White: Beyond Naivete and Obliviousness One of Research Paper

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White: Beyond Naivete and Obliviousness

One of the earliest interpretations of Snow White can be traced to the collected works of the Brother's Grimm. Since then, the tale has been adapted into an animated feature -- Disney's first -- and has served as the subject for Anne Sexton's poem, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves." In these interpretations, Snow White has traditionally been portrayed as an innocent, naive, and oblivious girl who eventually succumbs to the chicanery of her evil stepmother and is almost killed. Through these various interpretations, it can be argued that Snow White is not only naive and oblivious, but she is also stubborn and selfish.

Snow White can only be considered to be oblivious and/or naive up to the point that she realizes that her stepmother has tried to have her killed. Up until the moment she realizes that her stepmother has tried to have her killed, Snow White's naivete can be attributed to her innocence, which is also referenced to in her name. Snow White's innocence is rooted in both her youth and her sexual inexperience. In "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves," Sexton writes, "No matter what live you lead/the virgin is a lovely number…She is unsoiled./She is as white as a bonefish" (lines 1-2, 12-13). Snow White's innocence is also rooted in the fact that she has done nothing wrong and is thus, free of guilt. Snow White's stepmother attempted to punish her on the sole basis that a magic mirror told her that Snow White was more beautiful than she, something that Snow White could not control. One fateful day when the evil queen inquired who was the fairest one of them all, the mirror answered to her that Snow White was fairer.

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Upon hearing this, she "took fright and turned yellow and green with envy…The envy and pride grew ever greater, like a weed in her heart, until she had no peace day and night" (Grimm). Like Sexton's description of Snow White, and her use of imagery to allude to innocence and purity, the Brothers Grimm use colorful imagery to describe the evil queen and let the reader better understand the type of person the queen was.

However, neither naivete nor obliviousness can be used to explain Snow White's inability to listen to others about the danger she remains in because the huntsman failed to carry out his orders to kill the innocent girl. In the Brothers Grimm version of the story, which Sexton references, Snow White is repeatedly warned about the possibility that the evil queen will continue to search for and try to kill Snow White until she has succeeded. When Snow White first arrives at the dwarves home, "she told them that her stepmother had tried to kill her, that the huntsman had spared her life" (Grimm). Upon hearing her story, and agreeing to let her stay with them, the dwarves warned, "Be careful about your stepmother. She will soon know that you are here. Do not let anyone in" (Grimm). Almost immediately, Snow White's stepmother makes a second attempt on her life by selling her bodice laces that she then ties too tight. When the dwarves finally revive Snow White they tell her, "The old peddler was no one else but the godless queen. Take care and let no one in when we are not….....

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