In both "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood" and "There Once Was," the short stories end in the sense that there is not always a happily every ending after marriage. On the one hand, Perrault retells a little different story of sleeping beauty, mainly focusing on the fact that your family does not always support love. On the other, Atwood, an influential Canadian author, focuses on the female role in a fairy tale. Atwood presents her story from the perspective of female characters as active roles, not like the classic princess waiting on her knight in shining armor. Although Perrault and Atwood suggest different conclusions behind the female role in a fairy tale, they both share the key belief, that in a story there is not always going to be a happy ending after all.

These two texts both revolve around the notion of a character, based on his or her appearances that make up the story. In "There Once Was" the two main protagonists constantly argue over the characteristics that make up the young woman in the story. Atwood's text not only challenges contemporary beliefs about class, race, and gender, but also presents them in a way that the author tends to focus more on what the female shouldn't be. Whereas, Perrault's main focus on the woman's position in the story is just of a normal princess. The only problem is that the relationships with the characters in the story cannot always be trusted to promote happiness. The Kings mother in "The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood" did not like the Young Queen, resulting in her attempt to eat her children. In the end she takes her own life because her relationship with her son could no longer be the same, after coming home from war to his loved ones hog-tied.

Perrault's short story, unlike any classic fairy tale is a lot darker and less like the original Disney films, especially when it comes down to its ending. Fairy tales typically have happy endings, but this story is the exact opposite. For example, when the author says "No one dared to tell him, when the Ogress, all enraged to see what had happened, threw herself head foremost into the tub, and was instantly devoured by the ugly creatures she had ordered to be thrown into it for others."(Perrault.302), he uses gore and unrealistic methods, behind the mother's death. This suggestion by the author makes the reader think past the ordinary tale, and truly reflect on what the true essence of love is. While, in Atwood's short story the sequence of events all leads up to one question in the end. So What? The author does relate in the text to marriage and love, but its main focus overall is based on the fact that women in stories are unrealistic. The story presented in "There Once Was" is in constant contradiction with what a typical fairy tale would sound like. The second speaker, which for certain is a female, repeatedly questions each excerpt in the way that makes the reader think about how the situation would differ in today's times. It seems that everyone nowadays focuses too much on the little stuff, not only in the female's perspective, but also in general.

When anyone thinks of a fictional story, they associate the text with extra ordinary people and the fact that they aren't normal, unless it is actually realistic fiction. When Atwood wrote "There Was Once," she really wanted the reader to understand that fictional characters in these stories are an inaccurate depiction of women in our society today. Not everybody is going to be able to experience this extravagant lifestyle and ambiance that surrounds the average princess. Throughout Atwood's writings, suffering is a common topic for the female characters. Fluctuating between the characters descriptions, when the author says, "With poor, let me tell you, there's no fireplace. Come down to the park, come to the subway stations after dark, come down to where they sleep in cardboard boxes, and I'll show you poor!"(Atwood.305) he wants the reader to really understand what life is like. Present day women are nothing like the ones described in the stories, so why should they represent a contrasting portrayal of their actual lives.

When I concluded reading the written texts, both of the stories left me pondering what the author's main outlook on fictional tales really was. In both instances, however, the characters portrayed are nowhere near equal in the sense of personalities and living situations. Perrault begins his version of Sleeping Beauty just like any other story; the only difference is what his moral of the story represented. The family prevails while the mother kills herself in grief. Whereas, Atwood takes an entirely different angle on how the fairy tale is told. Not only does the author take into account the current status of average women "I think we can cut the beautiful, don't you? Women these days have to deal with too many intimidating physical role models"(Atwood305), but she also helps the reader understand why a fairy tale is a fairy tale. Your not going to end up like the princesses in the books, you are more than likely going to be living an average to bland life.  Bringing it all back to the idea that there is not always going to be a "fairy tale" ending waiting for you.

Another very significant similarity between the two written texts is that they both portray details surrounding the role of a woman in a fairy tale. Not only in the sense that women are not rightfully inclined to a fictional lifestyle like in the stories, but how sometimes in these fables they do not always end like the reader expects them too.  When Atwood initially starts off the story, the reader primarily focuses on what the second characters points out in the story. For example, when the character says, "That's better. But I have to seriously query this word poor"(Atwood.305) he or she is making it clear that wealth has to into play, when telling a short story or even a tale. It seems as if the story being revealed is not up to par, and is not a description of the American life today. The text is almost as if it is being retold from the perspective of a female, who has very feminist feelings towards any traditional fairy tale. Perrault however, does not change his text based on the roles of the women characters, but wraps it around the fact that it will not always be a happy ending even after you find your prince.

All in all, both texts portray a short story, surrounding its significance and importance, around the role that woman partake in the story. Atwood is very keen on making her point clear; that the function of woman in fairy tales needs to be more realistic. The fact that the typical person in this world will never be able to experience a life anywhere near the ones depicted in the stories, really helps to support what her genuine message behind the poem is. Although Perrault and Atwood suggest different suppositions behind the female role in a fairy tale, they both share the vital idea, that in a story there is not always going to be a blissful and ecstatic ending after all.
