Go on. Go on, have a bite.

While the Grimm Brothers' fairy tale Little Snow-White is legendary, it’s somewhat a controversial tale that we would now think was not originally intended for children. Disney’s popularized version of the story released in 1937, is the story we are all familiar with.  For those of you have not watched that version, here is the link to a brief synopsis of it.

As I read through the original Grimm Brothers’ story, I realized there was a lot more things that the apple could symbolize. Food (in the form of an apple) in this story explores issues with women, desire, motherhood, self-control and most bizarrely, cannibalism. I know this sounds very strange and I am sure I have got most of you to think of Hannibal Lecter, but let’s not get too distracted! Cannibalism is quite a common trope within food literature, especially with relation to consuming the female body. There is an intrinsic focus on the edibility of the female body, which we see often objectified and ‘consumed’ by an evil predator (think of Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel,). Let’s take a look at examples of cannibalistic appetite in Snow White:

Yes, you read that correctly, the queen wanted to eat Snow White’s heart, but why would she want to do that? We can see why this part of the story was removed from Disney’s version, because it is far too grotesque and unsuitable for a young audience. In Kiss Sleeping Beauty Good-Bye, Madonna Kolbenschlag suggests: “when the wicked stepmother devours what she believes to be Snow White's (vital organs), she recaptures a primitive cannibalistic expression of envy: the belief that one acquires the power and characteristics of what one eats” (36).  These characteristics are beauty and youth, which the Queen fears she is losing the longer Snow White stays alive. 

Now, let’s get back to the subject of apples – poisoned apples.  The Queen creates an apple that “[is] beautiful to look upon, being white with red cheeks, so that anyone who should see it must long for it, but whoever [eats] even a little bit of it must die”(Grimm Brothers, 5-6). The apple’s edibility is similar to Snow White’s own identity, she too is beautiful and everyone that she encounters longs for her in some way or the other. In the previous passage, the huntsman thinks Snow White’s beauty is ‘lovely’ enough for him to pity her, and spare her life. This is the same for the seven dwarves, who are angry when they find their house has been intruded, yet when they realise the intruder is Snow White they quickly change their mind: “O goodness! O gracious!” cried they, “what beautiful child is this?” and were so full of joy to see her that they did not wake her, but let her sleep on”(Ibid, 3).

In our Literature and food class last week, we looked at Margret Atwood’s Edible Woman. There is a moment in the text where the protagonist (Marian) describes herself being watched as she sleeps by her partner, Peter. In the context of the novel, there's a suggestion of a predator prey relationship between the two characters. Now I am not saying the seven dwarfs are predators, but the fact they stare at her with a longing because of her beauty, certainly shows us the ways Snow White is edible. This idea is emphasized in the final parts of the Grimm Brothers’ story. Snow White initially says no to the Queen’s offer, but the Queen urges her on: “Are you afraid of poison?” said the woman, “look here, I will cut the apple in two pieces; you shall have the red side, I will have the white one” (6). The Queen’s consumption of the ‘white’ side of the apple mirrors her cannibalistic desire to consume Snow White. This is completed when Snow White eats from the ‘red’ side, which subtly hints Snow White’s loss of innocence. This is the same loss Eve experiences. Overall, the apple is again negatively symbolised. The consequences of eating from this fruit causes Snow White's momentary death.

References:
Atwood, Margaret. The Edible Woman. New York: Anchor Books, 1998. Print.

Kolbenschlag, Madonna. Kiss Sleeping Beauty Good-Bye. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1979. Print.

(Little Snow White, can be read here for free)