(no subject)

[semperfiona]

So today's bedtime story was Rapunzel. At the point where the prince promises to bring her material to make a rope, Rosa announced, "I know how Rapunzel could get out of the tower!"

She could cut off her own hair and tie it to the windowframe.

Now why didn't Rapunzel ever think of that? How much of a bleedin' idiot was she?

Comments

Rapunzel wuz stoopid!

[scottak.livejournal.com]

Well, it's safe to say that she was a fair bit dimmer than Rosa! Are you sure she's six? I'm not totally convinced that she isn't some really short genius hiding out in your house for some reason.

[eternaleponine.livejournal.com]

LOL Bright kid you've got there! I guess if you're planning to lock her in a tower at any point, you'll have to make sure she has short hair. ;-)

[reannon.livejournal.com]

I tried telling that story to Kiddo once. He got weirded out by the prince climbing her hair. "Didn't that hurt her head?" he asked.

He's not fond of any fairy tale that doesn't include the prince battling a dragon or something.

[semperfiona]

"Didn't that hurt her head?"

I have always wondered that myself.

[beckyzoole.livejournal.com]

I once read an article about the physics of fairy tales that brought up that very point. Hurt her head? It would break her neck! Rapunzel would have to wrap her hair around the bedpost a couple of times before letting it out the window, if she wanted to avoid doing some serious damage to herself.

But I think that the reason why she didn't cut her own hair off and just climb down it, was because the witch didn't let her have any scissors or knives with which to cut it.

[semperfiona]

Yeah, Rosa thought of that immediately after her prior suggestion. But she could certainly have asked the prince to bring scissors on his next visit, and they could have escaped right away instead of waiting for her to weave a rope from balls of silk!

Also, absent scissors, what about breaking the hairs by hand, or by friction on a slightly rough surface? Individually or in small groups it should be possible though very very slow. But if you're captive in a tower, you've got nothing but time.

[kinzokutaka.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a very smart girl, and a potential role-player. Yay problem-solving skills! B^)

[ona-tangent.livejournal.com]

In the fairytime of male opression and the victimization of women as helpless creatures, it was in Rapunzel's best interest to play the fool. Obviously the prince had paraphillic tendencies towards long hair, so much so that Rapunzel felt she couldn't jeopardize the Prince's affections ny losing her luscious locks. If, as she suspected, the Prince loved her for her hair and not for her self, then cutting her hair represented a very real fear of being left in the tower forever and losing the safe harbor the prince could provide. Although the "safe harbor" represented by the prince would likely end up as repressive and hegemonic as the witches tower (see: long hair paraphilia).

Of course, maybe Rapunzel got off on someone getting off on her hair. However, it is far more likely that the exchange of her lovely locks in for the princes assistance represented a sexual negotiation in a time of fairytale oppression.

*cough*