20230126 - Rapunzel [Book Review / Analysis / Summary / Essay]

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Towering over, \\ took away what one loves most, \\ removed from the world.

#HAIKUPRAJNA - Rapunzel [Book Review / Analysis / Summary / Essay] 

https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2023/01/20230126-rapunzel-book-review-analysis.html

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Hello readers, 

I have begun a fairy tale themed series, and I am starting it off with a review of Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm.

This fairy tale is set around the tower of Gothel, an enchantress. Gothel had taken the daughter of the parents who were stealing from her rampion garden. Rapunzel was then kept away from the rest of the world. She was kept hostage until she fell in love with a prince, who overheard Gothel's request, "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down thy hair."

What stuck out to me was Gothel's desire to keep her being in direct conflict with the parents' and the prince's desire to have her.

The original fairy tale stories' gruesomeness is great at being dramatic in a dark way, with characters flinging themselves towards death or despondency over their misfortune. 'Rapunzel' succeeded in this by moving to a happy ending that is juxtaposed to highlight both the drama and the resolution. This is explored further through the symbolism of Rapunzel being separated from the world as a way to prevent the desire that afflicted the rest of the cast. In a theatrical manner, the Prince's desire to see her led to Rapunzel's awareness of the outside world and her desire to leave.

When Rapunzel revealed that she was using the method that Gothel was using to visit Rapunzel to also bring up the Prince, Dame Gothel decided to take Rapunzel's hair away and she cast Rapunzel away.

Gothel then displayed her ability to use the hair against Rapunzel to lure the Prince up the tower. Gothel's gloating over taking away both of their desired objects was genius in its display of the duality in using the love that others provide for one's own purposes.

It also displayed--via the Prince--how that can leave one lost and wandering in blindness. His reaction set the tone for Gothel as a villain who would have instead reacted by taking from anyone that had just wronged her.

Every character acted upon what they desired. Readers are thus left with an important idea to contemplate. Dame Gothel was wronged in the same manner as the others. However, the other characters reacted without malice when they were wronged. Nobody else was afraid to suffer the consequences of their acts of freely given love, regardless of the source being one's own or another's. 

Gothel could have helped the parents, I feel. She could have wedded her adopted (stolen) daughter and been related to royalty. Instead, she removed herself from the equation.

The shared suffering further cemented the love between Rapunzel and the Prince. The greatest symbolic lesson I found from this story was how that was shown to even heal their wounds; a good, short bedtime story.

Thank you for reading.

Please share your thoughts in a comment.

Allen W. McLean 

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