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Manuel Acosta
Writing 39B
Professor McClure
8 November 2016

A Feminist Critique Through Monstrosity

In Neil Gaimans short story, Snow, Glass, Apples, he alters perspectives and
integrates genres in an effort to introduce a feminist critique of culture, specifically about
feminine representations of sexuality and power. Gaiman takes a fairytale, Snow White,
and twists it into a terror-filled tale by changing the narrative perspective. In the
traditional Snow White story, the Queen is seen as the villain while Snow White is the
innocent princess we instinctively support. In Gaimans version, it is clear that the
protagonist is the Queen while the princess surprisingly takes the role of the antagonist.
Gaiman fulfills the general conventions of the horror genre while simultaneously
subverting the components of a typical fairytale story to fortify his personal twist on the
story and reveal a feminist critique of culture. Gaiman's distinction and mixture between
the two genres is supported by renowned philosophers such as Noel Carroll. Gaimans
decision to reverse the roles of an original fairytale allows him to make great symbolic
gestures regarding feminine power and sexuality. These symbolic gestures are further
justified by scholars such as Hans Biedermann who specializes in the study of
symbolism. Through his overpowerment of the horror genre, Gaiman is permitted to
ultimately critique the feminine culture while presenting a set of both negative and
positive aspects through his main characters. Essentially, Gaiman utilizes irony to
highlight the horror genre through the princess in an effort to emphasize his negative

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critique on feminist sexuality. On the other hand, Gaiman subverts typical horror
expectations by depicting the Queen as a symbol of positive feminine representation.
Gaiman draws the reader's attention to fairytale memories while also pushing them into
a realm of horror to clarify how his critique of feminine culture should be perceived by
society. Tony Magistrale, America's leading Stephen King critic and associate professor
of English at the University of Vermont, further illustrates the purpose behind the
incorporation of the horror genre in stories.
Gaiman stays true to the structure of the original Snow White but also enhances
the sense of Carroll's ideas about the relationship between the ordinary and
extraordinary by integrating the genres of horror and fairy tale. To illustrate, Noel Carroll,
a renowned philosopher most known for his examination of horror fiction, establishes
the idea in his essay, The Nature of Horror, that, In examples of horror, it would appear
that the monster is an extraordinary character in our ordinary world, whereas in fairy
tales and the like the monster is an ordinary character in an extraordinary world. (52).
Gaiman's connection to the original tale is essential for the development and interest of
his story. Gaiman first introduces a familiar refrain that is found in the traditional story as
the Queen describes the princess saying, Her eyes were black as coal, black as her
hair; her lips were redder than blood. This use of repetition causes the reader to
constantly keep in mind the familiar story while hinting at the fact that Snow White is
abnormal. Gaiman describes her eyes being as black as coal and her lips being
redder than blood in order to make the reader realize the princess attachment to
vampirism. This makes Snow White the extraordinary character in an ordinary world.
According to Carroll, at this point in the story, we are already in a horror story. The

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imagery Gaiman uses emphasizes the distinction between the traditional fairytale and
his story. Furthermore, Snow White is still forced out of the castle in Gaimans story,
however he justifies the Queen's actions by presenting Snow White as a monster. The
Queens desires to cut her heart out, and disembowel her are approved by the
audience due to Gaimans presentation of the princess as a monster. Gaimans
incorporation of a monster into the story causes the horror genre to overpower the
fairytale genre. Gaiman intertwines these two distinct genres in a way that showcases
his critique about the negative and positive aspects of feminine sexuality.
Snow White is demonstrated as impure through her sexuality in order to fulfill the
expectations of a monster and establish herself as a fundamental aspect of the horror
genre. Gaiman ironically hypersexualizes Snow White in order to prove that shes not
sexual at all. Gaiman does this in order to fulfill the expectations of the horror genre. As
Carroll explains, Many monsters of the horror genre are interstitial and/or contradictory
in terms of being both living and dead. She is demonstrated as willing to be sexual with
almost anybody throughout the story but this in turn draws her away from having a valid
association with sex. For instance, when the Queen is observing Snow White in the
forest through her looking glass she sees how, She lowered her mouth to the nipple
she had been teasing, her smooth skin white on the furry brown body of him. This initial
part of the scene presents a sexual act but it is then followed by a clarifying exertion. As
she watched her, she suddenly, straddled him, and she fed. As she did so a thin
blackish liquid began to dribble from between her legs".Although this detail appears to
be sexual at first, it actually subverts the typical expectations of the erotic. The princess

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is clearly not looking for any connection or bond that is usually present during sex.
Instead, Gaiman reveals the Princess to have a more superficial interest towards sex.
Snow white is not sexual for the sake of pleasure or love, but only for the
purpose of power. Gaiman critiques a representation of female power by revealing that
the princess only acts sexually in order to obtain power and reap the benefits that her
victim offers. Her sexual acts are, in a sense, a transaction and not a genuine bond that
the reader typically connects to the erotic. Lastly, the thin blackish liquid that [dribbled]
from between her legs is a very obvious symbol. There is nothing more straightforward
for establishing impurity than black liquid, and it specifically comes directly from the
fundamental identifying characteristic of her gender. Ultimately, Gaiman critiques both
feminine sexuality and feminine power. Gaiman identifies Snow White as impure due to
her sexuality and means of obtaining power. The princess is not looking for a bond
between sentiment, so she is not truly sexual. The categorical contradictoriness, that
Carroll explains, makes Snow White an exemplifier of the horror genre in its most
natural form. Gaiman identifies her as impure due to her sexuality, while highlighting the
Queens positive feminine image.
Gaiman introduces the Queen as emblematic of a set of positive attributes
regarding the feminine representations of sexuality. By establishing the story through
the Queens perspective and presenting the Princess as a monster, we instinctively view
the Queen under a new light from the start. The Queen is explicitly sexual as well, but
not ironic. For instance, when the king is struggling with sexual acts, [She] pulled her
mouth away and held him tightly, until the sobbing had stopped, and he slept, like a
child. The Queens sexuality is in fact sexual appropriateness. All the actions and

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emotions that we normally associate with the erotic are seen through the Queen. She
pursues a sense of attachment and connection. In point of fact, sexuality is not included
in the fairytale genre. In fact, It is typically left out. Sex is, in itself, not necessarily ugly
nor beautiful, it is just a natural or an ordinary world thing; however, Gaiman is granted
the power to make symbolic gestures because the story is originally rooted from a
fairytale. As Biedermann explains, fairy tales are "treasure troves for the symbologist"
(Biederman, 124). As a result, the Queen is a symbol of positive power and positive self
image regarding sexuality. She is in a sense the truly sexual one, however, she is
critiqued in a positive matter regarding feminine sexuality. Ultimately, Gaiman integrates
the horror genre in order to validate the presence of his critique while staying
committed to the original fairytale to reveal his underlying meaning through symbolism.
Gaiman fabricates a new perspective into the genre of horror and fairy tale that
he forces the reader to enter, in order to further realize his underlying purpose regarding
his critique of feminine power and sexuality. This is seen in the first personal encounter
that the Queen has with the Princess as she describes that, I had always been scared
of the little princess...then she sank her teeth into the base of my thumb, the Mound of
Venus, and she drew blood.. Gaiman identifies the princess as the enemy and
introduces a drastic change in the image of Snow White. Gaiman places evil in a
persona that the reader once identified as pure in order to introduce a new outlook of
her character. He describes the princess with innocence using the adjective little but
contradictly demonstrates her as evil as she sank her teeth into the base of [her]
thumb. There is no pause or chronological progression of the princess evil demeanor.
Gaiman includes this in the same sentence in order to rob the reader of the opportunity

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to turn back or hesitate. As clarified by Tony Magistrale in his work Intro to Dark Nights
Dreaming, The art of horror sometimes forces us to examine that which we have
repressed in ourselves and in our culture(5).
Based on the evolved image that Gaiman abruptly introduces of the Princess as
a monster, he clarifies a connection to the reception of feminine representation in
society. He is able to critique this aspect of society through his characters due to the
use of the horror genre. As Magistrale further explains, The best horror fiction must be
viewed as contemporary social satire that revels-- and often critiques-- the collective
cultural fears and personal anxieties of everyday life. (3)Generally, feminist critique of
culture regarding sexual representation is inhibited in society. In fact, society can be
seen embracing the idea of women acquiring power through sexual representation in
order to suppress the issue. For instance, mediums ranging from sex appeal in
advertising to pornography in media have become normalities in society, when in reality
Gaiman wants us to view hypersexuality as unjust or in a sense, monstrous.
Ultimately, the perception of these sexual representations of femininity in
Gaimans time oppose his critique. As a result, Gaiman integrates art horror to avoid
offering the audience the choice to face the issue or not. He includes a turn in the
princess demeanor in the same sentence in order to introduce the reader to an image
that must be faced. He presents it as threatening and horrific because he essentially
wants the reader to react to the feminist acquisition of power through sexuality in the
same way. Ultimately, Gaiman causes us to face the issue at hand. He does this by
introducing it as a monster in order to captivate the audiences attention. Gaiman
presents a feminine figure as impure with the urgent need for blood to emphasize the

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feminist cultures need for attention in society during this time, while revealing how
unjust acquisitions of power through sexuality should be perceived.

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Works Cited
Biedermann, Hans. Dictionary of Symbolism. New York: Facts on File, 1992. Print.

Carroll, Nol. "The Nature of Horror." The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 46.1
(1987): 51-59. Web. 15 Oct. 2016.

Gaiman, Neil. Snow,Glass,Apples. N.p.: DreamHaven, 1995. Print.

Magistrale, Tony, and Michael A. Morrison. Introduction. Intro to Dark Night's Dreaming.
N.p.: n.p., 1996. N. pag. Print.