A Historical and Feminist Analysis of Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's “The Brave Little Tailor”

November 28^th, 2016

The story of “The Brave Little Tailor” is to many an incredibly appealing tale, as it draws on many core fairy tale motifs while subverting them in subtle ways. The story is in essence a parody of the knightly quest, as its main character – a poor, meek little tailor – finds success through deceit and trickery rather than brawn. He completes the many challenges given to him by the King, and ascends to the throne, with a princess as his reward. The critical aspect of this story is the poor tailor’s ascension to a higher class, and his role as an active male hero who is bestowed a bride. This analysis will thus view the tale through a historical/political lens (drawing on the work of Jack Zipes) as well as a feminist one (drawing on the work of Maria Tatar and Kay Stone). Overall, this essay will demonstrate that while the tailor is at first disempowered by his low social status, he is empowered by the nature of his gender. He works within existing power structures to elevate himself to a higher place in society, and does so armed only with his own wits. This high level of agency within the plot is enabled by the fact that he is a male character, and thus plays a much more active role in comparison to female fairy tale heroines. The tailor’s bride, by contrast, is empowered socially and disadvantaged in terms of her gender; she is presented to the hero as a prize. This essay will specifically examine, through both analytical perspectives, the essential character of the tailor, his actions within the story, and the nature of his bride.

When looking at this story from a historical perspective, the most immediately relevant aspect of the hero’s character is his occupation – a tailor. The story is named after it, and he is called a tailor throughout. This would have had very clear implications to those hearing the story during the Grimms’ time, these implications being lost on modern readers. It would have immediately identified the hero as someone of small stature and low class. As Jack Zipes explains, “the profession of tailoring had not been highly regarded because it did not demand much skill or material. Nor did one have to be exceptionally strong, so that the weaker sons were generally apprenticed to master tailors. In addition, there were so many tailors that a tailor’s life was generally one of poverty” (84-85). By virtue of his profession, the character is immediately established as being disenfranchised, both socially and personally. The little tailor is specifically characterized as ‘little’ because tailors were among the weakest people in society. Not only that, but he is poor, and clearly part of the lower class. It not difficult to imagine such a character as being deceitful, the assumption being that they might do anything to get ahead in life; this is appropriately reflected in the hero’s ambition and penchant for trickery (87). Overall, given the stigma surrounding the occupation of a tailor, it is not surprising that the various characters of the story view him unfavorably: the merchant selling jam sees him as stingy; the King and princess try to exile him when they discover his true place in society; and the first giant, immediately upon seeing him, yells: “You bum! You good-for-nothing!” (Grimm 67). While it is understandable for the giant to have a distain for humans in general, he uses very specific pejorative terms to describe the tailor, calling attention to his lack of wealth and low place in society. Even before the two royal characters enter the story, the tale is foreshadowing that the tailor’s class will become relevant, and that the story’s broader theme will be the common fairy tale contrast between rich and poor, peasants and royalty. Zipes specifically calls attention to the fact that almost all fairy tales which feature tailors are focused on this conflict; the tailor character always wishes to improve his lot in life, to find a place for himself beyond the stigma of his profession (87). Essentially, by calling attention to the tailor’s profession, the tale effectively (perhaps unconsciously) provides the character with a hidden motivation - an impetus for his quest. While it is usually inappropriate to consider fairy tale characters in terms of their personal longings (as by the nature of their medium they are not allowed any), it is necessary to frame the tailor in this light, as it is how 18^th Century listeners would have interpreted the character. They would have immediately recognized his low place in life and positioned him in opposition to the powers that be. The delight of the story comes when he – the little, weak, disenfranchised tailor - succeeds over the King and Princess, rising to a higher social class. Overall, the character of the tailor is defined by his occupation, and this immediately disempowers him - this serves the narrative function of setting him against the ruling class, and provides an explanation for his desire to better his position in life.

If one considers the tailor’s position at the beginning of the story from a feminist perspective, he is already empowered simply by virtue of his gender, and the associated character conventions applied to male characters in fairy tales. Specifically, he is permitted to be incredibly vain, naïve and fearless to the point of stupidity, while a female character would be punished for these qualities. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this dichotomy is the fact that he is actually rewarded for his deficits. As Maria Tatar explains, “The more hopelessly naïve and obtuse the hero of a tale, the more likely it is that he will triumph over his adversities and that his adventures will be crowned with success” (97). As she goes on to explain, this fact is incredibly evident in “The Brave Little Tailor,” as the story sets itself in motion with an act of egotism: the tailor kills seven flies in one blow, and he immediately remarks at how great and brave he is, before making a belt to commemorate his achievement; he then decides to tell of his feat, exclaiming, “The whole world has to hear!” (Grimm 65). This act of egotism is not punished, as it would likely be in a female character (an example being the evil queen in Snow White, who is characterized as a villain for her terrible vanity). Instead, the tailor’s egotism and bravado is what drives the story forward and allows him to succeed: the first giant comes to respect the tailor when he assumes the belt indicates he has killed seven men, and the people outside the city infer that the belt marks him as a “great war hero” or a “mighty lord” (71). In this, the tailor is actively rewarded for his vanity. By choosing not to correct those who misinterpret his belt, the hero is essentially deceiving others as to his true nature – he is pretending to be someone who he is not, and this is the foundation of his success. An effective comparison to this act of deception is found in another Brothers Grimm tale: “The Goose Girl.” In it, a female character similarly attempts to deceive a kingdom into believing she is someone of high stature – a princess – when in fact she is a maid of lower-class. Unlike the tailor, who is able to triumph in spite of his discovery, the maid character is forced to suffer terribly – she is placed, naked, into a barrel lined with spikes, and subsequently dies (213). While the maid is an antagonist and must be defeated as per fairy tale conventions, it is still an effective demonstration of the privilege male heroes have in relation to female characters. Nowhere in “The Brave Little Tailor” is the tailor punished for his deception, vanity, or bravado as a heroine would be: these sins are the foundation of his success. While in the historical interpretation the tailor was characterized by his disempowerment, a feminist examination of the text reveals a male character who can do no wrong.

When considering the actual actions of the tailor through a political perspective, it is interesting that the story’s emphasis on class conflict is based only around his attempts to earn wealth and social status. While the character, by nature of his occupation, is positioned in opposition to the wealthy, the only actions he takes in the story focus on gaining and maintaining his power. This is a point of criticism for Zipes, who asserts that “the appeal of the male protagonists, whether they be tailors or soldiers, is that they demonstrate a distinct willingness to rectify social injustices, particularly when they are class-related” (87). This assessment of the general male tailor character – one that asserts they are focused on righteousness – is not at all consistent with the actual actions of the hero in “The Brave Little Tailor.” While the narrative as a whole revolves around the idea of class conflict, this conflict manifests itself solely in the tailor’s attempts to gain wealth and power from the King - to use his natural deceit and trickery for his own benefit. The tailor does not wish change the social order, but elevate himself within it; the only injustice he wishes to rectify is his own. This manifests itself in the struggle between himself and the King; the latter laments the fact that his kingdom has been infiltrated by a supposedly powerful lord, and he attempts to dispose of him by sending him on dangerous quests for the promise of half the kingdom (Grimm 71). Once the tailor becomes King, his only act is to solidify his own rule by scaring away the former King’s men – those who would seek to depose him (77). This conflict is much more personal and self-motivated, and while it reflects the class struggle, it says nothing meaningful about it on a grand scale. It is thus no surprise that various adaptations of the work – mostly those within socialist countries – remove the boastful, self-motivated nature of the protagonist, and turn him into a voice for communist values. In an East German version, the King and his daughter are in fact banished, and the kingdom becomes the property of the proletariat (Cohen 125). While these adaptations reflect the values of the modern day, it is also important to consider the story through a historical lens – to imagine the rural folk telling this tale, or at least a version like it, in the wake of the feudal era. In this respect, the lowly tailor’s selfish acquisition of wealth and his ascension to the upper class both serve as a sort of personal fantasy for the working people of Europe. Ultimately, the tale is focused on the individual actions of the tailor rather than widespread social reform specifically because the story’s main character exists only to reflect the longings and desires of the people telling it.

When examining the tailor’s actions through a feminist lens, it becomes clear that his active pursuit of wealth and power is only enabled by the fact that he is a male character, and thus has much more agency compared to female fairy tale heroines. Just as he seeks to exploit the existing class divides of society, so too does he profit from the existing patriarchal power structure that exists within fairy tales. This is not a blatant part of the text in the way that his social ascension is, but he would not be able ascend the social ladder purely by his own vain bravado if he was a woman. As Kay Stone explains, “Heroes succeed because they act, not because they are. They are judged not by their appearance or inherent sweet nature but by their ability to overcome obstacles, even if these obstacles are defects in their own characters. Heroines are not allowed any defects, nor are they required to develop, since they are already perfect” (44). Everything that happens to the character of the tailor is a result of his own doing: he overcomes every obstacle purely through his own cleverness, and occasionally in spite of his own foolishness. There is no donor within the story, nor any magical interference that helps the tailor transition from a lower position to a higher one – rather, he succeeds only because he acts. This stands in stark contrast to female heroines. While many of them do make a similar ascension from peasant to princess, this transformation is not truly enabled by any action they undertake themselves. They only rise in social status by marrying a prince. The man always has the active role, and females are consistently portrayed as being passive and beautiful, even if they are protagonists. As Stone explains, “Cinderella (AT 510A) and Frau Holle (AT 480) succeed because of their excessive kindness and patience,” while “Sleeping Beauty (AT 4-10) and Snow White (AT 709) are so passive that they have to be reawakened to life by a man” (43). In all these instances, the ascension of women from a lower, disenfranchised place is enabled by a man, and her Prince is never presented as a reward, but as a free agent that desires the protagonist for her beauty. Overall, the tailor’s character is portrayed as being so active within the story specifically because male heroes are not constrained by the same values that women are beholden to. His character is empowered by the patriarchal nature of fairy tales, and thus he is able to acquire wealth and power purely on his own merits.

The princess in “The Brave Little Tailor” is a perfect demonstration of this imbalance between male and female fairy tale characters in that she is completely disempowered within the story in relation to the tailor. She is first introduced to the protagonist purely as prize, an accessory to the tailor’s receipt of the kingdom. This is solidified within the text of the story, as the King always refers to her and the kingdom jointly: to have one is to have the other (Grimm 71). This frames the princess as an object – she is merely a gift to be given to the tailor, one that legitimizes his rule within the kingdom. His bride makes absolutely no effort to court him, and in fact has no choice within the marriage. The one interesting subversion of this is the bride’s dismay when she discovers that her husband is a peasant (77). She only begins to take on agency the moment she discovers the true nature of the tailor’s low social class (thus highlighting the class struggle inherent in the story), and schemes with her father to have the man exiled. However, due to her departure from the passive role expected of her gender, she is summarily defeated by the tailor, who scares the King’s men away. It is interesting that after her objection, the bride is never mentioned again. The final line merely states: “And so the little tailor was, and remained, a king all his life.” (77). Here, her role is not simply admonished, but disregarded altogether – the second she defies the male protagonist and the restrictions imposed upon her as a female character, she is cast aside. The Princess exists within the narrative not as an individual in her own right, but as a prop used to bring resolution to the story, to highlight the male character’s shrewdness, and end the tale with one final demonstration of his strength in the face of upper-class oppression.

Ultimately, these two critical approaches to the story are interesting not in that they offer two radically different interpretations of the tale, but that they function in tandem with each other. The historical lens reveals the tailor to be a character of poverty and woe, thus setting him in opposition to the ruling class and providing him with a drive to achieve a better place in life. His attempts to achieve this higher stature are aided by the fact that he is a male character – the feminist lens demonstrates that he is inclined to succeed as a result of (and sometimes in spite of) his traditionally negative qualities such as his egotism and foolish sense of bravery. Lastly, he is able to take an active role in the plot and exploit the class divisions within society to his own ends due to the fact that he is empowered by the patriarchal nature of fairy tales; he is not constrained by the restrictions that female characters’ face – his wife among them. Overall, “The Brave Little Tailor” demonstrates that while the tailor is at first disempowered by his low social status, he is empowered by the nature of his gender, and this allows him face great beasts and achieve a better life for himself. The story ultimately reflects the specific time in which it was recorded, in that it is a story of joy and hope for the poor and destitute, yet at the same time it is also a stark reminder of the pain and submission endured by women - not just in fairy tales, but in the real world.

Works Cited

Cohen, Norman. “The Grimm Reality.” Western Folklore, vol. 27, no. 2, 1968, pp. 125–126.

www.jstor.org/stable/1498154.

Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. Selected Folktales: A Dual-Language Book. Ed. and trans. Stanley

Appelbaum. New York: Dover, 2003

Stone, Kay. “Things Walt Disney Never Told Us.” The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 88,

no. 347, 1975, pp. 42–50. www.jstor.org/stable/539184.

Tatar, Maria. The Hard Facts of the Grimms’ Fairy Tales. Princeton: Princeton University Press,

2003. Print.