Household Tales · Chapter
Snow-White and Rose-Red explained
A poor widow lives with her two kind daughters, Snow-white and Rose-red, in a cottage with two rose trees.
What happens
A poor widow lives with her two kind daughters, Snow-white and Rose-red, in a cottage with two rose trees. One winter night, a bear seeks shelter and becomes a regular visitor. In spring, the bear leaves to guard his treasure from dwarfs. The girls later help a dwarf whose beard is caught in a tree, but he is ungrateful. Eventually, the bear kills the dwarf, transforms into a handsome prince, and marries Snow-white while his brother marries Rose-red. The family lives happily ever after.
Themes in this chapter
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
The kind and helpful girls are rewarded with marriage to princes, while the greedy dwarf is killed for his wickedness.
Transformation and Redemption
The bear is revealed to be a bewitched prince, and his curse is broken upon the dwarf's death, leading to his redemption.
Greed and Its Downfall
The dwarf's greed for treasure and his cruel nature lead to his demise at the bear's paw.
Characters to notice
- Briar-Rose
Appears as Snow-white, the gentle sister who helps with housework and later marries the prince.
- the maiden
Appears as Rose-red, the lively sister who enjoys the outdoors and marries the prince's brother.
- the rich man
Appears as the dwarf, a greedy and rude creature who hoards treasure and is ultimately killed by the bear.
- the young King
Appears as the prince who was bewitched as a bear and later freed, marrying Snow-white.
- the poor man
Appears as the poor widow, mother of Snow-white and Rose-red, who lives peacefully in the cottage.
Key passages
“Snow-white was more quiet and gentle than Rose-red. Rose-red liked better to run about in the meadows and fields seeking flowers and catching butterflies; but Snow-white sat at home with her mother, and helped her with her housework, or read to her when there was nothing to do.”
Snow-white was calm and domestic, while Rose-red was active and outdoorsy.
Establishes the contrasting personalities of the two sisters.
“The bear took no heed of his words, but gave the wicked creature a single blow with his paw, and he did not move again.”
The bear ignored the dwarf's pleas and killed him with one swipe.
Climactic moment where the bear defeats the dwarf, leading to the prince's transformation.
“I am a King’s son, and I was bewitched by that wicked dwarf, who had stolen my treasures; I have had to run about the forest as a savage bear until I was freed by his death.”
The prince explains that the dwarf's curse forced him to live as a bear until the dwarf died.
Reveals the backstory and breaks the enchantment.