Post #3- midterm. Shannon Mazza(Sec. 8)

Rapunzel: Internal Goodness

Tangled! Yet another fantastic Disney movie. But is it really just a simple fairy tale? I think not!

Rapunzel has spent nearly her entire life locked in a tower. Her "mother" has always told her that it is not safe outside. She's said that there are evil men who will kidnap her. All lies of course, but because of Rapunzel's magical hair, it was easy for her "mother", actually an evil witch, to convince her that she wouldn't be safe. So there Rapunzel stays, locked away in her tower until her 18th birthday.

So, brief history: Rapunzel is actually the daughter of the king and queen who live in a rather nearby castle. Rapunzel's mother was dying when she was in labor so the soldiers when in search of a magical flower that could save her life. So when her mother ingested some broth made with the flower, it healed her! And it also gave Rapunzel golden hair with magical healing qualities when you sing to it that would go away if it were cut. Oh yea, it can also restore youth. So enters the witch, having discovered the whereabouts of the flower's magic. She attempts to cut off a lock of the baby's hair to keep her young but of course finds out that that can't be done when the hair withers in her hand. This leaves her few options, so she decides to steal the child away and raise it as her own locked away in a tower where no one can find her.

But let's think about the bigger picture here. Rapunzel is raised by an evil woman, although she doesn't know this. Yet, her evil mother isn't exactly nice. She's selfish and doesn't try to hide it. However, Rapunzel has grown up kind and creative with a thirst for adventure. She hasn't seen any other person besides the with but she remains compassionate when she soon does encounter people. How is this? It's my belief that although Rapunzel has been raised by someone evil, she carries with her the goodness and charisma of her real parent's. It offers up the possibility that maybe some people are born with an inherent goodness, a knowledge of right and wrong. Rapunzel had no need for selfishness, yes she always wanted more, but not of anything material. She had pretty much everything she needed in that tower of hers. But she knew something was missing, and she was ready to do whatever she needed to do to figure out what that was.

As can be seen, Rapunzel fights an inner battle. She knows what she's doing will hurt her evil witch mother, but she also knows that not doing it will hurt herself. Rapunzel faces a popular conundrum: doing what will make others happy, or doing what will make you happy. She's been raised in a "classless society" of sorts, never allowed to do anything remotely selfish or special. ( http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Info:Main_Page) Nothing that will allow her to be something more.

But in turning away from such an existence she finds everything she's been missing.