Ariel's Voice
Ariel’s loss of her voice is a symbol for the experiences of women in male-dominated environments. In order to gain the love of her prince, she has to give up her voice, which means that she gives up her ability to voice her own thoughts and opinions to gain his approval. Only when she returns home, and is no longer striving to be accepted by a man, does she gain her voice back.
Spinning Wheel
Aurora’s spinning wheel is a symbol for the ability for women to emancipate themselves through work. She feels constrained by her environment as a privileged woman, because she has nothing productive to do with her time and is forced to stay inside. When she discovers the spinning wheel, it enables her to work hard at something for the first time in her life, and also leads to her eventually leaving her home.
The Tale of the Handkerchief
The Tale of the Handkerchief is an allegory for what happens to people who hurt people to achieve their aspirations. The protagonist wants to rise above her station, but in doing so, she forces the princess to abandon her life, and kills a horse who used to be a human. The damage she causes comes back to haunt her when her new husband turns out to be terminally ill, leaving her stranded.
Thumbelina's Bird
Thumbelina’s bird is a symbol for freedom, because it is able to fly away from oppressive circumstances. It inspires Thumbelina to leave her husband and the restrictions he places on her, because it makes her think of the better circumstances ahead of her.
“Once more I seemed to feel the barrel locked around me, the spikes hammering through.” –pg. 80
The protagonist from The Tale of the Handkerchief feels as if she is trapped in a metaphorical barrel throughout her story, as she finds herself in circumstances that stifle her. The barrel is a metaphor for her situation with her new husband, where she is trapped in a marriage with a dying man. The barrel represents how her circumstances stifle her regardless of where she goes.
