The main idea of Andersen's fairy tale “The Snow Queen” is love.
The main idea is that a real feeling can help overcome the impossible, it can even create a miracle. Devotion, friendship and selflessness overcome all obstacles and can melt even the coldest heart.
Why is the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” called that?
The fairy tale is called “The Snow Queen” because the main event on which the plot is based is the kidnapping of Kai by the Snow Queen. The fairy tale consists of seven stories.
Girl Gerda and boy Kai. They lived in neighboring houses and loved each other like brother and sister. They visited each other on the roof and loved to play on the bench under the roses that grew in boxes on the gutters.
"The Snow Queen" real and fantastic in a fairy tale
With his fairy tale, Andersen tells the reader that if a person wants to achieve something, if this person is kind and warm-hearted, then both nature and people will help him, the person will definitely achieve his goal.
Gerda was helped in the palace of the Snow Queen by faith in God, prayer, loyalty to her love, courage, fidelity. Her hot tears melted Kai's icy heart, he came to life and remembered Gerda. Kai was helped by the pieces of ice: they danced and then formed the word “eternity” themselves.
By the ending, the author wants to say that evil will exhaust its strength just as winter ends. Spring will come, the person will return to his home, but his spiritual experience will become richer. A person will grow up, and it is good if an adult remains as pure in heart and soul as a child.
The children's storyteller knew how to intrigue both children and their parents, although it is worth noting that he positioned himself as an adult writer. His fantastic fairy tale “The Snow Queen” makes you empathize with every hero, because initially it is unknown whether the girl will find her friend and whether she will be able to free her friend from the icy palaces of the mistress of winter.
Surprisingly, Andersen put philosophical motives into his magical stories, and many of the characters have real prototypes. For example, the Snow Queen is Hans's lover, opera singer Jenny Lind.
History of creation
The tale of the Snow Queen was published in the winter of December 21, 1844; it was included in the collection “New Fairy Tales. Volume one." The non-trivial story about a woman with an icy heart began to be popular among bookstore regulars, and parents read lines from Andersen’s work to their children before bed. However, few people realized that the plot was not based on a joyful motive, which stemmed from the writer’s personal experience.
If we look at the biography of Hans Christian Andersen, there was nothing remarkable in his life, unlike other writers. For example, he managed to play the role of a gold digger and have an affair with more than one woman. The same can be said about the adventurous one, which was popular among representatives of the fair half of humanity.
But the storyteller, who came up with stories about and, never managed to experience carnal love; researchers believe that Andersen did not have serious relationships with either women or men. Contemporaries testified that sometimes the literary genius appeared in the “red light district,” but instead of coming to that seedy place for his intended purpose, the writer had long small conversations with young ladies of easy virtue.
Once the author of the stories managed to truly fall in love, but this experience turned out to be sad. A spark flashed in his heart when Hans saw the young opera singer Jenny Lind. The girl, known for her soprano solo performances throughout Europe, was 14 years younger than Andersen, but still addressed him as “brother” or “child.” Jenny accepted gifts and courtship from Andersen, but her heart belonged to another person. Therefore, the writer had to be content with the relationship of “brother and sister.”
Andersen was a modest man, but still dared to send a fiery message to the object of his desire. The writer's letter remained unanswered. Therefore, the woman who doomed Hans to suffering became the prototype of the cold Snow Queen. And the writer himself felt like Kai, who had found himself in an icy kingdom - the city of Copenhagen, where the ill-fated acquaintance took place.
The master of the pen decided to put a story from his own life on book pages, seasoning the plot with fantasy and magical characters. By the way, “The Snow Queen” broke the author’s personal record and became his longest fairy tale.
Image and plot
The main character of the work appears in the plot less often than Gerda, but plays a significant role in the plot. The story begins with a certain evil troll who made a mirror where everything good seemed bad, and everything bad seemed even worse.
The creator of the magical attribute liked to play with the mirror, and his students ran everywhere with this object. At one point, the little trolls climbed up to the very sky with a mirror in order to laugh at the Creator. The higher the pranksters climbed, the more the mirror tried to escape from their hands.
Ultimately, it slipped out and broke on the ground into small fragments that scattered throughout the world. Small, sharp diamonds hit people in the eyes or chest. In the first case, the person saw all the worst, and in the second his heart became cold as ice.
The boy Kai was the least fortunate of all, because by coincidence, the fragments hit the boy both in the eye and in the heart: the hero of the work immediately began to be rude to adults and imitate his own friend Gerda.
When winter came, Kai went sledding. Then the boy met a dazzling woman in a white robe riding on a large sleigh. She charmed Kai with just one look, so, without realizing it, the young man found himself in the arms of the Snow Queen and in the icy kingdom. The Snow Queen taught the boy that the world is ruled by selfishness. However, Gerda's love helped the prisoner overcome obstacles.
Film adaptations
The work, invented by Hans Christian Andersen, migrated to cinema. Directors and animators presented quite a lot of works, so let’s look at the most popular ones.
"The Snow Queen" (cartoon, 1957)
This cartoon was probably seen by all Soviet children, because “The Snow Queen” is one of the most famous animated films created in those years. Little spectators learned from the gnome wizard about the mistress of winter, the kidnapped Kaya and the brave Gerda.
It is worth saying that the main character is different from other drawn characters. The fact is that the Snow Queen was created using rotoscoping techniques. And the ice maiden was voiced by actress Maria Babanova.
"The Snow Queen" (film, 1966)
In 1966, Gennady Kazansky presented a color film with animation elements to television viewers. It is noteworthy that the script was written by a writer who came up with his own story, based on Andersen's original motives.
In the story, the Snow Queen kidnaps Kai, takes him to the winter kingdom and turns the boy’s heart into a piece of ice. The role of the insidious beauty went to, who worked on the same set with, Vyacheslav Tsyupa and.
"The Secret of the Snow Queen" (1986)
Filmmaker Nikolai Alexandrovich pleased those who spend their leisure time watching TV screens with his own vision of a fairy tale. The film takes place much later than the events described in the original text. Kai and Gerda have already grown up, so the characters talk about how hard it is to say goodbye to childhood.
The Snow Queen again lures the young man into her own kingdom, and the devoted Gerda goes on a search. It is noteworthy that the director shrouded the film in a certain mystery, which is hidden by the mistress of the ice throne. The main roles were played by Yan Puzyrevsky, Nina Gomiashvili and.
"The Snow Queen" (2002)
David Wu presented avid film fans with a fantasy fairy tale with a dash of action, where he meticulously worked out the characterization of the characters. Andersen's original fairy tale appears only fleetingly in the film, because the director invented a new concept that develops in the modern world.
Thus, Gerda appears as the daughter of the owner of the Polar Bear hostel, Kai acts as a messenger, and the castle of the Snow Queen, which she played, is strikingly similar to a hotel shrouded in frost and snow.
"The Snow Queen" (cartoon, 2012)
Russian animators surprised viewers with an unusual concept, because in the story, the Snow Queen rids the world of representatives of creative professions, be it an artist or a musician.
Brave Gerda, the daughter of a mirror maker, sets off on a journey to find her friend Kai, but getting to the winter castle is not so easy. The roles were duplicated by Russian cinema stars, which included, and.
"Frozen" (cartoon, 2015)
This time, leisure lovers were pleased by the Disney company, which released the animated film “Frozen”. The plot revolves around a young princess with magical powers: the heroine can summon snow and turn objects into ice.
This girl becomes the cause of the eternal winter that reigns in the kingdom. To bring back spring and summer, Princess Anna, Kristoff and the reindeer Sven go to the mountains to find the sorceress. The main characters were voiced by: Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and other Hollywood stars.
- Soviet readers read and loved the abridged version of The Snow Queen because censorship removed Christian motifs from the fairy tale. So, in the original source there are mentions and prayers of “Our Father”.
- Andersen was far from the first to come up with the image of the ruler of the ice throne. Hans probably turned to Scandinavian folklore, which talks about the personification of winter and death - the Ice Maiden. However, the writer’s track record includes a work of the same name, where this heroine is mentioned. Andersen's The Ice Maiden, which was published in 1861, can be called a later variation of The Snow Queen, but in a more realistic manner.
In the fairy tale “The Snow Queen,” the personification of goodness and light is the main character, the girl Gerda, who performed many brave and selfless acts to save her named brother, who was captured by an evil sorceress.
Gerda has an unusual character, combining kindness and tenderness with courage, determination and masculinity.
Going in search of Kai, Gerda could not imagine what trials she would face. But she was guided by the belief that her friend was alive, and for the sake of his salvation it was worth forgetting weakness and fear.
Thanks to her kind nature, the girl found many friends and helpers along the way. The princess and prince were fascinated by Gerda's story, so they equipped her with warm clothes and a golden carriage for the journey. And the little robber, who herself was distinguished by remarkable strength and courage, was so amazed by Gerda’s courage that she saved her from death and gave her her favorite pet, the Reindeer, to help her. Although, it is worth noting that Gerda did not immediately manage to win the trust of the robber, but she was able to show her that love and kindness are stronger than anger and aggression.
Even animals and nature help Gerda. The river and the rose tell her that Kai is alive, the raven and the crow help her get to the princess's palace, and the reindeer accompanies her to the Snow Queen's domain and does not leave until the girl returns victorious.
The Lapland and Finnish women selflessly give shelter and help find the way to the snow castle.
Only the old witch did not want to help Gerda, and even then, not out of malice, but because she was too lonely and used to thinking only about herself.
The biggest evil on the little girl's path is, of course, the Snow Queen. Under her gaze, all living things freeze. Her thorny army is invincible. But true love cannot be destroyed. Gerda's faith is so strong that the army retreats, and the evil spell is dispelled by her hot tears.
Gerda saves Kai only with her own strength, because he himself does not understand that he is in trouble and has long forgotten not only Gerda, but also simple human feelings - love, friendship, affection. This speaks of her generosity and ability to forgive insults.
The main lesson that many generations draw from this fairy tale is that love and faith give a person incredible strength. And if, even in difficult circumstances, a person continues to love the world and treat it with trust, then the world helps him achieve his goal.
Essay on the theme of Gerd
The place of one of the main characters of Andersen's fairy tale "The Snow Queen" was taken by the little girl Gerda. This desperate girl seems to be endowed with every positive quality you can imagine. She, not afraid of possible dangers, went to save her friend Kai, who was in trouble, who was like a brother to her. For his sake, she was ready to do anything and did many brave things. Gerda is the owner of an exceptional character, incorporating boundless kindness and brave masculinity.
Going to look for Kai, Gerda did not even imagine what difficulties she would encounter. But she was driven by determination, hope and faith that her close friend was alive, and in order to rescue him from danger it was necessary to forget all fears and concerns.
Thanks to her sensitive nature, Gerda found many kind helpers on her way to Kai. The prince and princess were delighted with Gerda's story, so they provided her with everything she needed for the long journey, they gave her warm clothes and a golden carriage. Gerda's kind heart even conquered the evil robber, who constantly carried a knife.
The conquered robber saves Gerda from death and gives her her dear Reindeer to help her. Natural forces also help the little girl in everything. The river and the rose assure that Kai is alive, the raven and the crow help get into the princess's palace, and the Reindeer delivers Gerda to the queen's icy domain and waits until the girl returns with Kai. Only the old sorceress did not want to help Gerda, not even out of anger, but from her own loneliness and habit of thinking exclusively about herself. But the biggest danger on Gerda’s path was the Snow Queen, who could freeze all living things with one glance. But the little girl’s enormous love and hot tears managed to melt the icy forces of evil.
Gerda, with her own strength, rescues Kai, who did not even realize that he was in trouble and was able to forget his friend in a short time.
Throughout the entire fairy tale, the image of Gerda runs as the antipode to the soulless queen. This image can serve as a worthy example of selfless friendship and exemplary behavior.
Several interesting essays
- Essay on Shishkin's painting Rye 4th grade description
In the foreground of the picture is a sunny golden rye, neatly divided into two parts by a thin path. The rye glitters in the light, shimmering in a bizarre way against the backdrop of distant trees and flying birds.
Today I will talk about my experience when I went to the sea for the first time. It was beautiful, bright, unforgettable. For those interested, read on.
“The Snow Queen” characteristics of the heroes - Kaya, Gerda, the Snow Queen
"The Snow Queen" characteristics of the heroes
Gerda
Gerda is the main character of the fairy tale.
Description of Gerda:
“... her hair curled, and the curls surrounded her sweet, friendly face, round and rosy, like a rose, with a golden radiance.”
Gerda is kind, affectionate, brave. She loves Kai like a brother and goes to a long, long way to save him. A warm heart pushed Gerda to take such a step. Gerda believed that Kai was alive, and she must definitely help him.
Gerda's character traits: strong, courageous, loyal, courageous, sincere, purposeful, persistent
Scientists helped the girl in her search crows , the prince and princess who gave Gerda warm clothes and mittens , the little robber and the deer.
During her long wanderings, Gerda shows only her best side. She is sweet, friendly, kind, and this attracts not only different people to her, but also animals and birds. She is brave, patient, persistent, and this helps her not to be discouraged by failures and not to lose faith that she will find Kai. She is faithful, loving, reliable, and this helps her cope with the charms of the Snow Queen herself and melt the ice in the boy’s heart. If Gerda were a real girl and not a fairy-tale girl, she would have a lot of friends. I don't doubt this one bit.
The Snow Queen bewitched Kai's heart and turned it into a lump ice . But Gerda’s hot tears and her love saved the boy.
Gerda turned out to be stronger than the Snow Queen. After all, the Snow Queen has a cold heart, and Gerda has a hot one. Gerda is the embodiment of the best human qualities. Therefore, she defeats evil and wins Kai away from the Snow Queen.
"The Snow Queen" characteristics Snow Queen
Description of the Snow Queen:
- “She was so lovely and tender, but made of ice... and yet alive! Her eyes shone like stars, but there was neither warmth nor peace in them.”
Gerda and the Snow Queen are strong personalities.
Gerda and the Snow Queen: similarities and differences
Characteristics of Kaya “The Snow Queen”
At the beginning of the fairy tale, he is a kind and sympathetic boy. After Kai gets to the Snow Queen's palace, his heart becomes icy - now he is a rude, angry and insensitive boy. Kai does not understand that one cannot live without true feelings - such an existence is meaningless. Gerda, with her true love, saves Kai from his icy imprisonment.