The Goose Girl is a fairy tale story that talks about Ani who has the life but too terrible she doesn't see it that way. She may be a crown princess and all, however, she wishes her mother also known as the Queen didn't put such a great amount of weight on her to be grand. Ani would preferably go through her day with animals—like her cherished horse, Falada—than play princess throughout the day. So when her mother sends her off to the nearby Bayern on regal obligation, she's all upset to abandon her nation of origin and everybody she knows and adores. Ani is the main hero of the story and the readers see the story through her eyes. Ani’s character might seem normal to the readers but she was considered different in her kingdom, she spoke with animals and did things that led to her individuation. She moves out of her comfort zone and goes on a trail that presents challenges but she learns to endure them as she realizes who she really is (Stein, Murray, and Lionel 1995).
Archetypes
The original scene presents the aura of an undifferentiated Great Woman which is the primary vessel. The girl, even though is a beautiful “puella”, seems empty and this weakness sets her in the quest of finding her true identity as a woman. Jungian idea states that the shadow ceases to become negative when they have been incorporated and the “waiting-woman” was the source of her strength to find herself and her mother’s shadow which was her weakness. The longing for another in the fairy tale was in form of the betrothed-the animus- which exerted mystical attraction that originates from the Self. The urge for completion is evident in the flirtation of women who are at the puella phase. The attitude leads to the process of individuation and for the princess, she has always been protected by the queen mother but now she faces the world and its hostilities on her own. Additionally, she understands that she is now a woman and not a baby girl anymore who had to obey her mother. The horse was aware of the secret and had to die to represent her sexuality in the childhood portrayal but by speaking, it is an indication of the transition (Jung, 2014).
Breaking the story into parts
The first part of the story is the introduction of Ani’s life, she is the crown princess but she wishes that her mother who is the queen could not put so much pressure on her. She prefers to spend her time with animals like Falada and when she gets shipped to Bayern on her regal duty, she is upset to leave her home and those she loves. The second part is when thing get heated on their way to Bayern. Selia who is the lady in waiting robs her of all she is worth which includes her princess title. She barely makes it and when she gets to Bayern; her only choice was becoming the goose girl for the king. She spends time with geese and meets with Geric with whom she struck a close friendship. Because Falada is killed by Selia and they are still after her, she decides to travel back to Kildenree because she had nothing left in Bayern.
The third part is when Ani learns that Selia is convincing the king to plot an attack in Kildenree and she with her forest friends crash Selia’s wedding and she is shocked to realize that the prince marrying Selia is Geric, her crush. Geric later finds out the entire truth when he eavesdrops with the king on Selia confessing on her plans and what she has done. The last part is when Selia is out of the scene and Ani can be a princess. He moves to the palace and talks the king out of launching an attack on Kildenree and the king agrees. In the end, she can now be with Geric and she couldn’t be any happier.
Archetypes in the parts
The first part represents Ani is the ego because she acts as the heroine of the tale and heroines and heroes are often considered the ego archetype because they are called to do something. In the second part, Selia is the shadow archetype, along with her accomplices who are highly undifferentiated. The third part is the Ani is animus, Ani decides to take action after learning that an attack was being launched in Kildenree. The fourth part represents Ani as the Self-archetype; she has fully reclaimed her position as the princess and she takes upon her duties (Jung, 2014).
Conclusion
The “Goose Girl” is a classic touching story whose main idea is feminine development. In the beginning, there is a symbolic interdependence or dependence between mother and daughter and then, there is a move towards individuation and separation which is marred with symbolic struggles and hostilities. The tale can be considered as a struggle in individuation as a girl develops into a woman and discovers her identity or it can be considered as the anima development of the male. Initially, the story only mentions the queen mother and her daughter and they only speak of the long-dead husband once making it a feminine development story (Pietikäinen, 1999).
Works Cited
Jung, Carl Gustav. Four archetypes. Routledge, 2014.
Pietikäinen, Petteri. CG Jung and the psychology of symbolic forms. Helsinki, Finland: Academia Scientiarum Fennica, 1999.
Stein, Murray, and Lionel Corbett, eds. Psyche's Stories: Modern Jungian Interpretations of Fairy Tales. Chiron Publications, 1995.
