The story of Snow White has journeyed far and wide to reach the mainstream fame granted by Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Following the sanitary path laid by the Brothers Grimm, Disney's sugary depiction of Snow White reveals how far this beloved character has traveled to reach the hearts and minds of modern audiences.
Once Upon A Time, There Lived an Evil Queen and a Lovely Princess
As the film opens with the evil queen learning she is no longer the fairest in the land, the scene is quickly contrasted by the rosie-cheeked princess displaying her polished optimism. This contrast reveals the film's primary focus: gentle-hearted Snow White versus the black-hearted Queen.
The Character of Snow White
Snow White's first appearance, in which she is surrounded by doves and cheerfully singing despite being dressed in rags as a virtual slave, lends the film what Terri Windling describes as "a distinctly American flavor, implying we're watching a simple 'rags to riches' story" (Windling, Snow, Glass, Apples). The predictable Hollywood formula, in which pretty females await rescue by square-jawed handsome princes is also established early on. As Snow White sings her wish into the well, "I'm wishing for the one I love to find me today," she exemplifies Disney's tendency to dilute the power and complexity of fairy tale heroines like Snow White and Cinderella.
Enter, the Prince
Of the many versions of Snow White in existence, Disney's is the only one in which the princess meets her prince early on. In this version, it is not only the mirror's announcement that sets off the queen's rage, but also her awareness of the prince's early infatuation with the princess. Like Snow White, viewers are comforted by the prince's early presence as a sunny promise that all will be well in the end. The predetermined love between the prince and Snow White also erases the dark necrophilic elements of earlier tales.
Snow White and Her Huntsman
Like the prince, the huntsman charged with murdering Snow White and carving out her heart is disarmed by her gentle nature. After he witnesses Snow White's concern for a lost baby bird, he lets her escape into the woods. In Disney's version, it is not Snow White's resourcefulness or cunning that saves her, but rather her docile, maternal instincts.
Even after a murder attempt - followed by a terrifying night alone in the woods, Snow White not only chides herself for showing fear, but breaks into a perky little ditty about how "When things go wrong, you sing a song." Snow White's inability to show emotion, other than empty docility, lies in opposition to the rawness of her character in earlier tales such as The Young Slave - the story's earliest known written version.
Snow White's Domestic Mastery
When the princess finds and enters the dwarfs' house, she laments that it must be inhabited by motherless children and expresses jovial disapproval for the home's lack of cleanliness and organization. In a dizzying display of maternal and domestic mastery, the princess playfully scolds the birds for attempting to sweep under the rug while exhibiting her own fine housekeeping skills.
The dwarfs become pivotal characters in Disney's version as, like Snow White, they extol the virtues of a strong work ethic. They whistle as they work and cheerfully march off singing, "Heigh-Ho, Heigh-Ho. It's off to work we go." While dwarfs were marginally present in some earlier versions, Disney assigns each one a distinctive name and personality. In doing so, the film "leads attention away from the peculiarity of a ripe young girl keeping house with seven burly, earthy and unmarried men" (Windling, Snow, Glass, Apples).
Snow White as the Perfect Wife and Mother
Disney further downplays the aforesaid peculiarity by assigning the dwarfs the role of children and Snow White the role of mother. Snow White's maternal nature shines through in her interactions with the dwarfs as she makes them wash before sitting down to eat, prepares them a wholesome meal, and adorns the table with flowers. She is nothing if not the perfect wife and mother as she stands at the door and kisses each dwarf as they leave for work.
And what does she do when she is finally alone in the house? Does she put her feet up and enjoy a well-deserved rest? After being driven from her home, the victim of attempted murder, spending a terrifying night in the woods, and then cooking, cleaning, and caring for her seven 'children', she bakes a pie!
The Evil Queen and Her Dark Magic
While removing the cannibalistic overtones of the traditional tales, Disney keeps the dark power of the evil Queen intact. In a stormy scene, the Queen cackles menacingly as she casts her sinister spell on the infamous apple.
Show White Sleeps Until her Wish is Fulfilled
Despite warnings from the dwarfs, Snow White's blindly-trusting disposition makes her easy prey for the wicked Queen and her dark magic. After she falls into a deep sleep induced by the poisoned apple, the dwarfs place her in a guarded glass coffin until, of course, the prince strides in and saves the day with a kiss.
Despite the fact that it was the dwarfs who defeated the queen, cared for the princess's sleeping corpse, and mourned her with flowing tears, when Snow White's eyes open, they are filled only with the prince. Without so much as a freshly-baked pie, she gives the dwarfs quick good-byes and leaves them behind in the wake of her happy ending.
Conclusion
While Walt Disney was an admirer of fairy tales, he was more than willing to pluck the traditional tales from their twisted roots in favor of making them more palatable to moviegoers of his day. In response to some of the criticism regarding his mass-market retellings of fairy tales, Disney responded, "It's just that people now don't want fairy stories the way they were written. They were too rough." As Disney's audience had recently experienced the losses of war and the Great Depression, he was probably right.
Marina Warner, fairy tale scholar, cautions that "Disney's version has affected everybody's idea of fairy tales themselves" (Warner, 1995). She also warns against the generic characters like the evil older woman and passive heroine that permeate retellings such as these.
Ultimately, the power lies with the readers/viewers of these stories. More and more often, fans are seeking out the traditional tales in an effort to have a more authentic fairy tale experience. In doing so, the lesser-known dark and seductive sides of the tales beloved by generations can once again find their voice.
Sources:
- Disney, Walt. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. YouTube (Part 1-8). Accessed February 2, 2012.
- Hallett, Martin & Karasek, Barbara. (1991). Folk and Fairy Tales. Ontario: Broadview Press Ltd.
- Warner, Marina. From the Beast to the Blonde. (1995). USA: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.
- Windling, Terri. Snow, Glass, Apples: The Story of Snow White. Endicott Studio. Accessed February 1, 2012.
Lara Smith - is a freelance writer with a Bachelor of Arts in English, History and Religious Studies.
