory, and the girl. True, he shows no fear at all of the frightening things that jump out at him, but perhaps this is due to the fact that he doesn't have enough sense for these things to scare him. The whole premise of the story is that this boy wanted to find out what "the creeps" are and never actually experiences them. Just imagine what it must have been like to have been married to an imbecile like that: he constantly complains about never having found out what "the creeps" are. It's no wonder she has a bucket full of minnows poured on him in his sleep; at least he'd hush about it.

The wild man stories, on the other hand, exemplify the kind of man a boy should strive to be: hardworking, humble, and noble. The boy in these stories does what he's ordered to do to the best of his ability and earns his rewards: a kingdom, a bride, etc. The Wild Man/ Iron Hans teach him well and push him to be a good man. Perhaps this is what distinguishes the young prince from the boy in search of fear: the young prince has a mentor, someone to guide him, whereas the boy was simply a burden for his father and older brother.

2 comments:

  1. Although I agree with you that the "Boy Who Went Forth to Discover What Fear Was" is a rather pathetic character, I would like to challenge your second contingent that the boy in "Iron Hans" and "Wild Man" represents the hardworking, humble, and noble man. This boy actually displays indulgence and foolishness in his initial behavior which launches the story entirely: his decision to unleash the caged beast although he has not only been warned against doing this, but has witnessed the devastation caused by this monstrous man (either the destruction of peasant land and homes, or the disappearance of huntsman and subsequent concern of the entire kingdom). Further, in neither story does the boy seem to challenge the Wild Man when he forcefully takes him back into the enchanted forest. Isn't it true, too, that the later rewards the boy receives are thanks to the work done by the Wild Man, to whom he does not attribute any credit. So, although he may be humble in not accepting riches and attempting to defer excessive praise and rewards, he does not do what seems morally just: giving back to the Wild Man in some way, or at least recognizing all he has done for his eventual success. This story may be one in which child is separated from parents but the boy is taken in by another older figure, ironically one that represents the opposite of civilized normalcy.

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  2. I agree about the boy who didn't have fear, but as far as the boys in the Wild Men stories, I think they weren't the best examples of boys growing to be good men. In the Wild Man story, the boy doesn't do the gardening by himself. The wild man has to do the gardening for him, enabling his laziness. In Iron Hans, the boy works, but he remains a spoiled prince because he doesn't understand the value of money and just gives it away "for the gardner's children to play with". The attitude that money is just something to play with never changes in the novel. He never truly matures, he just moves from being a prince in one kingdom to a married prince in another. He does work, but only in order to woo the princess, not because he understands the value of hard work.

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