A Reflection Theory Analysis of the Agency of Women In Fairy Tales
According to reflection theory, culture reflects the structure of institutions and relationships of individuals within a society (“You May Ask Yourself”, Dalton Conley). While looking through this lense it is safe to say that fairy tales, an important part of European culture and eventually American culture starting 1697 with Charles Perrault, reflect some of the underlying gender roles of the time period. On the surface fairy tales are used to teach moral lessons to children and adults, but on deeper analysis it becomes evident that they reflect the social and moral constraints of women, especially their sense of agency. Agency is the capacity of an individual to act independently and make their own free choices (http://www.sociology.uiowa.edu/hitlin/publications/soctheory2007.pdf). From the time of original fairy tales through the invention and adaptation of modern fairy tales, this concept of women’s agency has changed drastically both in fairy tales and in the social structures of our society.
Bri Williams:Traditional Fairy Tales
Classic fairy tales are intended to teach a moral lesson to children. They typically communicated that men are meant to grow up to become bold and powerful and leave women to be innocent, safe and dependent. The typical Disney movie portrayed women’s agency as powerless victims, waiting to be saved by an outside source. This reinforces the dependence women are supposed to have as opposed to the gallant men that come to their rescue.
Walt Disney uses the character of Snow White to “re-emphasize the helpless, hapless heroine, who, he posited, has to be rescued by mice, birds, rabbits, deer… or by a bunch of half men, or dwarfs” (Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters). She is completely immobilized and incapable of saving herself after eating a poisoned apple, which results in the princess ultimately having to be saved by a prevailing prince who returns to her after defeating whatever evils present themselves in the specific tales, in this case the witch in search of being “the fairest of them all.”
Disney also uses Princess Aurora in the film “Sleeping Beauty” to illustrate that when victimized by a spell at an early age, one must also wait to be rescued; for instance in this particular movie, until “true love’s” kiss awakens the princess from her bewitched slumber brought on by a childhood curse.
When paralyzed by poisoned apples or childhood spells, these princesses destine themselves to be defined as damsels in distress. Jack Zipes, retired professor and author of Fairy Tale As Myth, Myth As Fairy Tale, states that “women are like helpless ornaments in need of protection, and when it comes to the action of the (Disney) film, they are omitted” (Fearless Girls, Wise Women & Beloved Sisters). This reiterates the message that these female characters are taken out of the conflict of the stories in order to be defenseless against whatever comes their way without their saviors creating some sort of fortification or rescuing them from an eternal fate. These classic fairy tales illustrate over and over again that good women are passive and play the victim, while bad women protect themselves being placed within the action (Hecht).
Sources:
Ragan, Kathleen. Introduction. Fearless Girls, Wise Women, and Beloved Sisters: Heroines in Folktales from around the World. New York: W.W. Norton, 1998. N. pag. Print.
Hecht, Jennifer, "Happily Ever After: Construction of Family in Disney Princess Collection Films" (2011). Master's Theses. Paper 4094.
Lance Angelle: Modern Fairy Tales
Some would argue that the creation of the modern fairy tale began during the era of revolutionary new womens rights legislation such as the Equal Pay Act (1963) the Civil Rights Act (1964). This legislation paved the way for a new perception of women in American culture. This new movement in American culture challenged traditional female gender roles and began to explore what it means for females to have agency. Some of the ways female agency is expressed through modern fairy tales is through female unification in order to achieve a goal, assuming a position of leadership, and becoming a hero.
Some of the most recent examples are the film “Shrek” (2001), “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” (2003), and “Snow White and the Huntsman” (2012). In Shrek the Third, Fiona and all of the princesses come together to achieve a goal without the help of men. They have been captured by prince charming and are being held prisoner in the castle. Fiona suggests they take action and find a way out, to which Snow White responds “You’re right. Ladies assume the position!” Sleeping Beauty falls asleep, Snow White lays down and puckers her lips, and cinderella crosses her legs and waits patiently. When Fiona asks what they are doing they say they are “Waiting to be rescued.” This shows that the princesses are prepared to assume their traditional gender roles of being passive and waiting for a male figure to save them. Their gender roles are suddenly shaken and re-evaluated when Fiona’s mother, the Queen, headbutts the brick wall and creates an escape route. After this point the princesses feel empowered because they realize they can control their own fate without dependence on a male figure. Fiona solidifies their new sense of agency when she says “Okay girls, from here on out, we’re gonna take care of business ourselves.” She then goes on to unite the princesses into an elite fighting force that single handedly take down all of the guards and successfully escape.
(From the script of Shrek 3 according to http://www.joblo.com/scripts/script_shrekthethird.pdf)
The princesses are positioned in fighting stances, which is a stark contrast to the frail and subordinate positions they usually display in the traditional version of their fairy tales.
In Snow White and the Huntsman, Snow White is portrayed much differently than she is in Disneys Snow White film which is based on the traditional fairy tale. In this modern version Snow White Escapes from a dungeon , finds and recruits an army of men, and leads them on a rebellion to destroy a tyrant queen who murdered her father. Snow white’s sense of agency is displayed through her ability to lead men into the heat of battle, which is typically a masculine setting. Snow White breaks the bonds of traditional gender role and becomes a leader when she gives a passionate speech to the unmotivated and discouraged men who were too scared or apathetic to take a leadership role. This example shows that agency is not only the ability to control your own fate, but also the ability to have influence over others. A woman that has agency will be judged by her ability to lead instead of discriminated against for her gender.
Snow White; “We have rested long enough. Frost to fire and fire to frost. Iron will melt. But it will writhe inside of itself! All these years, all I've known is darkness. But I have never seen a brighter light than when my eyes just opened. And I know that light burns in all of you! Those embers must turn to flame. Iron into sword. I will become your weapon! Forged by the fierce fire that I know is in your hearts! For I have seen what she sees. I know what she knows. I can kill her. And I'd rather die today than live another day of this death! Who will ride with me? Who will be my brother?”
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1735898/quotes
Eowyn, one of the female characters from “The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King”, becomes a hero when she rides into battle despite orders by her father, the King, to stay in the safety of the castle with the rest of the women and children. Her father tries to keep her safe on the basis that women biologically have less physical strength than men. However, women sometimes have other traits that compensate for these weaknesses, such as Eowyn’s determination. Eowyn attains the status of hero by slaying a creature that no men were able to kill. This shows that agency does not mean that all women should become masculine, but instead they should be allowed to use their feminine traits to accomplish things that masculinity alone cannot. Therefore Eowyn embodies the female hero, not because she is masculine, but because her femininity helps her achieve something that men cannot.
Witch King: “You fool. No man can kill me.”
Eowyn: (removing her helmet reveals that she is a woman) “I am no man!” (stabs the witch king)
From the script of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Lord-of-the-Rings-Return-of-the-King.html
Justin Sapp: Sociological Relevance of Fairy Tales
http://search.proquest.com/docview/305167095 (Sociological source)
http://centerpointseniors.pbworks.com/f/Ella+Evolving-++Cinderella+Stories+and+the+Construction+of+Gender-Appropriate+Behavior.pdf (Sociological Source)
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline3.html
http://www.hg.org/women.html
Childhood is an important step in the process of developing a human into who he or she will become one day. Popular fairy tales during childhood present images of heroine figures that represent their patience, beauty, and minority-like role in society. The beauty of the figures is a big point in describing the actions of a young girl who is a fan of a certain character. You see little girls try to put on their best impressions of this figure, especially with the beauty, and the ever so popular blonde hair of the beautiful characters. With a minority like role, the character is driving and persuading a young human to become the best person that they can possibly be.
In our current society today, the freedom of women in the workplace, and in other entities, shows a steady improvement of the gender roles in women from the past, and a vast improvement of the roles of women in fairy tales. Today, there are many women who are very successful and powerful people across our country, and there are some who have held very prestigious positions in politics. Many laws have been passed in favor of women’s rights, with the most recent coming in 2009. The role of women in our current world continues to progress, opposing any agency descriptions of women in fairy tales, and that of women in the past. Today, as opposed to the past, it is becoming more and more of a sociological norm in our society to see women holding positions of higher power.
Some of the most important laws that have been passed in favor of women’s rights have been linked to voting, education, and the workplace. Up until the passing of the Equal Pay Act of 1963, it was legal to pay women less money for equal amounts of work. Women gained the right to vote whenever the 19th amendment was made to the constitution on August 26, 1920. As we come to present day, women’s roles in society have deviated from that of their past roles.
Some famous women in America today, who have overcome the agency of women in fairy tales, and of the gender roles of women from the past, are women like Condoleezza Rice, or better yet Oprah Winfrey. As portrayed in past fairy tales, women are usually that of a minority, with less strength than that of men. These two women are great examples of opposing characters of those fairy tales in the real world. Oprah is known as a very successful lady that is currently one of the richest people in America. Condoleezza Rice has been very successful in her politics, and is also the second woman to ever become secretary of the state. Through the efforts of women like these two, and the passing of many laws forbidding the act of belittling women in our society, the past agency of women in both society and fairy tales, is opposed in a way that it may never be brought back. The sense of agency in these two very powerful women in society are examples of overcoming the original understood agency of women in both fairy tales, and in that of the past society of America.
Conclusion
By analyzing the beliefs and values promoted by these fairy tales it becomes obvious what the culture of the time believed were the roles of its society. In this particular analysis, the role of women in social institutions was examined.The growing agency of women in social institutions such as the work force and marriage are reflected by these drastic transformation of fairy tales over the past few decades. Modern fairy tales reflect that it is becoming more acceptable for women to unite to achieve a common goal, become a leader, and use their feminine traits to achieve things that men are not capable of.
