CRITICAL ANALYSIS ON THE "DEATH OF THE GODFATHER", A FAIRY TALE WRITTEN BY JACOB LUDWIG GRIMM AND WILHELM CARL GRIMM This story is a German fairy tale translated by Jacob Ludwig Grimm (1785-1863) and Wilhelm Carl Grimm (1786-1859), brothers born in Germany. The story centers on the thirteenth child born to a poor old man who cannot afford to feed his new offspring. To provide for him the poor old man must choose a godfather for his son. First he meets God and fires him as godfather because according to the old God he is not a righteous person. Subsequently he meets the Devil and again the old man dismisses him also because according to the old man the Devil induces men to sin through deception. He finally meets the one "person" he accepts as his son's godfather. That person is Death and he was chosen because Death plays no favors with anyone, rich or poor Death will take them all when their time comes. After reading this story a few times the symbolism present became clear to me. All the main characters are all male except for the beautiful princess who he falls madly in love with. The story also gives all the main characters a human form, be it God, the Devil, or Death. We don't see them in this story as supernatural beings, but rather as another person that the poor old man accidentally stumbled upon while speeding on the highway. In this story no mention is made of the poor old man's wife or of any of his other twelve children, and although the story begins with the old man, he soon disappears from the picture and the main characters become the son and his godfather. 'Death'. From the moment the son reaches adulthood the story develops into a classic conflict between a father fig...... middle of paper ...... this made the young doctor almost a god, he could dispense the health or death and just as he wished, but with consequences if he disobeyed Death's wishes. The lesson here is seen in the folly of his actions, the doctor believes he is above all earthly constraints and believes he is truly a god. The young doctor is placed in this situation on purpose. He is told that he can cure anyone as long as Death allows, but is also given the choice to do whatever he wants, albeit with consequences. The young doctor ignores all the warnings and in the end will have to pay for his madness with his life. What the story does is show us that we are all human. That we cannot play with death or life and that death will eventually come for us, whether we are rich or poor. I particularly loved the symbolism of the glowing candles, and I wonder if such a place could really exist.