Short Paper
The short stories of Beauty and the Beast, The Frog King and East of the Sun and West of the Moon share that common theme of the happily ever ending after in marriage between a man who is not physically appealing. Apart from exploring the archetypal relationship of holy matrimony, there's also the relationship between a daughter and her father that is also explored in this story too - where the girl becomes a woman when she begins to look at someone for who they are instead of what they have or look (Hallett & Karasek, 2008).
No matter which culture you live in, the tradition of marriage and this deep bond that a girl has with her father is common. Although, it might be expressed in different ways, the desire to see their daughters married to a man who is not only rich but good as a person is definitely something every father desires. Each of these stories might have been written in different times but this transition of a girl obeying her father to heeding her husband's words is commonly shared by all cultures (Hallett & Karasek, 2008).
If anything, every woman desires to be with the man of her dreams and in seeing all these three spouses, it's obvious that they do not find that individual that they wanted. This is why the wives of the Beast, the White Bear and the Frog find it difficult at first to like their husband. Yet what wins the day are their spouses' virtues despite being compelled to assume an animal's form, by virtue of an evil curse. More than anything, the three spouses despite their difficulties show love for the wives that they desire – not very different from any other man who truly loves his wife. These three animal spouses risk embarrassment and shame in seeking acceptance and love despite their ugliness. Being in the vulnerable position that they are in, they find themselves despised by the woman they love, if only for superficial but understandable reasons.
Of course, Beauty turns away the Beast while the princess throws the Frog against the wall but after a point, they begin to love and even miss their animal spouses. The girl in the Norse fable begins a long journey in search of her prince after failing to keep his words despite his warning. It's at this point they realize that they are very connected to their spouses and cannot necessarily live without them, despite the aversion they felt at first. Since this connection that they feel is now more deep than physical attraction, the wives, as women, realize that marriage is much more than comfort and looks (Hallett & Karasek, 2008).
In closing, all these three stories clearly reveal how difficult it is to win a woman's heart at first but over time and by doing the best that they can for their wives, even animal spouses, as ugly as they are, are worthy of love in the end. Without a doubt, all it takes is for the right woman to see through the superficial ugliness to find that happily ever after story that matters to both husbands as well as their wives.
References
Hallett, M & Karasek, B. (Eds.). (2008). Folk and Fairy Tales (4th ed.). Peterborough, ON: Broadview Press.
