Loss of Innocence
A number of the characters in Kissing the Witch experience a loss of innocence or naiveté after experiencing a jarring experience. Sleeping Beauty lives a very sheltered life, but as she grows older and begins to question the world around her, she leaves her parents and goes to weave with the witch in her attic instead. Ariel’s innocence leads her to pursue a man who turns out to be untrustworthy, and when she discovers him having an affair, she returns home, and finds that her old life is one that brings her happiness.
Defiance of Gender Expectations
Each of the girls in Kissing the Witch experiences the struggles that come from being a girl, but each of them resists gender-based oppression: the protagonist from The Tale of the Brother is expected to stay inside and play quietly because she’s a girl, and instead, she explores the city and tracks down a witch to find her brother. Belle laments being born a girl because her only value is her beauty, but when she goes to live with the Beast, she learns how to stand as her own person aside from expectations.
The Dangers of Ambition
The protagonist from The Tale of the Handkerchief longs to rise above her station as a servant, which leads to her deceiving an entire nation and ending up in a web of lies. As Snow White’s stepmother, she continues her deception and reveals herself to be deeply lonely. The protagonist from The Tale of the Spinster wants to make money off of her weaving, which leads to her promising her child to Gretel/Rumpelstiltskin and not thinking about the long-term consequences of that decision. When characters are too ambitious, they suffer for it.
The Untrustworthiness of Men
Donoghue explores how women are taken advantage of by men and how men are inherently untrustworthy. Cinderella goes to the ball to dance with the prince, but realizes that she doesn’t actually care about him at all. Ariel goes off with a man she thinks she’s in love with, and who later proves himself to be unfaithful. The protagonist from The Tale of the Skin thinks that her prince will save her, but he dismisses her as a servant girl wearing a donkey skin. Each of these girls experiences a negative interaction with a man that leads them to realize that men are untrustworthy. This leads to them finding a better life for themselves by leaving their men, and instead returning to their homes/families or going off with women instead.
