Thumbelina

Come live in the marsh with a toad you just met. It'll be great!

This week's tale is long story about a tiny girl. Thumbelina is a piece by Hans Christian Anderson, which makes the country of the week Denmark. There is so much to dig into in this story, but I'll try to keep it light.

Thumbelina, or Tiny as she's also called, is pulled from one part of the story to another. She's kidnapped twice and is almost married off three times. Her life is not easy. She goes from living a sheltered life with her mom, to fending for herself in the forest. The only time Tiny takes control of her life is when she agrees to leave with the swallow whose life she saved.

Throughout the story, Tiny's beauty is a curse to her. It's why she gets kidnapped so often and is why so many animals want to marry her. The only time it is a good thing for her is at the end of the story when she meets the fairy king. Only then, when she wants to marry someone, does it help her that she's attractive. Marrying someone based only on their looks is problematic, but we don't have space to dive into that here. I'm sure it worked out fine for them.

I suppose a moral for this story could be, "Try not to be pretty when times are tough," but I don't like that moral. Instead, let's say, "When all sorts of animals are trying to marry you, hold out for the Fairy King who lives where it's always warm."