Response to “With a smile and a song…” by Tracey Mollet

Overall, I think Tracey Mollet makes a good argument in this essay, and uses reasonable examples to show how the film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs drew upon ideologies and issues of the time period to influence the storyline from that of the Brothers’ Grimm to something more relevant to society in the 1930’s.  After explaining her thesis, she does a good job of giving a basic background about the state of the country during the depression, which is invaluable for reminding readers not only about how far-reaching the economic impacts were, but also how American values and ideals were under attack.  This is, after all, why Franklin D. Roosevelt was critical about the state of democracy in the United States if the New Deal was not a success.

One of Mollet’s arguments that really resonated with me was how the film not only was relatable for movie goers at the time, but served as inspiration for them to improve their own lives.  Snow White, in Mollet’s opinion, served as a model case for the classic “rags to riches story of the American Dream.”  The dwarfs, who represent the common man, transform throughout the movie.  For example, Grumpy, who represents an older generation of people who are not as tolerant of women having larger roles in society, eventually transforms to accepting Snow White for who she is.  These ideas did not seem too far-fetched in terms of the argument being made.  That being said, there are counterarguments to what is being said, such as that these ideologies represent an outdated view of gender and society, which is why they are dangerous to show to the children of today.   

Despite the overall sound argument, I do not completely agree with the thesis.  Mollet argues that Disney himself played an important part in transmitting these messages in his films.  However, since Disney himself never claims that his films had hidden messages, it is hard to prove that he had a part in including all of these messages in Snow White.  Instead, these ideologies may have coincidentally applied to what was going on at the time, which explains why it was so popular.  After all, context always plays a role in how someone interprets a work of art.  Children who watch Snow White today will see something different than those who watched it when it first came out, for example.  While Mollet’s argument remains in tact, I just think less emphasis should be put on how Disney influenced the film, and more on how the film influenced the American people, in this particular case.