Do Fairytales Preach the Gospel?

There is a basic structure to classic fairytales that carries the essence of the Gospel. The more I think about stories like Snow White, Cinderella, and Rapunzel the more I see common threads that echo the biggest story of them all—the Gospel of Jesus. These stories are marked by the fight between good and evil, the villain who will do anything in their power to hold back the heroine, and the prince who ultimately swoops in and saves the princess, making her his bride. Classic fairytales, at their core, echo the story of salvation and Christ’s desire for His Church.

The Setup

Let’s look at the setup to begin with. In every story, there is an establishing of the ordinary, daily world. We see who the characters are, what their life is like, and a sliver of their dreams and desires which hint at who they have the potential of becoming. In Disney’s original Snow White, we see a young princess singing and wishing for her prince to come. In Cinderella, we see a young woman dreaming about love. In Tangled, we see Rapunzel dreaming of life beyond her tower.

When the Bible opens, we see a scene of beautiful life in the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve, King and Queen of the Earth, spend their days ruling over their domain. God delights in them as their children and entrusts them with the world. Together, Adam and Eve dream of stewarding the Garden and one day making the entire Earth look just like it.

The Conflict

Of course, we all know what happens in Snow White, Cinderella and Rapunzel. Snow White is made a servant in her own household, and later her evil stepmother orders her killed out of jealousy and spite. Cinderella, in much the same way, is made a servant and kept out of sight due to her stepmother’s jealousy and insecurity. Rapunzel is held captive and used for her stepmother’s personal benefit.

In like manner, the beautiful scenery of Eden is interrupted when the Snake tempts Adam and Eve, turning them into slaves and taking away from them their rightful place in the garden as King and Queen. Think about it. God had made Adam and Eve royalty, bearing His image. But the Snake—who was Lucifer in disguise and had been banished from heaven after his rebellion against God—couldn’t stand the thought of mankind holding such glory. Lucifer was filled with contempt, anger, and I believe jealousy, that the God he had rebelled against had established this new creation to rule over it all, and one day, over him.

And so Lucifer tempts Adam and Eve, causes them to sin, and enslaves them, robbing them of their God-given glory and making them servants in a world where they had once been royalty. He entraps them and decides to use them for his own malicious intent.

Sound familiar? This is precisely what goes on in all these classic fairytales. (And it humorously makes one wonder why Cinderella’s evil stepmother’s cat was named Lucifer.)

The Unfolding

The stories unfolds. Snow White runs into the forest where she finds a safe haven with the seven dwarves. She serves them and keeps her kindness shining, despite her circumstances. Cinderella goes about her life, faithfully serving her family even though they do not deserve it. She also keeps her kindness, gentle heart, and optimistic spirit. Rapunzel goes on to discover the world, keeping her wide-eyed wonder and believing the best of people. But they are all pursued in some way by the villain, who waits for her time to strike the final blow and does everything in her power to make the heroine’s life miserable.

This is much like the story of the Bible that unfolds across the Old Testament. Adam and Eve are exiled from their garden home, and must now toil and serve in order to survive. Generations pass, and season after season Adam and Eve’s descendants work for their survival. Eventually these descendants become the kingdom of Israel. This kingdom rises with God, falls when they are unfaithful to Him, and keeps the cycle going. All along Israel holds the dream that one day their life in the garden will be restored and a Savior will come to deliver them. The enemy does what he can to destroy them, constantly pursuing them until he can strike the final blow.

The Crisis

In Snow White, the crisis is reached when the evil stepmother hands her an apple (Eve, is that you?) and poisons her, causing Snow White to fall into an enchanted sleep. In Cinderella, the evil stepmother locks Cinderella in her room, keeping her away from the Grand Duke with the magical, glass slipper. In Tangled, Rapunzel is taken back to her tower prison, and Flynn Ryder, who was meant to save her, is killed.

In the Bible, the crisis is reached on a cross. Things had finally been looking up (much like in the fairytales) when Lucifer got his final blow. He took the man everyone believed would be the Savior of the world and the Restorer of the garden and killed Him. Up on a cross, a public spectacle for all to see, Jesus died. The prince sent to save the princess (or the church) let out His last breath and all hope seemed lost.

The Climax

But Snow White didn’t stay in an enchanted sleep. Cinderella didn’t remain locked up. Rapunzel didn’t end up stuck in her tower forever. It’s curious to note that Snow White’s prince showed up, even after all hope had been lost, and he saves her with a “true love’s kiss”. Cinderella is unlocked from her tower with the help of the mice and Bruno, who stands up to Lucifer and shows him a lesson. And Rapunzel is saved from her stepmother, even though it cost Flynn Rider his life. As she weeps over his body, enough of her magic still lingers to heal him and bring him back to life.

And this is the exciting news. The cross, and the tomb, were no match for Jesus. The Holy Spirit had enough power to raise Him from the dead after three days. He didn’t remain locked up and sealed in a tomb. He didn’t remain in an eternal sleep. He rose up and came back to life, ready to save everyone who believe in Him.

The Happily Ever After

Snow White got her happily ever after with her prince. So did Cinderella. And while Flynn Rider was a thief, he reformed his ways (we hope) and Rapunzel also got a happily ever after.

What about us? Do we get a happily ever after? That is the best part of it all. Jesus rose from the grave and promised to give his bride, the church, her happily ever after. He defeated death and then went to prepare a home for us, and one day, we will have our own wedding banquet with Him. Everything that was lost will be restored.

Snow White regained her status as princess. Cinderella became one. And Rapunzel was returned to her home in her kingdom.

This is a promise for us. Jesus will come back. Our status as sons and daughters of God has been restored. And one day, we will go back to our own home and kingdom, where we will reign with Christ as His bride forever.

All fairytales echo this story in some way or another. The fight between good and evil is more than just a human ideal. The Gospel is real and living, and I believe that through stories, God sneakily reveals His heart for us and His desire to restore us to our original place as His sons and daughters.

Next time you watch one of these movies, remember that they are only dim echoes of God’s greatest story and His death-defeating love for us.

Thanks for reading,
Anna

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Photo by Liana Mikah on Unsplash