Heroes and Heroines: A Discussion on "The Princess and the Goblin"
The Princess and the Goblin is one of the few texts from the Victorian “golden age” of children’s literature that gives us a representation of a male and female hero/ine. What are the key strengths and weaknesses of each heroic figure? How are their quests the same or different?
Curdie and Princess Irene from The Princess and the Goblin are a classic case of traditional male and female hero archetypes, though perhaps there is a case to be made of a slight variation. Princess Irene, when she meets Curdie, is the classic ‘damsel in distress’. While Curdie is not Royalty, he acts with the valour of a knight. He saves the Princess, and she goes back to her castle. The Princess’s journey is one of personal development and faith while Curdie’s is of a physical and tangible nature.
The Princess has divine assistance in her great-something-grandmother, and she grows into a wise young woman. Curdie, instead, tries to fight off the antagonists through gaining information and sabotage (subterfuge). He encounters a problem, however. He becomes the damsel in distress, and Princess Irene, armed with faith, is able to navigate the tunnels and bring him to safety. This is the little twist I mentioned earlier. Typically, to be saved by a woman was seen as a weakness, and in many ways, is still seen as such. The fact that it’s included is a very nice touch to show that women can help to save the day as well, if in their own way. It is not through brute strength that she is able to do this, but through trust, courage, and self-confidence.
Their quests are different in the sense that hers is an emotional and internal quest while his is an external physical one, but they are the same (or at least similar) in the sense that both quests weave together in integral ways and that, despite appearances, they start and end at the same time; they are complimentary quests and both have the same result, really: keeping the kingdom safe. The application of their quests are directed at different means, but it serves the same end.
Curdie is attempting to keep the Princess and the castle safe by infiltrating the Goblins, and the Princess is trying to understand what her role is as a young monarch-to-be, which ultimately results in keeping her people safe.
What’s interesting is how they complement each other. Each of their weaknesses is filled in by the other: each does what the other cannot. Where she fails at physical pursuits, he saves her. Where he fails at ignorance and skepticism, she saves him. It’s a very intriguing dichotomy, and it serves well in the story.