Pre-Critical:

With evil having the lead if you will, it shows the bad things happening to good people (rapunzel being locked in a tower.) It shows that if the story is to move on, a big move from either the good or evil side must take place.

Formalist:

Rapunzel was put in the tower at age 12 usually the time where children begin their journey on becoming young adults. Rapunzel lets down her hair for the witch to get in the tower. Hair can be cut and is not permanant, showing that he isolation may not last.

Mythological/Archetypal:

Achilles, the greatest of the Greeks, was hidden away disguised as a woman so he would not be taken to fight in Troy. The witch hides Rapunzel away to protect her as well.

Psychological:

Rapunzel doesn't seem to have a problem with being trapped in a tower. Rapunzel thinks the witch is her mother, so they have a mother/daughter relationship.

Feminist:

Rapunzel was a beautiful girl. She had long, flowing hair. The witch cared for her, but locked her away when she was twelve. She was not allowed to interact with the rest of the world. The witch treated Rapunzel almost like an animal, she would come back to feed her and visit her every day. The witch claimed it was to keep her safe. She wanted Rapunzel all to herself. The witch was very protective over Rapunzel.

Marxist:

Ironically Rapunzel is shown as a higher class person than the witch being in a high up tower like royalty. But, the witch can climb up to be at the same level as rapunzel.

Historical:

This scene talks about how when Rapunzel was twelve years old, the witch locked her in a tower. If Rapunzel were a real person living in Germany by the turn of the 19th century, it is likely she would have written in a diary or left behind something for modern-day people to know what was going on in her life at that point. Since she was locked away in a tower, that would be virtually impossible, seeing how the only contact she had with the outside world was the witch and the witch only went up in the tower when she desired. This is similar to the life of Johannes Gutenberg. It is known he lived in Mainz, Germany, until the 1411 uprising occurred, forcing his family to move. Nothing is known about where he lived due to hardships with the authority, just like how the witch is the authority in Rapunzel’s life.

Analyses for Part Three