'Rumpelstiltskin' by Anne Sexton
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Inside many of us
is a small old man
who wants to get out.
No bigger than a two-year-old
whom you'd call lamb chop
yet this one is old and malformed.
His head is okay
but the rest of him wasn't Sanforized?
He is a monster of despair.
He is all decay.
He speaks up as tiny as an earphone
with Truman's asexual voice:
I am your dwarf.
I am the enemy within.
I am the boss of your dreams.
No. I am not the law in your mind,
the grandfather of watchfulness.
I am the law of your members,
the kindred of blackness and impulse.
See. Your hand shakes.
It is not palsy or booze.
It is your Doppelganger
trying to get out.
Beware . . . Beware . . .
There once was a miller
with a daughter as lovely as a grape.
He told the king that she could
spin gold out of common straw.
The king summoned the girl
and locked her in a room full of straw
and told her to spin it into gold
or she would die like a criminal.
Poor grape with no one to pick.
Luscious and round and sleek.
Poor thing.
To die and never see Brooklyn.
She wept,
of course, huge aquamarine tears.
The door opened and in popped a dwarf.
He was as ugly as a wart.
Little thing, what are you? she cried.
With his tiny no-sex voice he replied:
I am a dwarf.
I have been exhibited on Bond Street
and no child will ever call me Papa.
I have no private life.
If I'm in my cups the whole town knows by breakfast
and no child will ever call me Papa
I am eighteen inches high.
I am no bigger than a partridge.
I am your evil eye
and no child will ever call me Papa.
Stop this Papa foolishness,
she cried. Can you perhaps
spin straw into gold?
Yes indeed, he said,
that I can do.
He spun the straw into gold
and she gave him her necklace
as a small reward.
When the king saw what she had done
he put her in a bigger room of straw
and threatened death once more.
Again she cried.
Again the dwarf came.
Again he spun the straw into gold.
She gave him her ring
as a small reward.
The king put her in an even bigger room
but this time he promised
to marry her if she succeeded.
Again she cried.
Again the dwarf came.
But she had nothing to give him.
Without a reward the dwarf would not spin.
He was on the scent of something bigger.
He was a regular bird dog.
Give me your first-born
and I will spin.
She thought: Piffle!
He is a silly little man.
And so she agreed.
So he did the trick.
Gold as good as Fort Knox.
The king married her
and within a year
a son was born.
He was like most new babies,
as ugly as an artichoke
but the queen thought him in pearl.
She gave him her dumb lactation,
delicate, trembling, hidden,
warm, etc.
And then the dwarf appeared
to claim his prize.
Indeed! I have become a papa!
cried the little man.
She offered him all the kingdom
but he wanted only this -
a living thing
to call his own.
And being mortal
who can blame him?
The queen cried two pails of sea water.
She was as persistent
as a Jehovah's Witness.
And the dwarf took pity.
He said: I will give you
three days to guess my name
and if you cannot do it
I will collect your child.
The queen sent messengers
throughout the land to find names
of the most unusual sort.
When he appeared the next day
she asked: Melchior?
Balthazar?
But each time the dwarf replied:
No! No! That's not my name.
The next day she asked:
Spindleshanks? Spiderlegs?
But it was still no-no.
On the third day the messenger
came back with a strange story.
He told her:
As I came around the corner of the wood
where the fox says good night to the hare
I saw a little house with a fire
burning in front of it.
Around that fire a ridiculous little man
was leaping on one leg and singing:
Today I bake.
Tomorrow I brew my beer.
The next day the queen's only child will be mine.
Not even the census taker knows
that Rumpelstiltskin is my name . . .
The queen was delighted.
She had the name!
Her breath blew bubbles.
When the dwarf returned
she called out:
Is your name by any chance Rumpelstiltskin?
He cried: The devil told you that!
He stamped his right foot into the ground
and sank in up to his waist.
Then he tore himself in two.
Somewhat like a split broiler.
He laid his two sides down on the floor,
one part soft as a woman,
one part a barbed hook,
one part papa,
one part Doppelganger.
Submitted by Emily
Editor 1 Interpretation
Rumpelstiltskin: A Feminist Interpretation
Anne Sexton's poem "Rumpelstiltskin" is a retelling of the classic fairy tale. However, Sexton's version takes a feminist approach, examining the themes of gender roles, power dynamics, and the consequences of making deals with the devil.
The Setting
The poem takes place in a medieval kingdom, where a miller boasts to the king that his daughter can spin straw into gold. The king is intrigued and orders the girl to be brought to the castle to spin gold for him. Of course, the girl has no idea how to do this and is left with the impossible task.
The Gender Roles
The gender roles in "Rumpelstiltskin" are typical of a fairy tale. The men are in positions of power and authority, while the women are relegated to domestic tasks. The miller, for example, is the one who boasts about his daughter's abilities and makes the deal with the king. The daughter is only brought into the equation as a pawn to fulfill the king's desires. In fact, it is only when the girl is able to complete the task (with the help of Rumpelstiltskin) that she gains any power or agency.
The Deal with the Devil
The devil, in this case, is Rumpelstiltskin. He appears to the miller's daughter and offers to help her spin straw into gold in exchange for her first-born child. The girl agrees, thinking it is an impossible task anyway, and Rumpelstiltskin helps her to complete it. However, when the girl has a child, Rumpelstiltskin comes to collect his payment. The girl offers him riches instead, but he refuses, wanting only the child.
The Consequences
The consequences of making deals with the devil are at the heart of "Rumpelstiltskin." The girl offers Rumpelstiltskin everything she has in exchange for her child, but he is not interested in wealth or power - only in the child itself. This shows the danger of making deals without fully understanding the consequences. In the end, the girl is able to keep her child by correctly guessing Rumpelstiltskin's name, but this is only after she has risked everything she has.
The Feminist Interpretation
Sexton's feminist interpretation of "Rumpelstiltskin" is evident in the way she portrays the girl's journey. At first, the girl is powerless and at the mercy of the men around her. However, with the help of Rumpelstiltskin, she gains the power to complete the task and secure her own future. This shows that women are capable of achieving great things, but only with the help of other women (or, in this case, a fairy tale creature).
The idea of the devil as a male figure who preys on innocent women is also a feminist theme in the poem. Rumpelstiltskin is not interested in the girl's wealth or power - only in her child. This can be seen as a metaphor for the way in which women's bodies are often used as objects to be traded or sold. The girl's ability to outsmart Rumpelstiltskin and keep her child shows that women can resist this kind of exploitation.
The Importance of Storytelling
Finally, "Rumpelstiltskin" highlights the importance of storytelling. The fact that the girl is able to guess Rumpelstiltskin's name and defeat him is thanks to her knowledge of stories and folklore. This suggests that storytelling can be a powerful tool for women - a way of gaining knowledge and power that might not be available to them in other ways.
In conclusion, Anne Sexton's "Rumpelstiltskin" is a feminist retelling of the classic fairy tale. Through its exploration of gender roles, power dynamics, and the consequences of making deals with the devil, the poem highlights the dangers faced by women in a patriarchal society. However, it also shows that women are capable of achieving great things and resisting exploitation, especially with the help of other women and the power of storytelling.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Rumpelstiltskin: A Dark and Twisted Tale of Power and Deception
Anne Sexton’s retelling of the classic fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin, is a haunting and powerful exploration of the themes of power, deception, and the consequences of greed. Through her vivid and evocative language, Sexton takes us on a journey into the dark heart of human nature, where the desire for power and control can lead to devastating consequences.
The poem begins with a description of the miller’s daughter, who is tasked with spinning straw into gold by the king. The daughter is helpless and alone, with no one to turn to for help. She is trapped in a world where her only value is her ability to produce wealth for others, and she is at the mercy of those who hold power over her.
Sexton’s language is rich and evocative, painting a vivid picture of the daughter’s plight. She describes the straw as “yellow as gold” and “as fine as silk,” highlighting the beauty and value of the material that the daughter is working with. But at the same time, she also emphasizes the daughter’s isolation and vulnerability, describing her as “alone in her room” and “afraid of the night.”
As the daughter despairs of ever being able to complete the task set before her, a strange little man appears and offers to spin the straw into gold for her. In exchange, he demands her first-born child. The daughter, desperate to escape her predicament, agrees to the deal.
Here, Sexton explores the theme of power and the lengths that people will go to in order to gain it. The little man is able to offer the daughter a way out of her situation, but only at a terrible cost. The daughter is willing to sacrifice her own child in order to gain the power and wealth that she desires.
As the years pass, the daughter forgets about her bargain with the little man, until he returns to claim his prize. The daughter is devastated, but the little man is unrelenting. He demands what is rightfully his, and the daughter is forced to give up her child.
Sexton’s language in this section is particularly powerful, as she describes the daughter’s anguish and despair. She writes, “She wept and she prayed, but it was no use. / The little man would have his due.” The daughter is powerless in the face of the little man’s demands, and she is forced to give up the one thing that she loves most in the world.
But the poem does not end there. In a surprising twist, the little man offers the daughter a way out of her predicament. He tells her that if she can guess his name, she can keep her child. The daughter spends three nights trying to guess the little man’s name, and on the third night, she finally succeeds. She calls out his name – Rumpelstiltskin – and the little man is defeated.
Here, Sexton explores the theme of deception and the power of knowledge. The little man is able to gain power over the daughter by keeping his name a secret, but once she discovers it, she is able to defeat him. The poem suggests that knowledge is a powerful weapon, and that those who possess it are able to gain power over those who do not.
Overall, Anne Sexton’s retelling of Rumpelstiltskin is a powerful and haunting exploration of the themes of power, deception, and the consequences of greed. Through her vivid and evocative language, she takes us on a journey into the dark heart of human nature, where the desire for power and control can lead to devastating consequences. The poem is a reminder that the pursuit of power and wealth can come at a terrible cost, and that the only way to truly defeat those who seek to control us is through knowledge and understanding.
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