Defining Gender Roles And Consequences In The Fairytale World

6 Pages 1412 Words

“A soldier came marching down the road: Left . . . right! Left . . . right! He had a pack on his back and a sword at his side. He had been in the war and was on his way home.” (pg. 1)
“Once upon a time there was a woman whose only desire was to have a tiny little child.” (pg. 29)
The opening lines from The Tinderbox and Inchelina demonstrate that in the world of Andersen’s fairytales, gender is represented with a very clear distinction between masculine and feminine roles. The rules of the fairytale require both male and female characters to make a journey or maturation into adulthood that ends when they marry and start a family of their own, but the rules of how that journey is accomplished differ greatly based on gender. The roles played by each are specific, and there tends to be severe consequences involved whenever a character behaves contrary to their assigned role.
Andersen depicts the masculine role as one of action. The goal at the end of his journey is to settle down with a wife and children, often in financial circumstances above where he began. A male character cannot merely sit back and let fate carry him along, however. He is expected to actively strive towards the higher state.
This usually requires him to employ exceptional cunning and cleverness to outsmart other characters in order to gain wealth or the privilege of a princess’ hand in marriage.
For example, in The Tinderbox, the young soldier does not return home from war and wait for a new life to be handed to him. Instead, he takes an active role in his journey towards maturation. First he gains wealth by bravely entering into a bargain with the witch:

“You climb up to the top of the tree, crawl into the hole, and slide down deep inside it. I’ll tie a rope around your waist, so I can pull you up again when you call me.” (pg. 1)
“That doesn’t sound bad! said the soldier. But what am I to do for you, old witch?” (pg....