Snow White
We all know the story of Snow White. If you don’t, I pity the poor rock that has been your home.
Snow White: the beautiful princess known as the “fairest of them all” becomes the target of her jealous stepmother, who finally uglifies herself in order to poison Snow White with an apple. As Snow White was the first full length animated feature Walt Disney created, I felt it was appropriate to begin with her.
Argument #1.
Acceptance
Certainly Snow White longs for her own happily ever after as evidence in her song statements of “Someday my prince will come…and away to his castle we’ll go, to be happy forever I know…” One could interpret Snow White’s true desire is the acceptance of a man and therein lies her reasoning for happiness. However, when one considers the time period of Snow White’s making, it is not so complicated. 1937 was the year Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was released – a time when women’s roles still took place in the home, where marriage and homemaking were not just accepted and promoted. I could expound upon this, but the purposes of this blog is not meant for an endless societal debate, and the 1930’s can speak for themselves. And we also learn this isn't Snow White's final goal. She yearns for acceptance from others like the huntsman, forest creatures, and Grumpy. After a lifetime of her stepmother treating her as a slave, Snow White longs for someone to treat her right.
Also…when taking Snow White’s age into account, we learn that she is supposed to be portrayed as a 14 year old girl in the film. What 14 year old has a firm grasp on reality? What 14 year old girl isn’t naive without a desire to ride off into the sunset with her handsome prince? But is this a good concept to instill in a little girl’s mind?
Argument #2
Is it realistic?
One of my favorite quotes by my pastor, Rick Gamache, is this: In Jesus, the best stories always come true. No matter how much the world is stained by the sin of witches, evil stepmothers, poisoned apples etc, if a young lady is a follower of Jesus, then she is already a princess, the daughter of the most famous King, and she can look forward to the greatest happily ever after of all time. Perhaps the King has a prince in store for her, perhaps he does not, but she can always look forward to an eternal kingdom waiting for her just as Snow White looked forward to her prince’s castle. It is the classic symbolism of the relationship between Christ and his church, bridegroom to his bride. This is something we can remember when teaching our little girls about fairy tales.
Argument #3
Envy of Beauty
The movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarves revolves around the Queen's jealousy of Snow White's beauty. Jealousy is a very real concept especially when it comes to girls in the modern age. There is a good amount of competition from the clothes girls wear to jewelry to makeup to toys etc. When it comes to beauty, Disney could send the message that if you're pretty enough, everything will turn out well, but ultimately, they show how jealousy can end up destroying you. The Queen is so envious of Snow White's beauty, it causes her to destroy her own beauty. That's probably why envy is listed as one of the seven deadly sins and is also forbidden in the Ten Commandments. Because it's so strong, it can make you break any of the other nine.
Conclusion:
Would I let my daughter watch Snow White? Certainly, but I'd probably cover her eyes during the Queen's transformation to an old hag. It always scared me when I was little.
Other Lessons from Snow White
- Never accept an apple from a lady in the woods. Fruit sales belong in marketplaces, grocery stores, and farmer’s markets. The middle of a forest is a terrible sales spot so that woman was probably up to some mischief.
- Do not befriend random forest creatures. Any one of them could carry rabies or other diseases.
- Manners are important. You should wash your hands before dinner, be a proper guest, do your part to help with household chores, respect your elders, and learn the art of being polite.
- Do not judge a book by its cover. Snow White is gracious to the “old hag” who is her stepmother in disguise. She scolds the birds who attack the old woman. One should be kind to the elderly.
- Do not talk to strangers. Be kind, say hello, but do not invite them into your home.
- Be positive. Snow White is very optimistic even in her darkest hour. She can always see the silver lining behind a cloud.
- Value purity over beauty.
- A lively tune can help spread some cheer while you perform the daily drudgery.
- When you go out for revenge, you'd better dig two graves. The evil Queen's jealousy and envy get her nowhere, and not only does she ruin her own beauty, but in the end, it leads to her own demise.
Favorite Snow White Spinoff
I am pretty much in love with this Snow White from the hit show Once Upon a Time. She is both gentle and strong, kind and spirited, and she can learn to forgive the Evil Queen despite all the wrong done to her. Though Once is sometimes a little too dark for little girls, I highly recommend the show and a good number of its episodes.
Random Trivia
- In the original tale, Snow White remained in the coffin for years and grows into a young woman before the prince comes.
- Snow White is the shortest of the Disney princesses.
- The prince never kisses Snow White. In the end, while he helps the dwarves carry the casket, a dwarf trips and the poisoned apple chunk comes out of Snow White's throat.
- Snow White is one of three Disney pincesses without a movie sequel. The others are Tiana and Merida.
- In the original, the Queen is sentenced to dance in red hot, iron shoes until she drops dead at Snow White's wedding.
- Snow White is the only Disney princess who prays in a movie.
Want to find out more about Snow White? Check out the website below.
Want to find some Snow White activities for your little girl?
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