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Snow White

I am discovering the meaning of the Snow White story with my re-write. I am writing it from the first person, and every step of the way I have thought as she thought and felt what she felt. Now I understand what the story is truly about, not from an analytical view, but in connecting with her on life events that have affected me deeply.

Now I can see that the tale is about a woman's journey to adulthood-- all the doubts and fears she feels along the way-- the independence she gains.

Angela Carter's re-telling of this, my favorite story, in her collection The Bloody Chamber was really hateful. Snow White is not a story about the relationship between a woman and a man. It is about parent and child, and coming of age.

My drafts of "Blanche," my re-told Snow White novella, have never felt right. With each draft, I remove a layer of hatred and resentment only to find another layer. I have discovered that I cannot truly tell a story with hatred in my heart. I must embrace all elements of the story. Otherwise, it will be propaganda.

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