Analysis Of Snow White

Snow White by the Brothers Grimm explores the theme of insecurity which can be defined as one’s subjective evaluation of his or her own self. The fairytale is a story about a Queen who seeks to be the prettiest by constantly asking her mirror “Mirror, Mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?.” Initially it was always her; however, as the story progresses and as her stepdaughter Snow White matures, the mirror states that Snow White is the fairest. This causes the step-mother to try to kill Snow White through a huntsman, using a comb, a corset, and finally an apple. This mirror phrase seems to raise more and more anger the more it is asked. One could assume that the mirror is the judging factor in the phrase, but after a closer look on a psychological level, the

The comb is an example of having beautiful long hair in a female which is often classified with femininity. When the queen brushes Snow White’s hair she states “there my beauty” and “beauty wears at a good price.” This shows that the queen possibly acknowledges and identifies Snow White as her “beauty” which could support the statement that Snow White is just a figurative metaphor for the queen’s life and past beauty. It is further asserted when she says “Beauty wears at a good price” which suggests that her beauty is fading and price means aging and becoming a queen. The corset further alludes the theme of the queen’s insecurities but now implies that she might have lost not only her beauty but her youthful figure. The corset is seen as tool of beauty and the perfect figure; therefore, by using it as a way to kill Snow White, it shows that her youthful body has disappeared along with her beauty. The objects used to kill Snow White further alludes to the idea that the queen is feeling vulnerable and fragile in this fairytale as she continues to age. This provides a further insight into the queen’s