Rapunzel

Rapunzel

Retold and Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

Picture Book for Children of All Ages

5 out of 5 Star Rating

A beautiful girl, named Rapunzel, was captured by a sorceress at birth to keep Rapunzel unexposed to the real world. While trapped alone in a tower, Rapunzel fell in love with a prince, unbeknownst to the sorceress, who climbed up her long locks of hair to visit Rapunzel at night. The sorceress exposed her evil side yet again when she learned the truth of Rapunzel and her secret husband.

            Paul O. Zelinsky took this age old fairy tale and created a beautifully illustrated picture book. The illustrations in this version of Rapunzel give the story more meaning than the plot line itself. The style of realism is clearly displayed in each picture of the book. The characters in the book are white, upper-class people and the representational style of the illustrations emphasizes this fact even more. Rapunzel’s parents are shown living in a large castle-like mansion with nothing but beauty all around them. When Rapunzel’s mother covets their neighbor’s rapunzel plants, her husband proceeds to steal them from the neighboring sorceress, who eventually catches the husband in the act and then punishes the couple by stealing their newborn daughter. This punishment of the sorceress shows the way that upper-class people are not above any other people, meaning that stealing is still a punishable crime no matter what rank one has in society.

Another way that Zelinsky’s illustrations bring more to the story than the text does by the way that the sorceress is not depicted as a scary old witch, but yet is depicted as a motherly figure who wants to protect Rapunzel from the harsh reality of the real world. This idea is also shown through the tower that the sorceress locks Rapunzel in. The tower is beautifully painted with an ornate design and it is described as having “many elegant rooms”. In each picture, Rapunzel is also wearing an beautiful dress, owns lovely necklaces and other gifts in her tower. If the sorceress wanted to imprison Rapunzel as a punishment, she would have locked her in an ugly, barren tower.

When the sorceress learns of Rapunzel discovering the real world, a world that includes men, she cuts off Rapunzel’s locks and sends her alone into the forest to bear her children. The sorceress also casts the prince, Rapunzel’s husband, off the tower causing him to become blind and roam the lonely forests as well. Love conquers all evil when Rapunzel and her husband are reunited in the end of the story after their painful, lonely wanderings through the woods. The power of this story lies in the exposure to society. Rapunzel’s parents learn the repercussions of stealing from others. The sorceress tries to hide Rapunzel from the real world, in order to keep her safe, but in reality she only learns that she can be truly happy when she does become exposed to society. This happiness is also depicted through the illustrations in this book.

As you can see through this lengthy analysis of Rapunzel, this book has a lot to offer. Due to this fact, I would definitely use this book within my classroom. The pure beauty of the illustrations, aside from the extra story that they tell, make it a worthwhile read aloud. Also, this story and its illustrations could foster a great classroom discussion involving the analysis of the illustrations, the story, and the ideals of society.