“Careful the wish you make. Wishes are children. Careful the path they take. Wishes come true. Not free.” This song lyric, from Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Broadway musical, "Into the Woods," expresses the central theme of this original musical. The interwoven stories of familiar fairytale characters like Cinderella, Jack, Red Riding Hood, and the Baker and his Wife revolve around the longing for wishes to be fulfilled. This tale of wishes and consequences shares many literary parallels with the short stories "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find." In this essay, I will analyze the themes, archetypes, and use of colors as symbols to paint vivid pictures and evoke strong emotions.
In “Into the Woods”, the audience is introduced to the main protagonists and their individual desires. Jack wishes his best friend (a cow) would produce milk, Cinderella wishes to attend the King's festival, Red Riding Hood wishes to visit her sick grandmother, and the Baker and his wife wish for a child. The couple’s neighbor, a witch who has cursed the Baker's bloodline with infertility, offers to reverse the spell if they bring her certain items before the blue moon in three days. Each item represents the story’s main characters and is used as a plot device to bring them together. To find these items—the cow as white as milk (Jack), the cape as red as blood (Red), the hair as yellow as corn (the Witch), and the slipper as pure as gold (Cinderella)—the characters must venture into the woods, facing dangers and running into each other along the way. By the end of Act 1, Jack climbs the beanstalk, Cinderella attends the festival, Red Riding Hood meets the Wolf, and the Baker and his wife find the first of the four items. All wishes seem to be coming true.
In the much darker Act 2, Jack's giant beanstalk brings unwelcome guests to the valley, Cinderella realizes the prince she married is not who she thought he would be, Red Riding Hood grapples with trauma from her encounter with the Wolf, and the Baker and his wife struggle with the consequences of their selfish actions. As the story comes to a climax, the characters join forces to confront the Giantess, who has descended the beanstalk and destroyed many of the villagers.
As the tale approaches its conclusion, the characters find resolution and acceptance through their shared grief. They come together to plan for a new future and sing about how life is a journey filled with dangers and unexpected twists, but also opportunities for growth.
Analogous archetypes abound throughout all three pieces of fiction. The Innocent archetype, embodied by characters such as Connie, Red Riding Hood, and Cinderella, sharply contrasts with the Predators they encounter, such as Arnold Friend, the Wolf, and the Misfit. Additionally, the presence of Trickster figures like the Witch and Arnold Friend adds complexity as they use deception and manipulation tactics to lure the innocent characters to their demise. While these are only some of the many archetypes shared among all three stories, these well-rounded characters drive the story and provide the reader with a sense of familiarity.
All three stories allude to the tale of Red Riding Hood, using the motif of a journey through the woods to symbolize the transition from safety into danger. In “Into the Woods,” the characters literally enter a forest, which acts as a vessel for their wishes to turn into disaster. Connie’s journey from the safety of her house into the car with Arnold Friend acts as a metaphor for stepping into the darkness and danger of the woods. Additionally, Friend’s predatory intentions allude to the Wolf, ready to gobble Connie up. Finally, the family’s detour into the rural unknown in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” leads to their encounter with the Misfit and their untimely deaths. These allusions to Little Red Riding Hood, across all three stories, are an interesting coincidence.
Painting a vivid portrait takes many colors to convey emotions, intentions, and foreshadowing. In "Into the Woods," the use of red in costuming foreshadows danger, while the Witch's blue attire ironically indicates an aura of trustworthiness and calm. This ironic use of color is also found in “A Good Man is Hard to Find” in the goodly white wardrobe of the judgmental grandmother. Additionally, in "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been," green and orange symbolize safety and warning, adding to character development and foreshadowing. In all three stories, light and darkness serve as symbols, representing the contrasting themes of comfort and danger. The woods are depicted as dark and unnerving and symbolize the unknown dangers in life. Conversely, the early exposition of all three narratives is painted in light, symbolizing a sense of security.
In summary, the thematic connections between "Into the Woods" and short stories like "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find" highlight the consequences of wishes. Through the shared allusion to Little Red Riding Hood, these narratives serve as cautionary tales, reminding readers of the costs associated with unchecked desires. By using archetypal patterns and symbolic imagery, these stories collectively paint a vivid portrait of the complexities of desire and the consequences of selfish decisions.
Citations:
Sondheim, Stephen and Lapine, James. Into the Woods. New York, Theatre Communications Group, 1989.
Joyce Carol Oates. Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Stories of Young America. Greenwich Fawcett, 1974.
Flannery O'connor, and Library Of America. Collected Works. New York, Literary Classics Of The United States, Cop, 2009.
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