"To-day do I bake, to-morrow I brew,
The day after that the queen's child comes in;
And oh! I am glad that nobody knew
That the name I am called is Rumpelstiltskin!"
I have no idea, how many of you have read the Brothers Grimm, who about a couple of century's ago, went around Europe collecting stories and then published them.
Of the many stories that I read as a kid, Rumpelstiltskin, has the greatest recall. The name is striking and the characterization of the villain is brilliant.I was afraid, reading the name.The point is how simple it was in the days of yore. Good and evil clearly defined and the forces of evil once identified would be destroyed!The good would live happily ever after.
Cut to the present. The complexities are mind boggling!The good can be evil and vice versa......
The 'good' IT czar is suddenly found to have siphoned off crores of Rupees and short changed his innocent share holders, while the villainous mining Baron, donates a crown worth crores of Rupees to one of India's most famous shrines.
You suddenly find that your sporting icon, has been quietly cheating on his family on the side. Moral turpitude.
Lets go back to Rumpelstiltskin.........here is the caboodle:
A miller lies about the capabilities of his daughter to the king. She can spin gold out of straw ( done today as well, as you inflate your CV ). The daughter cannot deliver and to escape punishment, makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin ( an evil dwarf ). The evil Rumpelstiltskin, keeps his side of the promise and delivers,but the young pretty girl, now a queen, uses her resources to dump Rumpelstiltskin, now that she is in a happy situation.The dwarf is banished for ever and the queen lives happily ever after.Who was the villan, the dwarf or the queen? Or was it the intent?
I guess the story is a reflection of our times. Many shades to a personality.Maybe a fairy tale, but for me a lesson in management.
As a kid, I cheered the story.I rejoiced at the young girl thwarting the goblin. Today, older and wiser, I'm not sure, mate.........complex, you bet!
6 comments:
If you are finding this complex.. Gulliver's Travels is a satire on the society..which is studied by literature students in post graduation... and as far as good and evil is concerned .. the line is going thinner by the day for me...
good and evil always been a our perception, as a one is bigoted old fool for few is god for many. good and evil now a days is decided on the fact that how good is that guy to us. it is never easy to decide who is what as all are made up of mix of both only thing differing is which face do the choose to show at what time. and one more thing those stories tell is ugly people are bad people pretty young girls good people
Ramnath & AAK,
I agree. Many stories were simplistic and skewed.Racist even.
For some reason, I disliked Gullivers travels, as a kid. Know not why.
Should read the tale again...
sir
what i have seen in my life is that good and evil are just a perception.in my graduation,one friend of mine had four girlfriend.he never sticks to one and still he is running the race.now also,girls are fond of him.why?another example is salman khan.who has an evil side,has cases pending in the court but he have a huge fan follower.
"The wicked are wicked, no doubt, they go astray and they fall, and they come by their deserts; but who can tell the mischief which the very virtuous do?"
- William Makepeace Thackeray
Hi Ajung,
I guess it is the act.........!
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