Absent Father

Absent Father

Absent father is a very common theme in fairy tales. We have several situations without a father, which means that the main character of the story doesn't have the protection of a traditional powerful figure. This makes all the main character's situations more dangerous and at the same time more suspenseful for the audience. Can you imagine the encounter of Red Riding Hood with the wolf if her father was right behind her?

The absence of fathers in fairy tales is achieved through different means. It's either not mentioned at all, either dies at the beginning of the story, or he is somewhere around but totally passive, so the main character can't rely on his help.

Let's check some examples:

Aladdin

Aladdin lives with his mother. His father is never mentioned. Instead, he has to deal with a powerful magician and can't rely on the protection of his parents. Fortunately, he gets help from a djinn (two jinns, actually) so even the evil magician can't hurt him.

source: Aladdin's Picture Book by Walter Crane

Cinderella

Cinderella has a father but he is useless. When her mother dies, he remarries so she could have at least a stepmother. When the stepmother shows her true character, her father takes no action and Cinderella needs to find support somewhere else. Stepsisters just add to her problems.

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack lives with his mother and we don't know why there is no father, although there are some versions where we are informed that his father was once a rich man who was robbed and murdered by a giant, so Jack's later endeavors in the giant's castle are more justifiable. Well, no matter what happens to the father, Jack has to deal with the giant all alone.

Puss in Boots

This fairy tale starts with the death of a miller who had three sons. Dead father left a mill to the oldest son, a donkey to the middle son and the youngest gets just a cat. The absence of a father has a different impact on the boys. While the oldest and the second are somehow taken care of, the youngest is forced to find his way to survive. Fortunately, his cat is not an ordinary one ...

source: The New Puss in Boots

Red Riding Hood

There is no father in the story of Red Riding Hood and we don't know why, although analytics (well, many others too) recognize a father figure in the hunter who comes by granny's cottage just in time to kill the wolf and rescue both ladies.

source: Red Riding Hood by Frances Brundage

Sleeping Beauty

This absence of the father is not so typical. Father is actually pretty active here. He is the reason for the curse being put on his child because he didn't invite the old fairy. He also tries to protect his daughter by destroying all the spinning wheels in the kingdom. But when the time is really crucial - on her birthday, when the prophecy of her death should be fulfilled, he suddenly has to leave! This definitely puts him in the category of the absent fathers.

source: Sleeping Beauty and Its Symbols

Snow White

The father in the Snow White fairy tale is functionally very similar to the father in Cinderella. His wife (and mother of his daughter) dies and he remarries. When stepmother comes into the household, things go from bad to worse for his only daughter yet he never intervenes. He is actually never mentioned after marriage and Snow White has all kinds of interactions with other men, all possible protectors who could replace the original father's role until she finally finds one.

credit: Snow White by Roland Riise

Snow White and Rose Red

This fairy tale starts with two sisters living in the woods with their mother. Father is never mentioned and we don't really miss him until other male characters appear. The first is the bear who pans out a friendly figure but after that, a grumpy and possibly dangerous dwarf appears, so the absence of the father is finally apparent. Fortunately, the bear protects the girl and everybody (except the dwarf who dies) becomes rich and married by the way.

As you probably noted, the absent father actually plays an important role in the presented stories even if he is not present. His absence has a crucial impact on the actions of fairy tale characters who by rule are more active than would very likely be with father's support. At the same time, all of them get some kind of support from others, being that a strong figure like a bear or a hunter or maybe with some help of magic.

Such a message is in tune with real-life experiences. Humans are social beings and the idea of one against the world, although sounds romantic, doesn't produce useful results. Without your father's help, you very likely need the help of somebody (or something) else.

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