Comfort in Companionship
Written in 1812, The Brothers Grimm’s“Hansel and Gretel” tells the chilling story of a sister and brother stuck in the woods with a terrifying, cannibalistic witch. Upon escaping her gingerbread house, Hansel and Gretel have not yet made it to safety before coming across a large river. However, with a simple rhyme singing, “Help us, help us little duck/ Hansel and Gretel are out of luck,/ There’s no bridge, not far or wide/ Help us give us both a ride” (The Brothers Grimm), the duck comes to the rescue and manages to safely carry each child across the river thus allowing them to go back to their loving father. The duck’s kindness shows that animals and humans have positive relationships. Humans look to animals for comfort in fear, and this companionship is seen all across different fairy tales.
While being trapped in a castle far away with no human interaction except for an evil witch is hard, Disney’s “Tangled” shows how Rapunzel copes with her loneliness with the friendship of a small chameleon. Released in 2010, the story shows Rapunzel, isolated for years and years, entertained by the little helpful and entertaining animal, named Pascal. Together, they play hide and seek, dress up, chess, clean, bake pies, and even paint. The animal in this story is her only companion thus making him an extremely relevant and important character. Furthermore, their friendship is meaningful as it is the reason for Rapunzel’s happiness for 18 years of her lifetime. Pascal is also seen throughout the entire movie, not just earlier scenes. He helped her handle her isolation and comforted her through her frustrations. As the saying goes, a dog is a man’s best friend, in this case a chameleon is a princess’s best friend.
In Greek mythology, the story Romulus and Remus is well known for the foundation of the city of Rome. However, what stands out most in the story is the legend that a she-wolf found the two brothers and raised them before shepherds took them in. The wolf is said to have both fed and nurtured them as if they were her own children. The animal in this story acts as a mother figure for the two babies and keeps them alive when there is no one else. She cares for them and the reason for their survival, which further expresses the emphasis put upon human and animal interaction and human’s immediate solace through their companions.
