The Valiant Little Tailor, the Grimm's Fairy Tale Story of Deception and Intelligence to Succeed

The Valiant Little Tailor is one of the most intriguing fairy tale stories written down and likely altered some by the Brothers Grimm. The story is of a poor tailor within Germany during the period of time when tailors where some of the poorest and least respected people in Europe. And this tailor is somewhat more dislikable by the general public then most, for he is very arrogant and picky. We see this in his personality almost immediately for the story begins with him calling to a women selling jam, telling her "here you will get rid of your goods." His words would seem to indicate a general willingness to purchase all or at least a large portion of her jams. However on inspecting them for quite some time he takes only 4 ounces. Such a small portion is after building expectations and so much trouble is liable to make anyone angry and indeed the women leaves in a huff.

What is interesting in this conversation is that while many have asserted that not a lot of personality is given to fairy tale story characters the Tailor has been given a lot in a single conversation very quickly. First we are aware that he is a very picky person prone to exaggeration, and second we are aware that he has a very wry wit for he does not just ask in a straight forward manner for his jam but instead says "our ounces, dear woman, and if it is a quarter of a Pound that is of no consequence."

One can't help but wonder if the initial characterization of the tailor in this story what an addition or variation which the Brothers Grimm added, for as Jack Zipes assures in his book "The Brothers Grimm" the brothers had a particular liking to clever tailors, poor workers who with intelligence succeed. So it would seem if they where to make improvements it would be to these stories. Of course this does not prevent the tailor from getting off completely innocently he comes off looking presumptuous and rude. However at the same time their had to be an awareness for the Grimm brothers that success often depended on being Presumptuous, as it does for the tailor.

The jam which the tailor purchases is indeed very sweet and it soon attracts a swarm of fly's. The Tailor smashes these, killing seven of them in a single swipe. Again he is arrogant and presumptuous and so presumes that this is an amazing feat, one which requires that he make girdle which brags of his deed. He however does not tell the whole story, failing to mention that what he slew where fly's. And so now being emboldened by his experience he goes out and finds a giant who he brags about his deed to. The giant of course presumes that he means men slain with one stroke and so challenges the tailor to a contest, in which the tailor cheats to appear to win. It can't escape notice at this point that the tailor is indeed very clever and brave, to challenge and best a giant, but also fairly dishonest and arrogant.

The tailor uses all of these traits in order to help a king in accomplishing a series of tasks including the outsmarting two giants to allow the tailor to slay them, and the capture of a wild unicorn. The success of the tailor in this enterprise allows both added security for the kingdom and helps the tailor raise his situation and marry the kings daughter.

However the kings daughter discovers that the tailor was once a tailor for he talks of his former life in his sleep. It is interesting to note that the tailor is not talking of his work but is talking to a boy who presumably worked for him, threatening to punish the boy if he does not finish some work. Though of course punishment was common at the time, indeed it is likely that the Grimm brothers having gone to strict school knew all too well the possibility of punishment for failure, the choice of words would seem to indicate that again the tailor is perhaps a little lazy and arrogant. However he is not punished for this.

For even though the princess tells her father the king of her husbands secret, and the king sends men to get the tailor, the tailor once again outsmarts everyone and so manages to escape their punishments. He then remains married to the princess who hates him (though one of course can question if this isn't in and of itself a form of punishment).