In A Glass Grimmly

“As anyone who’s read the Brothers Grimm would know, this is actually when she throws him against a wall with all of her might in an attempt to kill him.

And only then, after the attempted murder, does he reveal himself as an enchanted prince. And then they get married. And live happily ever after.

Which is clearly idiotic. Why would they live happily ever after if she’s just tried to kill him?

And why would being smashed against a wall turn him back into a prince?

And who said he was a prince in the first place?”

Here, the narrator digs into the logic of fairy tales and finds it lacking. Before this discussion, the young queen picked up the frog, and the frog is dizzy with anticipation of what will happen next. The narrator then distinguishes between the original forms of fairy tales and the popularized versions: In popular versions, the queen kisses the frog to lift a curse. Even though nothing in the narrative suggests the same effect here, the transformative kiss is familiar, and readers may expect it. Instead of relying on familiar tropes, the story subverts them. The Brothers Grimm wrote a story about an enchanted frog who is changed back into a prince by the actions of a princess, but they never explained how the prince comes to be cursed, why the princess’s actions lift the curse, or why lifting the curse suddenly results in a happy ending. Rather than follow this narrative structure of happily-ever-after, Gidwitz uses the happy-ending moment as a starting point for a longer, more complex growth journey.

“I have a birthday? Little Jill wondered. She thought only the queen had a birthday. She knew that she hadn’t always been alive, of course, but it had never occurred to her that she—or anyone besides her mother, in fact—had been born on one specific day. It was almost a silly idea, people besides her mother having a birthday.”

These lines show the care with which the queen has elevated herself over others, and they reveal how her external beauty has made her monstrous on the inside. In Märchen, the queen’s birthday is a national holiday, and the queen has capitalized on this idea by telling everyone that she is the only person with a birthday. The fact that no one, including Jill, has ever questioned that only the queen has a birthday shows the effect of the queen’s influence and beauty. People automatically trust her because they have learned that beauty equates to importance, truth, and other positive qualities. In reality, there is no such correlation, but this passage highlights the danger of giving someone power based on an arbitrary quality such as physical appearance.

“Why couldn’t Jill wear any underclothes?

Yes! Excellent question. Exactly the right question to be asking.

The answer?

I have no idea.

Really. No clue. Because the merchant wanted to humiliate her even more? Or because he was trying to teach her a lesson? Maybe.

Or maybe it had something to do with being totally naked before all the world.

But don’t listen to me. I just made that up. Make up your own explanation.”

This passage from the narrator alludes to the ideas discussed in The Importance of Self-Trust. This scene is one of the many places where the narrator tells readers to think for themselves and not to trust him simply because he is narrating the story. Just because he’s the narrator doesn’t mean he is reliable. The potential reasons he offers for Jill not wearing undergarments signal literature’s capacity to encourage critical thinking and discussion. Though the narrator made up each explanation, each is plausible and could begin a dialogue about Jill, the novel, the gown, and myriad other story elements. The endless possibilities show how stories mean something different to each reader and highlight how stories bring out individuality.

“Yet another time, the boy invented a song. It went, ‘Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, Jack jump over the candlestick.’ Because the boy’s name was Jack. Then he actually tried to jump over a candlestick. He knocked it over. The house burned down. Completely.”

These lines come while the narrator introduces Jack. Jack, a dreamer, plays games and makes up songs that strike him in the moment, and he often doesn’t consider the consequences. Gidwitz incorporates the well-known nursery rhyme here to show Jack’s antics and to highlight the obvious dangers of original rhymes and fairy tales. The familiar nursery rhyme ignores that a boy jumping over a candlestick might be problematic or dangerous. When Jack knocks over the candle and burns down the house, real-world consequences make the seemingly harmless rhymes of childhood songs into reality.

“In fact, if you’re the kind of person who does not like to read about suffering and bloodshed and tears, why don’t you just pretend that the day did end there, and close the book right now?

On the other hand, if you’re the kind of person who does like reading about suffering, and bloodshed, and tears…well, may I politely ask, ‘What is wrong with you?’”

This passage shows off the humorous side of Gidwitz’s narrator. In addition to advocating critical thinking and self-trust, the narrator also is a vehicle for Gidwitz to bring the story to a modern audience, especially young readers. This passage comes after Jack, Jill, and the frog become friends, and the narrator interrupts the flow of the story for no reason other than to deliver a humorous aside about how the story will get darker from this point forward. This passage serves as a conversation between the narrator and the reader and prepares younger readers for the distressing situations ahead.

“Brod, the fat one, shouted, ‘Show us a muscle!’ Jack obliged and Brod laughed and slapped him on the back, knocking him over again. Bucky took on a conspiratorial whisper and told Jack a joke and they both laughed, even though Jack didn’t get the joke at all. Bucky shot Jack a grin and pointed at him with his finger. Jack grinned and pointed right back.”

Here, Jack has just accepted the giants’ challenge so he can become a member of their group. Deep down, Jack knows accepting the challenge is a bad idea, but he is too caught up in the group's acceptance to think clearly. The attention the giants give him before he’s even a member of their group speaks to Jack’s desire to be admired and respected. Since he feels accepted going into the test and thinks there is no way the giants will let him fail, he lets his guard down and starts acting like he’s part of the group. Jack’s misunderstanding of Bucky’s joke symbolizes what Jack is willing to do to feel respected. Not getting the joke means he isn’t part of the group, so he pretends to understand the joke because doing so soothes his insecurities.

“The children gazed up at his long, sad face. ‘But there’s no more band, right?’ Jill asked. ‘Can’t you leave now?’

Meas sighed. ‘There will always be a band. As long as there are giants, there will be fools who will follow them.’”

Meas is the only giant alive after Jill tricks all the others into killing themselves during the eating contest. Meas has always been on the sidelines as a servant to the band of giants, and he represents that there are always outsiders whenever there is an exclusive group. His response to Jill’s question speaks to the hierarchy of leaders and followers and how people seek a place to belong. Though the current band has been destroyed, other giants are out there to take up the mantle. When someone chooses to lead, others will follow, and the cycle will begin anew because there will always be those with insecurities seeking a way to make themselves feel less frightened and alone.

“Come, come, where heartache’s never been.

And where you’re seen as you want to be seen.

Come, come, the place of shadow and green,

Where you’ll never cry no more, dear lass,

Where you’ll never cry no more.”

Jill hears these lines from the mermaid song while she and Jack spend time in the fishing village. Jill feels vulnerable because the song may be heard only by young girls. The song itself has a double meaning. At face value, it tells the listener that there is a place awaiting them where they will be accepted for who they are and never cry again. At first, this place seems like a utopia, but later in the chapter, it becomes clear it’s a metaphor for death. In death, everyone is seen as they are—just a person—and there are no more tears to be cried. This metaphor symbolizes the sly danger of the mermaids. The words they choose are meant to deceive and make it difficult for the listener to discern the true meaning behind the lovely promise they offer.

“She thought of the beautiful mermaid—how perfect she was. And how she loved Jill. She loved her, Jill knew it. And to think that there had been six more of them, and that the bearded man had killed them all. It made her sick. And then, to think of his little daughter, who had died from grief because of him. Oh, what he had done to his little daughter.

Perhaps, she thought, she would return to his hut that night and be sure the job was done.”

Here, Jill has met with the mermaid and has been won over by the creature’s tale of woe. Earlier in the chapter, the bearded fisherman told Jill that his daughter was captured and drowned by the mermaids, and in response, he killed all but one. Later, the mermaid tells Jill the fisherman is the enemy, and Jill’s insecurities lead her to believe the mermaid over the man. The mermaid’s beauty reminds Jill of her mother, and Jill wants to believe the mermaid loves her; if the mermaid loves her, perhaps her mother (another beautiful creature) could also love her. Like Jill’s mother, the mermaid is a twisted creature who does not love Jill, and she represents the darker side of beauty. Jill’s mother let her beauty transform her into someone with influence who then used that power to dominate her people. The mermaid has let her beauty transform her into a killer, and her beauty is a literal weapon meant to lure girls to their deaths.

“Once upon a time, a boy named Jack, a girl named Jill, and a frog named Frog stumbled through high mountains and rocky valleys in a land very far away from the kingdom of Märchen. They were tired; they were hungry; they were thirsty; and they were sick to death of walking.”

Gidwitz begins most of the book’s chapters with “once upon a time,” as do traditional fairy tales. “Once upon a time” and other similar phrases are used across cultures as a starting point to convey that the story they are about to hear is timeless. “Once upon a time” doesn’t place the events at any particular time or place—they could happen anywhere and to anyone. The following lines here are a setup for the events to come. Jack, Jill, and the frog have been traveling for a long time, so they are still on their quest. The final words are a humorous modernization of traditional fairy-tale openings. By saying the group is sick of walking, Gidwitz inserts situational humor into the lines; readers can relate to the being tired of walking.

“‘When you do what you want, not what you wish…’ said the first raven.

‘When you no longer seek your reflection in others’ eyes…’ said the second.

‘When you see yourselves face to face…’ said the third.

‘Then,’ the ravens intoned in unison, ‘you will have found what you truly seek.’”

The ravens speak these lines while Jack and Jill rest between adventures on their quest. The ravens are a staple of all three books of the series, and they represent the past, present, and future, as well as the wisdom that comes with understanding where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. The lines here connect two of the book’s themes: What We Seek Is Inside Us and The Difference Between Wish and Want. The ravens posit that, by wishing instead of wanting, the children are looking outward for answers rather than within. This idea further links to the Seeing Glass and the idea that reflections influence how we view ourselves. By seeking their reflections within others, Jack and Jill will only ever see how others want them to be. By contrast, seeking their reflections through their own eyes will let them see who they want to be so they can work toward becoming that person.

“You must know that this image you have of goblins is a terrible lie. It was first circulated by a powerful and ubiquitous crayon company who shall here remain nameless, when they discovered that, try as they might, they could not make a shade of green that matched the tone of a goblin’s skin. They made it too light, and the goblins looked seasick; they made it too dark, and they looked like slices of key lime pie. ‘Goblin green?’ they said. ‘Impossible!’ So they started telling kids that, really, that bright green that already came in the box was just the right color, and, as an added bonus, the bright red was the perfect color for the eyes. And you know what? All the kids believed them. I bet you did, too.”

This passage from the narrator comes after Jack and Jill arrive at the Goblin Market and see goblins for the first time. The narrator describes the goblins and then interjects to explain why the goblins in the story don’t look like other popular renditions of goblins that the reader is likely more familiar with. The entire story about the crayon company is made up, but the certainty with which the narrator retells it makes it sound true. This passage is another way for the narrator to bring the fairy tales to a modern audience and interject humor. By blaming a crayon company, the narrator gives the reader a familiar point of reference. It also shows the power of large, influential companies to persuade the masses to accept a narrative that may not be true.

“Think of what you most desire. Really think of it.

Okay.

Would you give your hand for it?”

The narrator interrupts with this interjection after Jack learns the price for the magical sword at the Goblin Market is his left hand. The goblin seller has explained that the sword will give Jack all the respect and admiration he’s ever wanted, and Jack seriously considers the offer because he desperately wants other people to recognize his greatness. The narrator functions as the voice of reason here, and this passage reminds the reader that Jack is vulnerable at this point in the story. It is also a teaching moment for younger readers, where the narrator asks them to think critically about what they’d be willing to give for the thing they think they most want and whether it is worth it.

“He looked, somehow, different.

Her eyes traveled from his messy black hair to his eyes—which seemed harder, more resolute, than she’d ever seen them before—to his set mouth, his quivering chin, to his shoulders—were they broader, now?—down his thin arms and past his elbows and his wrists and to his hands…

She stopped.

No, there was nothing different about his hands. Nor his legs, nor his feet.”

Jack has just arrived where Jill is tied to the throne while the goblins compliment her. Jill is taken aback by how different he appears even though nothing about his physical appearance has changed. The difference may be Jack’s realization that he is enough just as he is, and Jill’s reaction represents how others begin to see us differently once we change how we view ourselves. Even if she isn’t consciously aware of it, Jill recognizes that Jack may be standing taller and more confidently. Jill’s description of Jack also shows that it takes only a small change for others to notice. Jill sees a difference in Jack’s eyes and shoulders, but she notes nothing new about the rest of him.

“Jack’s eyes became hazy again. But again he shook his head sharply. And then he said perhaps the wisest thing that he had ever said. He said: ‘Maybe I’ve been wanting the wrong things.’”

Jack has decided not to chop his hand off in exchange for the allegedly magical sword. In a moment of clarity, Jack realizes that the price the goblin is asking is not worth what Jack would get for it. Until now, Jack has been willing to put himself in dangerous situations to feel accepted and respected, but the idea of giving up his hand pushes him over the edge. He realizes that he has, as he says, been wanting the wrong things. This line underscores the effect of perspective. Thinking about losing his hand makes Jack realize his priorities have been misplaced. Rather than wanting others to appreciate him, he wants to appreciate himself, and he can do that without giving up a part of himself, physical or otherwise.

“‘Well,’ replied Begehren, ‘it’s the beast’s name. But, roughly translated, Eidechse von Feuer, der Menschenfleischfressende means something like, ‘Lizard-that-is-made-of-fire-and-eats-human-flesh.’”

Before these lines from the goblin leader, Begehren tells Jack and Jill about how the goblins lost the Seeing Glass and the great beast that allegedly took it from them. Often, fairy tales contain a dangerous mythical creature that poses a threat to the heroes. The goblin leader’s description is reminiscent of a dragon, which sets up the novel’s heroes for a showdown in which the heroes are terribly outmatched but will likely prevail regardless of nearly impossible odds. The creature’s name is another humorous way Gidwitz brings the story to a modern audience. Instead of a short, dangerous-sounding moniker, the goblins have named the creature something long that describes how it poses a threat. Their name for him demonstrates that they know Eddie only for the external threat he appears to be, not the kind creature he truly is.

“Eddie roared loudly. Jack and Jill clamped their hands over their ears. ‘Don’t confuse him,’ said the frog. He turned and croaked at Eddie.

‘What’d you say?’ Jill demanded.

‘Purple,’ replied the frog. ‘Compromise.’”

Jack, Jill, and the frog have discovered that the great fire-breathing beast is a giant salamander that the frog can understand. Salamanders are known for asking ridiculous questions, and this take on the epic beast is a humorous twist on the serious threats that often appear in a fairy tale. Here, Eddie has asked if red or blue is better, and the children are at a loss. The frog’s response shows his experience with salamanders and suggests that no knowledge is wasted knowledge. The frog used to hate answering salamander questions, but now he uses his experience to get through Eddie’s questions more efficiently. The questions also put a twist on the “proof of worth” sequence, the part of the fairy tale where the heroes must prove they are worthy to find the object they seek. Instead of great feats, they need to answer silly questions in exchange for Eddie letting them search for the Seeing Glass.

“‘Are salamanders people, too?’ said the frog to Jack and Jill.

Jill looked at Eddie, with his grotesque translucent skin, his hideously wide mouth, his distended belly, and his thick, fleshy tail. But then she looked at his little black eyes, set just where you’d expect his ears to be. They looked at her. ‘Of course,’ she said, and she smiled at him.”

This moment also turns traditional fairy-tale tropes on their head. Following the sequence in which the heroes prove their worth, they often defeat the monster to get to the object they’ve sought throughout the story. Instead, Gidwitz has the children befriend the monster and find similarities between themselves and Eddie. Jill’s answer speaks to how differences in appearance do not make creatures different in other ways. Eddie may be huge and, by some standards, ugly, but he has proven he is kind and is doing his best like anyone else. Jill doesn’t hesitate to say Eddie is a person because, to her, Eddie qualifies in all the important ways.

“At least, they were pretty sure it was the Seeing Glass. It was still so caked in Eddie’s stomach juices that they weren’t even certain it was a mirror, much less the mirror. But what else could it be? Meas, the giant guard, had told them the Glass was with the goblins. Begehren, the goblin leader, had told them Eddie had it. Eddie told them it was in his stomach, right next to his intestines. And this little disc was lodged right between Eddie’s stomach and Eddie’s intestines. So it was probably the Glass.”

This passage comes after Jack and Jill have escaped the Goblin Kingdom and believe they have the Seeing Glass in their possession. The sequence the children went through to retrieve the glass represents the final quest, but instead of traveling through caves, the children journey through the digestive system of a giant salamander, which is yet another way Gidwitz flips fairy-tale tropes on their heads. The logic Jack and Jill use here shows that nothing is ever certain, no matter what information we have. They have heard from multiple sources that the Seeing Glass should be exactly where they have found an object that could be the glass, but the object's condition still makes them question if it is the thing they seek. No amount of information from other sources can make them certain until they can clean the glass and see for themselves, showing the importance of carefully verifying information.

“Up a stalk or down a hill,

None is as wise as Jack and Jill!

The chamber resounded with a scream so heart-wrenching and terrible that it would have brought you to your knees.”

Here, Jack, Jill, and the frog have brought the Seeing Glass to the Others, and the heroes have devised a plan to trick the Others. Before these lines, the Others have asked who the wisest in the kingdom is—one in a line of similar questions. Each time, the frog (acting as the mirror) answers Jack and Jill, which reveals the premium the Others place on the opinions of others. They are desperate for approval and validation; when they don’t get it, they are reduced to agony. The Others embody The Importance of Self-Trust and what happens when we do not trust ourselves or have confidence in who we are. In this way, the Others’ name becomes ironic because they completely rely on others to define who they are, meaning they have no true sense of self.

“An anger and a hurt so deep, so old, exploded from the little girl. ‘I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU THINK! I DON’T CARE! You stare in that mirror all day long and you don’t even see! You don’t even see!’”

Jill has returned home after the culmination of her adventures with Jack and the frog. Though her quest has changed who she is on the inside, she outwardly tries to return to being who she was before—a dutiful daughter who sat primly at her mother’s side and told her mother what she wanted to hear. However, Jill finds she can no longer be this person because she has discovered her self-worth and that her mother lacks similar worth. Here, the mirror represents the danger of looking at ourselves. Elsewhere, the importance of seeing our own reflection is made prominent through the Seeing Glass, but the queen’s mirror reflects how she wishes to see herself. Instead of seeing who she truly is, the queen sees only the beauty she believes is important. In most cases, the characters’ seeing their reflections allows them to grow, but only if the character wants to change.

“But the strangest thing was happening. Jack and Jill began not to care. They would run deeper into the woods, pretending they had been chased by giant, man-eating unicorns, or something equally ridiculous. Later, they would climb trees and leap from their branches. They would run headlong into a swollen, muddy stream and make balls of mud and hurl them at one another, and the frog would scream and they would keel over laughing. And then at night, they would lie under the stars, and the night was not as cold as it had once been, and Jack would think, I had fun today. And Jill would think, I was happy with what I did.”

After returning home and realizing they are not the same people they were when they left, Jack and Jill retreat to the forest. Following a long winter out in the woods, spring arrives, and Jack and Jill are, like the world, reborn. Instead of returning to their old selves, they embrace who they have become and let themselves live without caring what others think. They spend their days having fun and enjoying life. While others may see their days as unproductive, the children feel they are living fuller lives than they ever have before. They end their days proud of their accomplishments and having found their true selves. Giving up the expectations of others has freed them.

“Soon, it was a regular ritual. Every day, after Jack and Jill had sold the last of their sticks, they would be greeted by a small group of boys and girls at their clearing in the wood. It felt good. It felt like home.”

While living in the forest, Jack and Jill attract the attention of other children. The freedom they’ve chosen and how comfortable they are in themselves attract others who feel similarly. Leading by example, Jack and Jill show these children how to let go of the expectations of others to live fulfilled lives. At first, Jack and Jill attract only other children. Children are less likely to care about the expectations of others or about the right way to do things. Instead, they have elastic minds and an intrinsic understanding of what makes life worthwhile. For Jack and Jill, the more people they attract, the more fulfilled they feel. Rather than the harsh homes they once knew, they form a new home with a found family where everyone can live as they want, unburdened by wishes or expectations.