The plot and message of the story that the Nootch and I were reading the other day was unmistakable. When the enchanting Princess Elizabeth decides to rescue the hapless Prince Ronald from the lair of the annoying, fire breathing, crazily narcissistic dragon, she opts for a deceptively simple disguise: an ordinary, sustainable, everyday item from the grocery store, so as to avoid detection. And thus she transforms herself into "The [covertly stealthy and super smart] Paper Bag Princess." Clothes may make the man as Polonius admonishes Laertes, but modern women buy on sale, if at all, and just get to work.
The author Robert Munsch (this was written by a man???), goes on to relate the fiery trials Elizabeth endures to free the hapless prince from the flaming environs of the silly, self obsessed dragon, a feat she accomplishes through a series of carefully crafted manipulations designed to appeal to the monster's ego, and in this manner wear him out.
When all is said and done, the freed but not liberated prince- instead of thanking his fiancee- rather immediately makes mention of her disheveled, unsightly, unglamorous, soot covered look. Elizabeth quickly decides to chuck the guy, then, as the beaming, accompanying illustration indicates, lives happily ever after.
At the end of the tale, we had a little discussion about the book as we usually do, and I asked the Nootch why she thought the princess jettisoned the prince.
Without skipping a beat, this five year old with the thirty year old sensibility of a true post millennial replied with confidence, equanimity and certain knowledge: "Ronald is a jerk!"
As if to imply, isn't this self evident?
Like the sun rising each day and the Earth being round, stories do not always end the way they used to, and everyone knows this.
Oh, uh, okay. . . . Got it.
Silly me.
The Nootch is astute, thats for sure. She will go a long, long way accompanied by a worthy prince.
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