The importance of the fairy tale of Briar Rose in the understanding of Gamma’s experiencing of the holocaust

The importance of the fairy tale of Briar Rose in the understanding of Gamma’s experiencing of the holocaust. Jane Yolen takes the sanitised and cliché 20 th century version and transforms it into the original darker version of the text to tell a mirror story of the holocaust. Throughout the text the author draws upon the themes and structure of the traditional as a vehicle for the plot of  the novel. As such Briar Roase the novel is darker and sinister yet allowed opportunity for a happy ending. The use of the sustained metaphore that is gemmas life is used throughout the novel. Her experiences of the war are juxstaposed with the story of Briar Rose or more commonly known as sleeping beauty. Gemma’s entire life is portrayed through the reciting of the fairy tale. The evil fairy is symbolic for the Nazis and the death head ss, the castle is symbolic for the death camp and prince plunging his hands into the thorns is symbolic of Aaron jumping into the pile of dead people to resuscitate her back to life. Yolen also puts forward the notion that in order to understand our future we must analyse our past. “The future is when people talk about the past”. Explains how in order for Becca to understand Gemma and their future she must first find out about Gemma’s past. Yolen contrasts this search for happiness and belonging with the backdrop of the atrocities that took place in Germany during the Second World War.