Christmas magic does not only consist of people trying to be a little nicer than usual, pine trees, sparkly decorations or holiday songs. Fairy tales are also an important part of Christmas spirit, and I believe they are the most ethically charged component.
Ideological viewpoints are the foundations of every fairy tale we know. When aristocrats of the 17th century first wrote down traditional oral tales, they separated the wheat from the chaff in order to safeguard the values of the elite. For instance, French writer Charles Perrault in the late 17th century is responsible for changing the story of Little Red Riding Hood from one abut a clever girl who manages to save herself from the wolf to one of a heroic woodcutter who saves a stupid girl. Motifs, characters, themes and configurations had to address the concerns of the ruling class. In France, the written tales had to be accepted by Parisians' salons and the court of Louis XIV. Stories increasingly featured castles, kings, golden crowns and docile princesses; they increasingly reflected patriarchal values.
According to Jack Zipes, author of "Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion," "The very fact that the Nazis recognized the necessity to create a policy with regard to folk and fairy tales demonstrated a general awareness about their cultural impact on children." Archetypes such as the courageous prince, the submissive virgin and the self-sacrificing mother were ideal in illustrating the constituents of the Aryan family.
Tales are still a literary discourse about mores, values and manners. Disney in particular has restored many of its conservative features. Pinocchio, for instance, is a wooden boy who must prove that he is obedient, responsible and docile in order to enter a so-called civilized society.
Disney's views on family are also quite conservative. In each tale there is always one parent, dead, absent or replaced, and the role of the hero/heroine is to restore equilibrium by achieving the fundamental goal of founding a proper nuclear family.
Disney's fairy tales assert very conservative sex roles. In Z Magazine, Marlene Wurfel asks, "Just how passive, submissive and insipid should young girls strive to be?" In most Disney movies, we have the fundamental equation: Good + beautiful + passive + comatose + white or self-abnegating + long-suffering girl = handsome rich prince. The other alternative for females is to be active, aggressive, ugly, independent and tortured.
Women must practice self-abnegation. The little mermaid trades her voice — her right to speak — for legs, in order to be more beautiful and useful to the prince! The dwarfs are hardworking American workers. But when Snow White arrives, she notices the house is dirty — of course, because there are no females in it — so she cleans it. Both Cinderella and Snow White are immaculate housekeepers.
Boys are much cleverer than girls. When incompetent little Jasmine gets herself into trouble in the marketplace, Aladdin comes to rescue her. The facebook group "Disney gave me unrealistic expectations about love" has a couple thousand members. I have to say I'm happy these expectations are unrealistic.
Walt Disney tales also rely on a belief in a natural, absolutist and biological order.
Proper behaviors are rewarded; improper antitypes will be punished by some kind of divine order. Evil stepmothers are always punished. Snow White is rewarded — she was so good and so white. For some reason these rewards always come in the form of money, power or fame.
Some of Disney's presuppositions are close to eugenics and racial determinism. The little mermaid's story, just like that of Hans Christian Andersen's ugly duckling, rests on the idea that a few lucky ones are born to rise to power. The hyenas of "The Lion King" can't rule; they are a much too ugly and depraved species. The ruler must be a lion — the majestic species.
Of course, I can't deny that I know all of the Disney songs by heart, enjoy the romance of the Beauty dancing with the Beast and still hide behind the couch when Mufasa dies. But I do think that it is important to realize that many of our favorite tales are expressions of dominant norms of a patriarchal and prejudiced society. Some of the norms contradict the values of tolerance and openness that should be at the heart of Christmas spirit. Soleine Leprince, a visiting student, is a history and international and public affairs major from Paris, France. She may be reached at leprince@princeton.edu.
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