The Sleeper and the Spindle

The unnamed protagonist of the story, generally referred to as the queen, is a reimagining of Snow White. At this point in her tale, however, her name has largely become lost: “The queen had a name, but nowadays people only ever called her Your Majesty” (23). Although the queen has emerged successfully from her own traditional tale and come into a position of authority, she initially feels trapped by the constraints and expectations of the world around her. Her introduction to the reader is through a full-page image preceding her first scene; the image depicts her looking exceedingly unhappy with her wedding dress juxtaposed against her discarded knightly regalia. Riddell’s illustration suggests both the direction from which she has come and the path she has ahead of her. Although the queen recognizes the restrictions and limits of her position, she feels powerless to change it: “In a week from now, she would have no choices. She would reign over her people. She would have children. […] the path to her death, heartbeat by heartbeat, would be inevitable” (14). When she chooses to take action and join the dwarves in a quest to save the neighboring kingdom, she feels a sense of relief: Not only has she postponed her wedding, but she’s taken another, final, chance to embody her true nature.