Subsequently, she is allowed to grow into other roles besides being a daughter Rapunzel finds herself as the wife of the prince and the mother of his children. Rapunzel becomes brave enough to escape the tower with him because she believes "'he will love me more than old Dame Gothel does'" (Grimm 4).īecause Rapunzel finally has a guardian she trusts, she is able to develop her own identity by making decisions for herself, such as to run away with the prince. Volger describes this stage, meeting the mentor, as the point when the prince gives Rapunzel the confidence to face the threshold of leaving the tower (Volger 3). Thus, Rapunzel fails to develop herself as a person and latches on to the first person she happens to find.
Rapunzel lacks the skills to form a secure attachment with another person because she has been isolated. As a result, Rapunzel does not build a trusting relationship with her guardian, creating an unstable foundation in Rapunzel's ability to develop her own identity. The tension from being and having a stolen child creates an awkward dynamic between the guardian (Dame Gothel) and her child (Rapunzel). This is the call to adventure because Rapunzel's "Ordinary World" with her parents is disrupted when the Dame steals her in a dispute (Volger 3). In the exposition, Grimm explains that Rapunzel was sacrificed when her father stole rampion for her mother from the Dame's garden (Grimm 1).
Moreover, the relationships between the characters, which are illustrated through the hero's journey, shape the story's plot which reveals the theme. By understanding the meaning behind each character's attributes and archetype, one can analyze the interactions between them to discern the theme of the story. The symbolic meanings of these attributes add to Rapunzel's reputation as the "good" character because she is a beautiful, young maiden that helps others.Īs a result, Dame Gothel wants to control Rapunzel because of her beauty, preventing her from developing herself as a member of society. Rapunzel's hair is described as "magnificent, fine as spun gold, and twenty ells long" (Grimm 3) and her tears magically heal the prince's blindness at the end of the story (Grimm 5). In "Rapunzel," her hair and her tears are both symbols the former represents youth and grace whereas the latter is magic. The stark difference between the good and evil archetypes divides Rapunzel and the Dame further, creating a rift in their guardian-child relationship.įurthermore, there are various symbols in each fairy tale that relate to a core meaning. On the other hand, Dame Gothel is the evil enchantress that stole a couple's baby to fulfill a deal. Rapunzel is beautiful and innocent because of her hair and the fact that she was taken away from her parents at birth.
In this story, Rapunzel is claimed to be "the most beautiful child under the sun" (Grimm 2) however, Dame Gothel is the evil character because she immediately took away Rapunzel as soon as her mother was "brought to bed" (Grimm 2).
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