The Ugly Duckling
It is always easy to tell which are writers of fairy tales are at the top of the hierarchy: they are the ones whose stories over time become so ingrained into the consciousness they are woven into the fabric of society as symbolic shorthand. The best writers of fairy tales are the creators of metaphor. Ever wonder what the near-universal symbolic shorthand for someone whose differences are the subject of teasing and bullying until their true gifts are revealed as a thing of beauty? Had it not been for Hans Christian Anderson, today Americans might refer to someone in that situation as a Rudy or at least a red-nosed reindeer. Same metaphor; different spin.
The Red Shoes
While most people know at least the basic outline of “The Ugly Duckling” another Andersen story has become almost entirely metaphor. While the actual narrative storyline of “The Red Shoes” is perhaps less familiar, the concept of the red shoes is not. Thanks to the classic Michael Powell movie and other cinematic takes on the story, ballets and even a song by Kate Bush, the red shoes as metaphor exists almost separately from Andersen’s original tale. The symbolism is perhaps more adaptable to 21st century life than any other in the Andersen canon: the red shoes are an iconic metaphor for an interest that whirls into an obsession before spinning into addiction.
The Emperor's New Clothes
Then again, perhaps there is another metaphor at work in the tales of Andersen that is admirably suited to 21st century life. The tricky thing about the metaphorical dimension of this story is that its symbolism has actually been constructed upon the perception of the story rather than its content. Today, the suggestion that the “emperor wears no clothes” is understood more as meaning that someone’s hypocrisy is being exposed or in cases where some view a person as the embodiment of positive values while others—usually a majority—see through to the truth that this admired figure is not what he seems. In reality, the story is about the vanity of an emperor who has been swindled by tailors, but refuses to admit to it even after he has been exposed publicly. Proof enough that sometimes metaphors can take on a life of their own.
The Snowman
“The Snowman” is one of the lesser known stories of Andersen, but is one of his most potent metaphors. The title character falls in love with a stove with he can only see through the house of the kids who built him. He becomes friends and learns about love from the family dog who warns him that his love is doomed since he bound to melt if he ever got too close to the object of his affection. As a metaphor for the dangerous waters that is falling in love, the snowman becomes uniquely apt when applied to Andersen’s own long history of failing to find a partner who requited his affections. In fact, the metaphor is so loaded with potential that “The Snowman” has also forwarded as a coded tale of his own movement toward homosexuality in later years.
The Little Mermaid
With some—though probably not nearly as much as you might assume—help from Disney, the title character of the Andersen’s story that is most beloved in his home country has managed to become a business metaphor. In both Andersen’s original telling and the most famous adaptation of it, the mermaid becomes a figure representing all the inherent danger of making deals. The mermaid as metaphor warning consumers to read the fine print. In both the story and the Disney film, the little mermaid enters into a contract with a witch to trade her voice for a pair of legs. Interestingly enough, while Andersen’s witch does gruesomely cut out her tongue rather than use magic, she does not actually wind up being the villain of the story! While the stories take significantly divergent paths in the narrative from that point onward, the metaphorical center remains the same. The mermaid is a reminder to be careful when making trades or negotiating deals, especially when they are entered into as a means of attaining what it is you really want.
