Giving Kids Relatable Heroes: The Role of Tricksters

This week we looked children heroes - tricksters who made up for their lack of size and brawn with brains and deceptions. To me, these characters’ main purpose is to provide relatability to small children, showing them how even when things seem hopeless, they can make their situations better. The heroes in these stories are children, but they still have power, and this is something that kids can connect to. From a psychological prospect, the tales highlight the importance of leaving home, leaving a place of safety in order to flourish, succeed, and create an individual identity. They allow the children to project their frustrations with their parents onto “evil” parent figures, allowing them to vent this angry in a safe and healthy way (through stories). Furthermore, the fantastical settings of the tales prove a sense of escapism, giving children a glimpse of a potential wonderful future in their lives especially since according the Tatar, the tales were written/told during times of “harsh realities.”


One of the tales that epitomizes the idea of children rising above harsh times and seemingly fated lack of power and control is “The Little Thumbling” by Charles Perrault. The hero in “The Little Thumbling” is sickly and frail, thought of as stupid and weak by his family. He embodies the characteristics of being a kid - he is not strong but small, especially compared to his enemies (his parents and the giant ogre). But, out of his siblings, he, the youngest, is one to take charge. He’s the one who reassures his brothers, comforting them and quieting their fears. Little Thumbling leaves a trail of rocks to lead his brothers home after their parents abandon them in the woods. Later, he takes a heroic leadership role, saving his brothers time and time again from the powerful ogre. He tricks the ogre into killing his own daughters instead of killing Thumbling and his siblings. Then he takes advantage of the ogre’s exhaustion to escape, and scares the ogre’s wife into giving him and his brothers great wealth. In this way the story shows children the importance of using their wits to survive treacherous situations. It demonstrates that even a person who seems powerless and helpless against a fiercesome opponent can use their skills and intelligence to survive (very a' la David and Goliath). And, at the end of the story, Little Thumbling is the most respectful member of his family; he rises far above his “underdog” status and becomes the rich provider for everyone else. In this way, Little Thumbling is a hero children can relate to, giving them hope that even though they may seem powerless in their lives and current situations, they can utilize the talents that they have (like trickery and wit) and succeed.

Another story that I think highlights the fact that child heroes show children how they can succeed in even the darkest and most hopeless of times is the Brothers Grimm’s “Hansel and Gretel.” Both “Hansel and Gretel” and “The Little Thumbling” demonstrate difficult times for the families in the stories. And then the tales show eventual success in times of great poverty and struggle for said families. Hansel and Gretel (and the Little Thumbling) are abandoned because their parents do not have the money to buy food to feed them. But, in the end, they use their wits to overcome a powerful adversary (for Hansel and Gretel this is a witch) and gain great riches, living happily and comfortably with their family members. The magic in this tale is especially prominent; there is a house made of bread and candy. This magic represents Hansel and Gretel’s starvation anxiety - their desire to be fed and their greed, but it also is symbolic of a more magical world, a way for Hansel and Gretel to escape their “harsh realities” of poverty and hunger and for kids like them to do the same.

I thought this picture conveyed
"Attachment Theory"
particularly well. 

From a psychological perspective, these tales emphasize the importance of leaving the safety of your childhood home and venturing out alone to gain an individual identity. The ogre and the witch represent the “bad” father and mother, respectively. In this way, the monsters in the tales highlight the dual aspects of parents; in contrast to the nurturing side, they are the “evil” counterpart which children may resent while they are young. They give kids reading the tales a way to project these frustrations of their own parents onto fictional figures. It gives children space to “kill” their “bad” parents, and vent said frustrations when they are pushed away from their parents. But the stories also demonstrate the importance of this “evil” aspect - the need for parents to push away their children. This message is shown in both tales; in both stories the children try to go home again and are unable to remain there. Eventually circumstances force them to leave their homes and parents again. According to Akire’s talk concerning Bettelheim’s interpretation of Bettelheim, children leaving the safety of their homes is essential for healthy child development. Bettelheim discusses attachment theory - children feel a desire to remain close to their parents, and they do not want to be forced from their symbolic “nest” of safety with their parents. But both these tales show that attachment is not healthy. They show that children must leave their homes in order to gain their own identities. This is especially apparent in “Hansel and Gretel,” as Akire pointed out in her talk; Bettelheim says that even the two of them must separate from each other order to cross the threshold (river) and thrive from their changed fate (riches). In this way, the tales show kids the importance of leaving home/their family and forming a unique identity in order to achieve success later in life.