Golden
Golden is an adaptation of the Rapunzel fairy tale by Cameron Dokey, the main differences between it and the original tale is the perspective, the use of two Rapunzel’s, the portrayal of the mother gothel figure and the backstory. It approaches the tale with the premise of ‘the original is only part of the story, learn the whole truth.’ The prologue states this by saying that while the beginning and end of a story are important the middle is the section which holds the most meaning. The use of two Rapunzel’s is fascinating, as one of them is the typical Rapunzel – locked in a tower with long golden hair but called Rue, while the other is called Rapunzel and has the backstory of being given up by her parents after they stole Rapunzel however she is bald. This has the effect of showing two types of heroines and adding depth to the story. It also adds interest for the reader, as when they start reading they think it is just a retelling of the original but then Rapunzel is bald and it is a major twist. The narrative perspective is from Rapunzel’s first person point of view which lends us the insight into her character and development through the plots events. Melisande is portrayed completely differently in Golden from the fairy tale and the other appropriations, while she is a sorceress she does not do anything wrong and is actually a good character. The story ends by Rue assuming the name of Rapunzel, which the story states as explaining why this adaptation is different from the well known tale.
The main theme in Golden is that of the heart, what truly lies within peoples hearts and making places for people within your heart. This will be looked at in more detail later on but it is an interesting theme as it links into Melisande’s magic, seeing whatis truly in peoples hearts. The comments on society that this makes, about people thinking they want to know what their heart says but often not liking the truth are interesting to say the least. This story is written for a young adult audience, but it is far less confronting that other stories like Zel, its focus is definitely on love and yearning for love rather than a focus on the darker elements of the fairy tale.
The fairytale elements this story contains are: witches being hated by society, beauty being considered an important trait, a curse, magically long hair, a prince and a damsel in distress and love being the factor which decides the story.
The main theme in Golden is that of the heart, what truly lies within peoples hearts and making places for people within your heart. This will be looked at in more detail later on but it is an interesting theme as it links into Melisande’s magic, seeing whatis truly in peoples hearts. The comments on society that this makes, about people thinking they want to know what their heart says but often not liking the truth are interesting to say the least. This story is written for a young adult audience, but it is far less confronting that other stories like Zel, its focus is definitely on love and yearning for love rather than a focus on the darker elements of the fairy tale.
The fairytale elements this story contains are: witches being hated by society, beauty being considered an important trait, a curse, magically long hair, a prince and a damsel in distress and love being the factor which decides the story.