The Snow Queen is one
of the few unaltered Hans Christian Anderson tales that I actually like (the
other one is Thumbalina). I call Anderson privately the king of bittersweet endings.
The Snow Queen is really no different in the long run, but the story is good
enough to keep my interest.
In the original story, a demon creates a magic mirror. It
only shows what is ugly and hateful in the world. When it shatters, shards
pierce the hearts and eyes of man. These men can then only see what the mirror
will show them. Flash forward to two children named Kai and Gerda. One day when
they're playing Kai is pierced by two of the shards of the mirror, one in his
heart and one in his eye. He then abandons Gerda and becomes mean and spiteful.
He is kidnapped by the Snow Queen and is taken to her house far in the north.
Gerda then goes on an epic journey in order to save Kai from the Snow Queen's
clutches. Through many dangers, she finally finds him and manages to bring him
home. The bittersweet ending comes when Anderson tells us that although they
won the day, "they were no longer children." They had lost that
innocence associated with childhood in the course of their travels. However,
despite that the story is still very good.
No comments:
Post a Comment