The Snow Queen

Gerda’s decision to search for Kai as soon as spring comes contrasts the despair of wintertime with the rebirth of spring. This reflects the story’s overall juxtaposition of warmth and cold to suggest various dichotomies: good versus evil, emotion versus rationality, and life versus death. Gerda’s choice also reflects her selflessness and goodness, which her willingness to give up her shoes underscores. The shoes are one of the nicest things she owns, but she will gladly part with them to get Kai back. Gerda’s adventures in subsequent chapters form her individual hero’s journey and develop this theme of Love as a Source of Bravery.

The river brings Gerda to the next stop on her quest, which turns out to be a place of danger. The old woman’s home is a test of Gerda’s innocence and dedication. Like the Snow Queen, the strange woman makes Gerda forget about her life and her loved ones. Unlike Kai, however, Gerda breaks free of the spell, which shows the difference between the two characters. Without shards of the mirror influencing her, Gerda retains her goodness of heart and The Innocence of Childhood. A rose triggering Gerda’s memory of Kai harkens to the shared garden between Gerda’s and Kai’s windows at home and symbolizes the power of the things that link the two characters together. The episode also recalls a hymn Gerda sings throughout the story about roses and the infant Jesus, framing Gerda’s love for Kai in terms of Christian charity and devotion. By overcoming this first obstacle, Gerda proves to herself and the reader that she is worthy of help and has the strength to find Kai.

As an older woman who lives alone in an isolated, ramshackle home and performs spells, the strange woman is a witch archetype. Witches in fairy tales often take a liking to young and beautiful girls, suggesting that these archetypal characters long for their own youth and beauty. This is true of the old woman Gerda meets: Combing Gerda’s hair makes it shine, which convinces the old woman to keep the girl. She knows how important Gerda’s quest is and how much Gerda wants to find Kai, but she ignores this in favor of her desires, making her one of many characters whose selfishness contrasts with Gerda’s purity and compassion.

The episode at the old woman’s home also develops the theme of The Power of Perspective. After Gerda escapes from the woman’s home, the girl notes that time has passed, which the perennial summer of the woman’s home masks. Similarly, while the many flowers in the witch’s garden tell Gerda stories, each is only able to tell its single tale. Like Gerda under the witch’s spell, the flowers are trapped in this one place and moment, which means they cannot see past what they know.

Chapters 3 and 4 show Gerda interacting with two very different classes of people. Together, they illustrate how Gerda wins over everyone with her innocence and kindness but also suggest that status is not necessarily a measure of character, furthering the story’s interest in perspective and appearances. Like much fairy-tale royalty, the prince and princess are benevolent. Rather than being angry when Gerda infiltrates their room in the middle of the night, they empathize with her situation and offer her aid and comfort. The crows receive a light reprimand but are also ultimately rewarded with comfortable positions within the castle, underscoring the prince and princess’s generosity. By contrast, the bandit girl keeps her animals tied up so they won’t leave, revealing her selfishness. Nevertheless, she is kind to Gerda once she understands Gerda’s story. When it becomes clear the reindeer can help Gerda, the bandit girl releases the creature without question, showing how Gerda’s innocence and kindness help her gain aid when she needs it. The bandit girl herself is rough and frightening, but she has a good heart, which shows that those who seem bad may not be so.