"This time the princess saves herself." No greater praise can be uttered about the modern fairy tale. Today's princess must be strong and independent. She does not need a prince; she can take care of herself. Unlike the princesses of the past who waited, weak and helpless, in bondage until dashing young men swept them out of danger, these princesses for the modern age slay their own dragons. Young girls need characters like these, the social experts say, that they may be inspired and grow up into strong women. It is true, these childhood stories help shape a child's view of the world- so the stories we tell our children are important. But perhaps the enlightened naysayers of the classic fairy tale miss the point. The point of the prince rescuing the princess is not to show that women are weak and incapable but to show that women are worth dying for.
Archbishop Fulton Sheen said "When a man loves a woman, he has to become worthy of her. The higher her virtue, the more noble her character, the more devoted she is to truth, justice, goodness, the more a man has to aspire to be worthy of her." Men do not move mountains because of some petty belief that their beloved is incapable of taking care of herself. They move mountains out of a desire to protect and preserve that which they hold most dear. The lesson for children to take from the classic fairy tales is not that girls are weak and boys are strong but that sometimes we must fight dragons for the one we love. And as G.K. Chesterton says "fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed." When these children grow up they will find that not all dragons are fire-breathing monsters. Indeed, dragons come in many forms. Dragons are new jobs and uncertainty, parenthood and doubt, health scares and anxiety. Fairy tales teach us that love means choosing someone who will fight these dragons with you. Because love is a choice; love is a fight.
And all the princesses in the Disney pantheon from Snow White down the line show this to be true. Belle chooses to love the unlovable Beast and fought for his redemption. Cinderella chooses to have the courage to be kind when no one would do the the same to her. And Cinderella's prince chooses to become a man worthy of her kindness. Tangled was not about rescuing a helpless girl in a tower. It was about Flynn Rider choosing for the first time in his life to put someone else before himself so that Rapunzel could live her dream. So let us raise heroic princes and brave princesses. Let us teach our children to stand by each other and fight together as they face the dragons of tomorrow.
