Fairytales are an inseparable element from many people’s childhoods. Filled with magic, wonders, heroes, and villains, these stories inspire boundless imagination and teach important lessons that shape people’s core values. However, fairytales are also tools that can transform our sorrowful inner worlds. Even after hundreds of years since the publication of “original” fairytales by collectors and authors such as the Grimm Brothers and Hans Christian Andersen, modern adaptations of these classic narratives continue to emerge with fresh perspectives and messages that contribute to a simple fairytale’s potential.
“Little Man,” a retelling of the Grimm Fairytale “Rumplstiltskin,” by American author Michael Cunningham, demonstrates such a possibility. Through a shift in its narrator’s perspective, “Little Man” provides a motive for the villain’s actions — one that the original fairytale did not explain — adding depth to his character and transforming the story from a simple, frank tale to a detailed, heartfelt monologue.
“Little Man” retains the general plot from the original story but adds subtleties that justify the villain’s motivations; the narration has been changed from an omniscient 3rd-person point-of-view to a novel 2nd-person voice that refers to the antagonist. While little is said about Rumpelstiltskin in Grimm’s story except that he is a “ridiculous little man,” its modern adaptation explains that the “malformed, drawfish” creature has desired to have a child so intensely that he can’t remember “ever wanting anything else.” This premise perpetuates Rumplstiltskin’s actions later on in the story, including demanding the newborn child from the miller’s daughter after he helps her spin straw into gold — a deed that saves the maiden’s life.
However, as the story progresses, the narrative unfolds that the little man’s fervent wish to become a parent stems from his loneliness, which provides a level of depth for his character development that the original story fails to elaborate on. From a more intimate point-of-view, the audience learns that out of the many years of his life, no one has given the little man a curious glance. On the other hand, his control over a child gives him a feeling of being seen, loved, and relied upon. Thus, when he helps the miller’s daughter and she puts her hand on his shoulder, the little man becomes enraptured; it is the “closest [he’s] come to love.”
From a simple, perhaps careless gesture from the girl, Rumplstiltskin’s intense solitude instigates his obsession with her to fulfill his need for companionship. When he asks for the maiden’s firstborn child after the third evening of helping her, the Little Man then realizes that his need to “own” and control someone else is his true motivation for becoming a parent in the first place. These emotional connections that result from his multilayered persona drive the plot from one key event to the next, smoothly providing logical reasoning for the original fairytale’s lack of details and coherent explanation. The modern version’s change in point-of-view also opens new story settings (from merely a castle to the little man’s own home in the woods as well) and connect the little man’s division in half back to his desire to control someone else.
Although Grimm’s “Rumpelstiltskin” and its adaptation consist of similar storylines and settings, a reversal in perspective provides opportunities to be imaginative with the tale’s presentation. Cunningham uses an unconventional 2nd-person voice to narrate the story to allow readers to feel the antagonist’s loneliness, anguish, and longing. Apart from correlating strong, passionate words with the pronoun “you”, the author also does not specify the little man’s name at the end of the story when the Queen has correctly guessed it; a simple “she speaks your name” preserves the reader’s immersive experience and provides a heavier personal impact. While the original fairy tale simply described the sequence of events straightforwardly, “Little Man” adds sensory details and an emotional voice that complements the author’s retelling of the story through a different point of view.
Stories such as “Little Man” exist because creators from all over the world, past to present, can use the lack of details from the original fairy tales to express their imagination, ultimately creating work that appeals to a variety of audiences. With the creativity and guidance from stories created in the past, new, impactful writing can emerge.
