In the world of scholarly fairy tale analysis, Maria Tatar is a prominent figure. Tatar is strongly opinionated regarding these tales and believe that the meaning of them is often misrepresented- fairy tale’s do not teach objective morals and values to children, but rather provide a platform to express the contrast of anxieties and desires to further succeed through life’s struggle. Using Tatar’s claim regarding desires and anxieties as an analysis tool to help understand complicated variants of the world’s favorite fairy tales is a rewarding and and educational process.
Delving into a story that most assume they already “know” in a conceptually different way expands the mind and makes prominent issues that may not already be clear just skimming through. Comparing one variant of a similar story to another alone is simply not sufficient at times – it does not provoke the same questions that stepping back and dissecting via a more subjective scholarly view does. A fairy tale that many believe they are familiar with but might not understand the full implications of is “Cinderella”, of which has many unique variations with a similar string of story line.
Between all of these variants, there is one that stands out among the rest as being more empathetically and metaphysically-morally concentrated; thus being one of the most difficult to process and assign meaning without proper analysis. The Native American variant of Maria Tatar’s outlook regarding anxieties and desires addressed in fairytales is explicitly cognate with the Native American version of “Cinderella”, Oochigeaskw – The Rough Faced Girl. The story of “Oochigeaskw- The Rough Faced Girl” comes from the Algonquin language.
While drawing similarities to other variants of “Cinderella”, the Native American version holds three fundamental variances from the typical tale: the role of Prince has been filled by an invisible man -for enigmatic reason-Oochigeaskw (“Cinderella”) appears empowered and autonomous by dressing up all by herself -no fairy godmother needed- and the tale focuses more on metaphysical and spiritual values more so than other similar fairy tales, hence the Invisible man. Briefly, the tales rolls along as such: The Invisible One lived with his sister, whom took care of him and met women for him to potentially marry.
Along comes petite and weak Oochigeaskw, the youngest of three sisters to a widowed elderly man. Oochigeaskw gained her name, the Rough Faced girl, per her cruel elder sister’s actions of burning poor Oochigeaskw’s hands and feet with hot cinders. Oochigeaskw’s sisters tried to seek out the Invisible One’s matrimony, however failed to do so as they saw just as anybody else would see. The next day Little Oochigeaskw was prudent and empowered as she gathered supplies independently to adorn herself to feel confident enough to visit the Invisible One.
Indeed upon arrival and furthermore, Oochigeaskw saw the Invisible One for everything that he was internally and spiritually – not in a religious manner, but instead, in a soulful manner. This was not purely coincidence on Oochigeaskw’s part, as she had spent many years being mocked and made a fool of, and knowingly understood that it was not what a human being presents physically that matters, but rather what they present from the inside out that matters. Oochigeaskw became the Invisible man’s wife and took the wife’s seat in the wigwam furthermore.
Thus is the story of Oochigeaskw – The Rough Faced girl, a tale about experiencing the utmost of anxieties and turmoil throughout your life only to reflect and give Oochigeaskw the understanding to achieve her desires, a direct reflection upon a claim Maria Tatar, author of “An Introduction to Fairy Tales” is very familiar with. Anxieties and desires work together often to create a reward system, and balance each other out by preventing high risk possibilities. However, an overabundance of either in a person’s forethought can be an absolute negative.
Too many anxieties can create not only mental and motivational problems, but also health problems. Too many desires can go in two directions: a desire for instant gratification, i. e. addiction, or a desire for long term gratification, i. e. overworking to the point of physical and mental distress. In paragraph eight of Maria Tatar’s “An Introduction to Fairy Tales”, she reflects on what is often overturned in such stories, “Our deepest desires as well as our most profound anxieties enter the folkloric bloodstream… s repositories of a collective cultural consciousness and unconscious, [they] have attracted the attention of psychologists… renowned child psychologist [Bettelheim]… argued that fairy tales have a powerful therapeutic value, teaching children that “a struggle… in life is unavoidable. “” While Bruno Bettelheim’s opinion may be enough, it is Tatar’s that is sufficiently reflective as an analytical tool, as her authoritative voice stands ground.
Tatar is a folklorist, professor at Harvard University, and author of a plethora of articles and ten scholarly books. It goes without saying that Tatar’s stance is steadfast, well-versed and accurate after many years of dissecting and regrouping such fictional work. Would the Native American version of “Cinderella” enthrall Tatar and fulfil her standpoint? Simply skimming through the Native American variant of the tale identifies the contrast to other “Cinderella” tales. “The poor girl in her strange clothes, with her face all scarred, was an awful sight, but she was kindly received by the sister of the noble one. And this was, of course, because the noble lady understood far more about things than simply the mere outside which all the rest of the world knows” can be noted in the Algonquin tale, a few paragraphs before the end of the story. What the world knows is a point to be anatomized; as this tale speaks of the sister understanding more. Oochigeaskw was an ill, small and weak girl who had been scarred by her cruel sister.
Visually, this is what the world knows, with Native Americans pointing to trifling and superficial values in a majority of the little mainstream. So what is it then, that the Invisible One’s sister understood? Exploring even further towards the tale’s conclusion, there is a concrete affirmation of duality in what both Oochigeaskw and the sister saw in the Invisible One; one not of glass slippers and a handsome prince, but instead what can be interpreted as his soul and ethereal being, as the rough faced girl saw where the universe dwelled within him.
The cruelty throughout Oochigeaskw’s life cultivated by her eldest sister changed little Oochigeaskw’s place in the world not the eye, but also internally as now the rough faced girl would experience life and lessons from society in an entirely distinctive and enlightened way. Where the priority of many remains in physical attributes and wealth, she would grow to know the world from the inside out as she was mocked and contused, set aside always as an outcast to be alone.
It is a meditative consideration that this lifestyle led to her subjective universal attitude, furthermore leading to his soul, wigwam and sister. At a seemingly young age, Oochigeaskw is an extremely enlightened and thoughtful individual whose intention for seeing everyone for their inner conscience and not their physical body is a considerably more cultivated role model than other variant’s lead characters whom seem to see “handsome prince” as criteria for a man, and “glass slippers” as criteria for shoes.
The difficulties that poor little Oochigeaskw overcame to “steadfastly … emerge victorious” as according to Bettelheim, occur to show that the story holds true with Tatar’s perspective. Inspecting “Oochigeaskw – The Rough Faced Girl” through the lens of Tatar’s prominent claim regarding both desires and anxieties, there are a handful of elements that become apparent.
It is natural to wonder what Oochigeaskw’s own desires and anxieties would be after living a life of such solidarity and embarrassment, her face telling a story for the entire world to “see” – but not really know. How is it that those very anxieties possibly transformed into Oochigeaskw’s desire for the ethereal presence of the Invisible One – by providing something that the rest of the world could not even begin to fathom, and provoking Oochigeaskw to be a profoundly independent and audacious individual to overcome adversity to find him?
It is clear that these very desires and anxieties Tatar talks about are present in the Native American tale in a very prominent way, and that can partially be seen by Oochigeaskw proving herself as an enlightened individual despite the most discouraging and inter-personally challenging of adversities. It is simple to unpick from the story of The Rough Faced Girl, via Tatar, that a balance of adversities will not necessarily assist, but rather occur to blossom motivation to create growth interpersonally and bloom desires.
Additionally, Tatar’s claim can be looked through in the story of Oochigeaskw and other “Cinderella” variants to produce a vast contrast between the prior and latter. In many a “Cinderella” variety, desire is felt in a shallower sense; the prince, the glass slippers, the ball gown and the ball itself are all enjoyable but aloof desires that seem to produce fulfillment on Cinderella’s behalf. On the contrary, the desire and ability to see the Invisible One’s inner self, “his rainbow... The Spirit’s Road- the Milky Way” provides a very uncommon type of fulfillment to the soul of Oochigeaskw.
The Rough Faced Girl is only able to feel this fulfillment, however, because of the very struggles that produced her anxieties and subjective universal perspective. The strong tendencies in this tale towards the overcoming over disparity to achieve your desires would fit seemingly along with Tatar’s claim regarding such desires and anxieties. Tatar’s authoritative voice adds unique perspective to the Native American story of Oochigeaskw, and by utilizing her claim as an analysis tool, the metaphysical details and hidden platform for discussion regarding the struggle of life process.
The importance of what we learn in response to analyzing this story via Tatar’s claim can not be immediately seen, however becomes more transparent as time passes. That time taken to reflect on the contrast of what we want versus what me may need provides us with means for motivation in working through calamity to break through and find an interpersonal version of success. What is important to be drawn through the lines of [this analysis] is the opportunity for depth in thinking- [a first step in becoming significantly less judgmental].
What would come from a world [filled] with far less interpersonal judgment and far more respective reflection? Direction, a learning curve, motivation, and eventually, success. A better objective world is achieved through a compilation of better subjective outlooks. If instead of comparing ourselves to each other, we were to “see” from the inside out much like Oochigeaskw, individuals would be far more compelled to work linearly towards desires and goals despite anxieties, as observed by Tatar.