Disguise and Deception in Classic Fairy Tales Analyzed

Introduction: Disguise as Deception Across Fairy Tales

Deceit is the purpose of disguise, whether well-meaning or not. Cinderella dons the disguise of a beautiful princess to win the heart, mind, and affections of the handsome prince. The wolf in the Brothers Grimm's Red Riding Hood dons the disguise of the grandmother in order to eat the girl after he has already eaten the grandmother herself. In The Ballad of Mulan, the girl dons the disguise of a man to fight in the Chinese army. In all three cases, disguise is used to deceive, though the intention is not malicious in every instance.

However, in Anne Sexton's modern retelling of "Cinderella," there is a quality of outlandishness about the tale that gives the story an ironic and satirical ending: the prince and Cinderella live happily ever after because they stay eternally youthful, never having to deal with children, dust, dinner, or any of the inconveniences and challenges of real-world relationships. Their story, as told in the traditional fairy tale form, is itself a kind of disguise — a deceiving narrative meant to shield one from the realities of romance and real life. Real-world relationships have all manner of difficulties, no matter how beautiful or virtuous the lovers are; challenges will find them. Sexton mocks the lack of detail about the challenges that lie ahead for the two lovers following their union, as though their wedded bliss were to continue eternally even after the honeymoon ends. In Sexton's verse, one can sense a wolf lurking between the lines, snapping at the Western fairy tale genre itself for being too syrupy.

This paper examines how disguise in the fairy tale is used to deceive, and how these tales themselves can serve as a kind of deception when they do not tell the whole truth.

Realism and Deception in 'The Cat and Mouse in Partnership'

In the Brothers Grimm tale "The Cat and Mouse in Partnership," there is no formal disguise donned by either the cat or the mouse, but there is deception that leads to a very real-world ending — which makes this fairy tale one of the more grim and haunting of all the Brothers Grimm stories. The cat and mouse find a pot of fat and agree to store it away for the winter. The cat, however, pretends on three separate occasions that she has been asked to serve as godmother and, pretending to attend a christening each time, sneaks away to where the pot of fat has been stored and eats it all up. When winter comes and the mouse suggests they go and fetch the stored fat, the cat admits to what she has done. The mouse promptly scolds her, but the cat has no remorse and quickly swallows the mouse whole. The Brothers Grimm conclude the tale by stating simply: "You see, that is the way of the world."

Indeed, the ending perfectly reflects an ill-suited partnership and brings to mind the tragic fate awaiting Red Riding Hood if no heroic huntsman is nearby to save her. The ironic and satirical tone adopted by Sexton in her telling of the Cinderella story suggests that there is more truth in "The Cat and Mouse in Partnership" than in the happy ending of either "Cinderella" or "Red Riding Hood."

The Ballad of Mulan is but a half-story by comparison, as it leaves off at the moment of revelation — Mulan's true identity exposed to the astonishment of the men around her — and tells nothing of what comes next. Is she arrested? Is her family ridiculed for passing a daughter off as a man? If Sexton were writing the tale, there would likely be some comment about how the heroic Mulan was then treated ignominiously by the men of the army for having deceived them all those years.

Female Tricksters and the Debate Over Deception

Disguise is, in Sexton's view, the tool of the deceiver, and she draws little distinction between Cinderella, the wolf, and the cat — all of whom don a disguise to get around the reality of their situations. In some cases, the very purveyors of the fairy tale themselves engage in a kind of deception by crafting unrealistic happy endings that tell nothing of the reality of life that follows a moment of transitory bliss.

There is, however, ongoing debate over the extent to which female characters in fairy tales are tricksters for good or tricksters for ill. Maria Tatar argues that in some cases these female characters do pursue a social good, while Marilyn Jurich contends that they "can rescue themselves and others through tricks, pursue what they need or desire through tricks, transform what they find unworkable or unworthy through tricks" (xvii). Tatar suggests it is not out of malice or poor intention that these characters engage in deceit. Thus, two camps emerge: one might readily find Sexton and Jurich on one side, scolding Cinderella for daring to project a happily-ever-after ending; and Tatar and the Brothers Grimm on the other, suggesting there is nothing wrong with a little helpful deceit on behalf of virtuous souls who have been wrongfully oppressed and who deserve happiness.

The latter camp would argue that the happy endings of "Cinderella" and "Red Riding Hood" are not unrealistic but rather simple representations of the eternal reward that awaits the good. Of course, that reward may itself be viewed by some — such as Sexton and Jurich — as a work of deception designed to compel people to conform their characters and way of life. The argument finds no resolution without addressing the issue of faith and the discernment of intention.

Conclusion: The Many Faces of Fairy-Tale Disguise

In conclusion, disguise in fairy tales is used for different purposes and viewed in different ways. For some, disguise is used by characters to trick others so that they can improve their own lots — and examples range from the Cat to the Wolf to Cinderella and even Tom Thumb, who one could argue deceives simply to see a bit of the world. Then there are those who argue that disguise is used to achieve rather more socially concerned ends. In the end, one must look at the character of both the hero or heroine and of the self — for it is the self who does the interpreting and can cast the longest shadow.