When examining "Snow White" from an archetypal perspective, it becomes clear that there are many recurring characters, motifs, and symbols that shape the overall message in this fairytale. Snow White and many other fairy tales all seem to carry a deeper meaning within the simplicity of the writing. The authors, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, wrote the story using the many aspects of life, this therefore allows the reader to connect on a personal level. According to Literarydevices.net, “by using common archetype, the writers attempt to impart realism to their works, as the situations and characters are drawn from the experiences of the world.” From an archetypal perspective one can determine that the major theme presented is that good conquers evil. This theme is shown by the clash of forces, Snow White portrays the goodness with those that portray the evil, which is the Evil Queen. Now that Snow White is considered the “fairest of them all” there is evil surrounding her in every direction and she is somewhat unaware. She is fouled many times by the queen, who uses witchcraft in attempt to murder Snow White but repeatedly fails in doing so. Snow White is the protagonist, this makes the Evil Queen the antagonist since she is trying to prevent Snow White from living a happy life.
In terms of repetition, the passage “as white as snow and as red as blood, and as black-haired as ebony wood” occurs several times throughout the story. “The colour white is said to symbolize perfection in it’s most pure state. The psychological meaning of white is purity, innocence, wholeness and completion” (Empowered By Color). Snow White is considered to be archetype, since she is a princess that has both inner and outer beauty. The colour white is an underlying form of symbolism as Snow White embodies an innocent and pure character who becomes confronted with the darkness of the Evil Queen. It is important to recognize that when Snow White’s mother says “as red as blood” she is referring to feelings of anger, danger, energy, and strength. While the colour black is significant to the theme since it “relates to the hidden, the secretive and the unknown, and as a result it creates an air of mystery. It keeps things bottled up inside, hidden from the world” (Empowered By Color). The reoccurrence of specific colours have deep meanings that connect back to the theme of Good vs. Evil.
Each character possesses a certain motif, whether it be positive or negative, that will eventually affect Snow White’s “Coming of Age” process. Primarily, the Huntsman’s motif was to kill Snow White because he was obeying the directions given by the Evil Queen. Once the huntsman saw the beauty and innocence of Snow White, he decided to let her live. This event demonstrates how the power of goodness conquers the power of evil. The Huntsman realized that it was morally right to let her live despite the consequences that he may face such as the wrath of the queen. The minor characters such as the seven dwarfs and animals help guide Snow White to safety away from the Evil Queen. They provide her with a home, food, security and protection. These characters have a positive motif that saves her life and helps her connect with the prince. In this fairy tale and in many others the prince is usually the archetypal hero that saves the female character in distress. In this case the prince does not necessarily save her, but he speeds up the process of her coming back to life. Snow White wakes up when the prince takes her coffin and it slips and the poisonous apple gets dislodged from her throat. The Evil Queen has very negative motifs that puts Snow White in danger. The queen goes to the Dwarfs’ house multiple times to murder Snow White. First with poisoned bodice laces, then with a poisoned comb and lastly with a poisoned apple that does kill Snow White. These examples indicate that the Evil Queen is insecure about herself and her actions towards Snow White stem from the Queen’s jealousy. When the mirror tells the queen that Snow White is still alive the queen says "Snow-White shall die,"......"if it costs me my life!" (Grimm, 5). This shows the startling lengths she will go to be to “fairest of them all”, even if she has to murder her deceased husband’s daughter.
Lastly, there are many symbols found in this fairytale that imply messages and lessons to be learnt from. According to Children's Books, Ebooks and free audiobooks, the poisoned apple that the queen gave to Snow White represents evil and often referred to as the works of the devil. Even though the apple looked crisp and harmless on the outside, it was very dangerous on the inside. This concept is also presented when the queen uses witchcraft to make herself into an unrecognizable old women. This is where an archetypal perspective ties in, the term persona is “the image we present to the world” ...... “sometimes characters will wear different persona or masks” (Google Slides). These illusions represent how looks are deceiving and one should not judge something or someone by its outward appearance. Another significant symbol is the number seven. There are in total seven dwarfs, this number is very important in the Bible. “The number seven is a number of completeness, divine perfection or something that is finished” (Christian Crier). This means that the dwarfs are a symbol of perfection and balance in religion. They are looked upon as saviours in the plot since they provide guidance and comfort to Snow White, when her life is endangered.
To conclude, it becomes apparent that there are deeper connotations when one takes on an archetypal viewpoint. There are characters, motifs, and symbols that reappear many times in the fairytale, Snow White, to intensify morals and messages. This fairytale demonstrates how the power of good evidently conquers the power of evil. This theme is evident, since Snow White lived happily ever after with the prince and the Evil Queen dies an excruciating death.
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