Snow White and the 7 Deadly Sins

After initially analyzing Snow-White in terms of gender typing, I chose to revisit the fairy tale in a different light. I aim to instead stay impartial to the depiction of gender roles. Rather I attempt to identify the social function this fairy tale serves. 


Fairy tales have been a part of our global community for centuries. Although there may be culturally specific variations, many central themes remain consistent. The Brother's Grimm retold the story of Snow-White to ensure the moral lesson is not forgotten. 


The number 7 appears many times in the fairy tale.  There are seven dwarfs, seven candles, and seven mountains are a few examples. These seem to represent the seven deadly sins, which are very prevalent in the tale.


The queen is ENVIOUS of Snow-White's beauty. She is obsessed with being the most beautiful, which shows her pride as well.  The queen is also representative of WRATH because she tries to kill Snow-White several times. Above, all it is the queen's PRIDE that leads to her fiery death in the end. She is so overcome with love for herself that she is driven mad. As this is seen to be the most deadly of sins, iron boots heated in flames ensure her unmistakable damnation.

Although she is the "good" character in the story, Snow-White is also guilty of sin. When she first arrives at the dwarfs house, she eats their food and sleeps in their beds. The distinction must be made that she is not simply fulfilling her needs. Snow-White takes food and drink from every setting. Before falling asleep Snow-White tries each of the seven beds until she finds one two her liking. She seeks satisfaction rather than survival and therefore is guilty of both GLUTTONY and SLOTH. 


The prince is guilty of LUST when he insists he must have Snow-White because of her beauty. He shows no interest in Snow-White aside from her superficial appearance. The power of lust inhibits him from ever being out of view of her coffin, essentially compromising his quality of life. The prince also displays GREED when he offers to by Snow-White from the Dwarfs. He insists on having her to himself, despite the communal love shared by the dwarfs. 


To conclude this analogy, I must note the apple that eventually debilitates Snow-White. This represents the original sin of Adam and Eve, which results in their exile from the Garden of Eden. These images are used to reiterate the danger of Sin to the young listener. Fairy tales have long been a tool of social conditioning. This story serves the greater purpose of helping prepare children to become positive members of society. The sins are represented in both "good" and "bad" characters, conveying that anyone is capable of offense.