The Tinder Box by HANS CHRISTAINSEN REVIEW

This short story is about a soldier who retrieves a magical box for a witch whom decided to not share the reason they wanted such box. This man was charitable and gave much money to the townspeople until he was broke, during that time, he had heard of an unseen princess whom lived in a copper tower in the castle. Then, at the moment he only had two shillings left, he decided to use the box, which was basically a match box as what we'd refer to it in modern era, and had stricken it. A dog had come out and by a number of times he'd strike it, it would be either silver or gold from my sleepy-mind's understanding at 12:49 A.M. And after he had tested it out, it would give him what or whomever he had asked for. Even the princess herself.



Though this is most definitely not a popular tale, as it isn't a movie or in any show that I know of, not even Once Upon a Time. But this, has a happy ending for the main characters, which is well-known for all fairy tales that all tales will have a good ending.

But not typically for the enemy, and it doesn't always seem good in between the story for the main character, as I said it is a good ending. The soldier gets the girl but also, the magical dogs which we find out - all three have different sized eyes - in the end of the tale, and they had killed the King and Queen and the soldiers and apparently the Princess was cool with that and totally happy.

Honestly, I wouldn't mind an actual full story about this short story - though you can easily imagine it, if you know to picture a dirt road, cottages, open windows with no glass, wooden doors with golden handles, you know? Everything that might be sort-of medieval styled. The doors might not have handles, but that's not the point. Short stories are typically very "told" instead of "show", which is why, children whom would enjoy this, would much prefer a picture book. That is when "telling" can be brushed off.

They used terms that some might not understand, being written in the 1800's or even some years before, it is understandable that they might use an archaic terminology. Sabre is a sword, you would imagine Zorro - the Hispanic hero or; The Three Musketeers - the French heros swords, curved and silver and a curving guard around its handle. And when he says, '" Plague on it!"' I would think it means, "you bet!" or "you know it!" But, that's wrong, according to what I found on Macmillon Dictionary and CollinsDictionary, it's used when you are irritated with someone or something. And when he says, '"I had clean forgotten that!"' And this is downright obvious, it means you plainly/completely forgotten. So, what he said, in modern writing, "Damn, I completely forgot!" It's archaic, and nobody would speak like the way they do in these 1800's written short stories.

Though I had enjoyed it, I would say that this story would be so much more interesting if it were delved in more. Thanks to Hans Christainsen for creating such a thing, but I would want more story to this. Questions: Who was the witch? Why did she need these items and just couldn't get them herself - especially that Tinder Box, since she knew all that was in 'her grandmother's chamber'? Had she lied? And Why hadn't she gotten revenge for him refusing to give her the box that wanted? Was the princess actually happy that the man basically killed her parents?

Making this into a full story would be interesting, since I know, many had made version of Snow White, I'm sure people would base some of their stories off the not-so-popular Hans Christainsen tales, even though it might not had been him who had wrote it. The Grimm Brother's wrote Snow White; he wrote The Little Mermaid.

I'm sure anyone could make a version of this tale, who might make the most captivating tale would be the question. I think I would read it.

This story, I would have to rate 5 out of 10, because the things I've mentioned before. Questions about the witch, who's chamber that really was, was that really her grandmothers, why couldn't she just go in herself, why did she need him? I mean, I get it said she were old and he was a soldier with a sabre, but...magic? Was it warded off, did she not actually have any magic and was she being judged by him and she ignored his comments? Why did she need the Tinder Box? What was she going to wish for? Why did she just let him leave and not try to magick him into a frog or something?

The fact that I thought the witch was the princess and she was going to make her revenge for stealing the item from her apparent grandmother....I mean, c'mon, it was unsatisfying. Besides, either the princess was wicked and nuts for being cool for him to kill her parents and him becoming his wife or in his mind, she was happy but she was actually terrified of him because of those dogs. He did keep abducting her from her tower in the night. What if she didn't actually like him? We wouldn't know, because well its unsaid but a new story, someone could rewrite a much more interesting tale, hopefully a satisfying one.




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Once Upon a Time Summary

I love German