Bettelheim Snow White

An Analysis of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

According to Bruno Bettelheim, the form and structure of fairytales suggest images to the child by which “he can structure his daydreams and with them give better direction in life” (1). In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the film contains animals that sing and dance, little dwarf men, and a beautiful princess, however it also contains dark scenes of death and transformation. Primarily based for a child audience, Snow White teaches children many valuable lessons such as the importance of cleanliness, and friendship that will enable them to shape their values in life and choose which path they want to follow. Although in the bigger picture Snow White offers the message through examples of isolation
Isolation occurs in Snow White when she is lead into the woods by the hunter, unaware that she is supposed to be killed. The hunter exclaims “I cannot do it, it’s the Queen! She will stop at nothing! Go! Run! Far away and never return!” This leaves Snow White running frantically through the woods where she encounters scary shadows, birds and creepy creatures in the night. Snow White eventually awakens on the forest floor only to find herself, alone and frightened. As she cries the animals come out to comfort her and help her find a place to stay. Bettelheim believes that by being in touch with primitive things such as a tree, an animal, nature, the child feels more in touch with those things then most adults do (5). This becomes apparent that children could relate to this thought when the birds, animals and Snow White put on happy faces, and the animals lead her to the cottage of the seven dwarfs, all while singing “One day my prince will come.” This scene proves to the child that even in the darkest and scariest of times, they are not alone, and there will always be someone or something that can help them get through the scary situation. Since isolation is most likely going to occur at some point throughout a child’s life, this is a crucial message to present to a
This is where polarization of good and evil comes into play. “Polarization dominates a child’s mind and it also dominates fairytales” (Bettelheim 3). The Queen stands holding a box with what she believes is Snow Whites heart, begging the question again of who is the fairest. When the mirror replies that Snow White is still fairest the Queen loses her temper, realizes that she has been tricked by the hunter, and vows to kill Snow White herself. “I’ll do it myself, with a disguise and a potion” the Queen exclaims, thus solidifying herself as the “evil” character. Snow White then becomes without a doubt the “good” character. Bettelheim believes “the child has a basis for understanding that there are great differences between people and that therefore one has to make choices about who one wants to be” (3). Does the child want to follow the good character or the evil one? In essence the child will almost always side with whichever character they feel the most loyalty to. While the Queen creates the magic potion to transform herself into an old hag, and creates the poison apple, Snow White is back at the dwarf’s cottage unaware that she is being plotted against, happy as can be. The difference between the two characters is that Snow White is content with her life now,