Goldilocks

Goldilocks has not always been a little girl with blonde hair. In older versions of the tale, she is a dishonest old woman, a vixen, or a fox named Scrapefoot, fueling the cycle of bear/fox stories in which the fox fools mischievously the other characters.

In 1918, Goldilocks' final name was adopted in the stories.  

The Bears

It was not until the early 20th century that the bears formed a family with Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear. In earlier versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, they are differentiated by their size only: big bear, medium bear, and little bear.

The character of Goldilocks is popular among little children because she reflects their primal, instinctive behavior of eating, sleeping and touching everything. As a very curious child, Goldilocks tastes all three soups, tries each of the chairs and beds, even though nothing is hers! In Goldilocks and the Three Bears, the main character discovers and responds to her own desires, like little children. For some psychologists, Goldilocks represents "positive curiosity", which pushes children to evolve. This is why she is not punished at the end of the tale. Her sudden awakening is reminiscent of a child who realizes that he is not alone, that other people exist and that things are not there just for his own use.

Like most tales, the ending has been reworked more than once, particularly to tone down the cruelty and assign a comforting side to the characters. In early versions, the bears scare Goldilocks after catching her in bed. In other versions, they frighten her involuntarily (which is mostly repeated in the adaptations of this tale). Finally, in a handful of versions, the bears show Goldilocks the way back to her house. The wild state of the bears is then replaced by a total humanization.

The moral of Goldilocks and the Three Bears has evolved over time. Initially, the focus was on respecting the privacy of others, as Goldilocks intrudes into the Bear family’s home without asking permission.

Nowadays, the moral is more focused on the development of the child: Goldilocks tries out the place of the father, the mother and the child, which fits best. It is a way of growing up, but ultimately it is the child's place that is hers. But isn't it said that soup makes you grow taller?

In his book The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales, Bruno Bettelheim analyzes the tales that have become great classics today, such as Little Red Riding Hood, Sleeping Beauty, or Cinderella.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears is also the subject of this analysis, although the psychoanalyst feels that it lacks certain characteristics of fairy tales. Indeed, its ending has nothing of a happy ending, "there is no healing or comfort, no conflict is resolved and there is no happy conclusion."

This tale is very significant and highlights the place of children in a family, as well as their quest for identity. Goldilocks seeks her place, trying the chair of the father, the mother, then the child. But the last one breaks under her weight, as if Goldilocks was already too big...