In A Glass Grimmly

Stories make up the backdrop of the novel, and the interplay of the fairy tales Gidwitz has chosen shows the universal nature of thematic points and lessons in fairy tales. Jill’s character participates in retellings of the “Jack and Jill” nursery rhyme, “Jack and the Beanstalk,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” and several other tales in which her character was not originally a part. By incorporating a well-known fairy-tale character into other tales, Gidwitz comments on how fairy tales share messages and character archetypes, such as the fearful child or unloved daughter. The quest Jack and Jill embark on recalls similar quests in other tales and is a metaphor for the growth the characters experience. By having Jack and Jill face obstacles from across tales, Gidwitz explores the universal application of stories as lessons and the shared tropes of fairy tales as a way to convey understanding.

Stories also play a part in the narrative framework of the novel. In Chapter 5, the fisherman in the village tells one variation of how the mermaids took his daughter. Later, the mermaid tells a different story, painting herself as a victim when she is truly a creature of evil. These opposing tales show that the power of a story rests in the perspective of the reader/hearer. The same tale may be told in an infinite number of ways and have an infinite number of outcomes. The fisherman’s version promotes his mission while the mermaid’s story promotes her goal of luring Jill to her death, showing how stories can be used as weapons. Later, the goblins tell of how they lost the glass, placing all the blame on Eddie. However, Eddie describes how the goblins were terrible to him after they allowed him to eat the Seeing Glass. The goblins’ version of the story paints them positively while Eddie’s version makes the goblins out as cruel. At first, Jack and Jill believe the goblins because their experience of stories tells them that a giant fire-breathing creature must be the enemy. However, once they meet Eddie, they realize that the goblins lied to them, showing that familiar story tropes can influence how we approach a situation.