Bluebeard

          The tale of "Bluebeard" is one that can scare and intrigue someone at the same time. Why is his beard blue? Why did he kill his wives? Why marry again and how did he get all of that money? These are some of the questions i think of when i read this fairy tale. Bluebeard is a wealthy and odd man who wanted to marry again. He gave his wife a set of keys and talked about one a little too much that she was not allowed to use. However, human curiosity kicked in and she could not help but run to open that mysterious door. She found the other dead wives and her husband caught her. The wife is then saved just in time by her brothers before Bluebeard beheads her. This is the version of "Bluebeard" by Charles Perrault that upholds the stereotypical role of females. The wife is a pretty souvenir for Bluebeard and she is awarded with anything she wants. They also try to show the woman as disobedient like with little red riding hood, Eve, and Pandora. Bluebeard got away with killing several of his wives and sees this as a suitable punishment for disobedience. The wife also upholds the typical gender roles since she had to be saved by her brothers. She did nothing to save herself but kept waiting for them to come and save her. The male rescue team and the wealthy reward for being pretty is a pattern present in many fairy tales.