Y is for...Youth Vs. Age!

Today my post is about Youth vs. Age in fairy tales. There aren't a whole lot of fairy tales that have this concept in them, but one of the main ones does! A lot of fairy tales do involve mainly young characters, though.
Taken from here
Taken from here
The whole plot of Snow White revolves around the stepmother and her vanity. The magic mirror says that Snow White is the fairest of them all, so the stepmother tries to have her killed, all because she is jealous of Snow White's youth and beauty. This is a terrible reason to try and have someone killed, especially because the mirror actually says that the stepmother is the second fairest of them all. That would certainly be good enough for me! Youth wins out in this fairy tale (as it does in most) when Snow White is revived by her Prince Charming, and Age is beaten by a pair of red hot iron shoes.

There's also a Youth vs. Age concept in Hansel and Gretel. The two children first come up against their stepmother, who abandons them because she'd rather they starve than herself. They then come across a Witch, described as an elderly woman, who then tries to eat them, but Gretel manages to push her into the oven. When Hansel and Gretel eventually find their way home, they find that their stepmother has mysteriously died, so they live happily ever after, again showing that youth wins over age in fairy tales.
Taken from here
Only one more A to Z post to go! I can't believe it's gone so quickly, but I'll be glad to have some time for myself again!

Comments

  1. Miss H28 April 2012 at 17:49

    Indeed youth always wins - imagine how weird it would be if there was a fairytale where youth didn't win!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson28 April 2012 at 17:57

      That would be weird! But like with stepmothers, it makes people believe that older people are the bad guys, particularly old women (perhaps with a wart on their nose?) :)

      Delete
  2. Stephanie29 April 2012 at 00:25

    Youth and beauty always win in fairy tales. Really, it's something to think about. What does that say about the world?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson29 April 2012 at 14:37

      It tell us that Youth and Beauty are everything, when they really aren't!

      Delete
  3. Anonymous29 April 2012 at 06:44

    That is very true, which is not entirely fair on the elderly nowdays, since many "youths" are rotten little sods, while elderly people are the good ones! They need to do a fairytale that is back to front!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson29 April 2012 at 14:38

      They do! It's not fair on the elderly, although I have encountered some rude elderly people, so I think there is good and bad to both sides! :)

      Delete
  4. Kelley Lynn30 April 2012 at 01:13

    Yeah... maybe in one of these stories the old foogy should win :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson30 April 2012 at 09:07

      I think so, it would certainly be something new! :)

      Delete
  5. The Beans30 April 2012 at 04:34

    I tell you, those fairy tales messed me up for life. The lessons to be learned!

    -Barb the French Bean

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Clipson30 April 2012 at 09:07

      Me too, I'm still waiting for my prince charming to whisk me away to his Castle so we can live happily ever after :)

      Delete

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