70 pages • 2 hours read
Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin
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Themes
Fighting Fate
To find his true name and break the curse, Rump must contend with powerful magic and struggle against others’ attempts to control his fate. Due to the connections between destiny and names in this fantasy setting, the search for Rump’s full name is at the heart of his fight against fate. From the novel’s beginning, destiny weighs heavily on the protagonist’s mind. Because he knows only part of his name, he fears that he will never fulfill his potential. He seems doomed to a life as the Village’s outcast and laughingstock. He dreams of changing his fortune with gold or magic, and his wish seems to come true when he discovers that he can spin straw into gold. Looking at the fruits of his labor after a night of spinning, Rump rejoices, “This was my destiny, to be rich and fat and happy!” (39). Rump is correct in believing that magic will change his fortunes, but he little anticipates the disastrous consequences his spinning will have. In the following months, his fate seems to be to labor for the gain of insatiably greedy men, first the miller and then the king.
Later in the novel, Rump’s aunts tell him about how a greedy merchant and overambitious magic sealed his mother’s fate. He becomes convinced that Rumpel is his true name, meaning that the curse is his destiny: “Rumpel…Trapped. Tangled. Ensnared. But why? Why would a mother who loved her child bestow such a fate upon him?” (196). As much as the protagonist longs to believe that there is more to his name, he’s convinced by the grim logic that he shares his mother’s curse because he shares her magical spinning. As if to confirm this dismal view of his destiny, the curse forces him to return to the castle to claim Opal’s child, and the miller compels him to spin more gold for him. Back in the greedy antagonist’s clutches, Rump feels as though he has no chance of escape: “This is my destiny, Red. I don’t have any choice” (223). Believing that his name is Rumpel, the protagonist fears that he is doomed to share his mother’s fate.
With help from his friends, Rumpelstiltskin discovers his true name. Red urges him to believe that his mother gave him a better name and a brighter destiny than Rumpel, and Bork the troll shows him how the apple tree grew stronger than the witch-queen’s magic and changed its fate. Rump realizes that, while he is cursed, he has the power to set himself free. His name reflects both sides of his destiny. Red summarizes her friend’s situation as follows: “You’re trapped and tangled, but then you’re really powerfully magical” (254). Rump makes the sage reply, “Who isn’t?” (254). Through Rump’s story, Shurtliff shows that everyone has the power to decide their own destiny.
The Value of Friendship
Over the course of the novel, Rump and Red build an unbreakable friendship. From the very first chapter, Red empathizes with Rump and seeks to protect him. When Rump is plagued by bullies and pestering pixies, she frightens them away. While there are some hardships Red can’t save Rump from, she does her best to comfort him. Rump spends four months in a state of numb hopelessness after Gran’s death, and “no one seemed to notice or care, except Red” (65). However, Rump doesn’t realize that he and Red are friends until she shows concern when he prepares to leave the Village: “Red let out a heavy sigh. […] That’s when I realized that, even if she did call me an idiot, Red really cared what happened to me. She was my one true friend” (92). Rump’s friendship with Red is all the more valuable because it is his only one at this point in the novel.
During Rump’s quest, the children’s messages allow them to grow closer even when they are far apart. Rump attempts to lift Red’s spirits with humorous poems and cheerful anecdotes, and Red tries to protect her friend from the king and the miller by giving him wise advice and warnings. They end each message with the closing “Your friend” (134). This may seem like a standard signature, but it marks a significant development for Rump, who considered himself friendless for most of his life.
Rump repays Red’s loyalty when their friendship makes her the scheming miller’s target. As much as he loathes using his magic to serve the greedy man, Rump enters another bargain with the miller to protect Red from harm. Seeing no way out of his predicament, Rump becomes convinced that his fate is immutable, but Red urges him not to give up hope: “‘This is my destiny, Red. I don’t have any choice.’ ‘That’s not true, Rump. You do have a choice’” (223). Red insists that there must be more to Rump’s name and his destiny, and he soon learns the truth of her words when he discovers his full name. Rump escapes to the trolls’ forest, but he returns to rescue his friend: “Red was still trapped in the castle. There was still the miller to face” (244). The story ends with the two friends safe and sound in their home village again. Shurtliff’s novel suggests that a true friend is worth more than gold.
The Importance of Courage
Rump begins the novel as an unconfident underdog, but he finds the courage to undertake a dangerous quest, look beyond frightening rumors, and protect those dear to him. At the beginning of the story, Rump has no shortage of problems, but he also has two steadfast protectors. The self-sacrificing Gran and the fierce Red do their best to shield him from bullies, food scarcity, and his dread about his unfortunate name. After Gran’s death and the king’s unexpected visit to the Village, Rump must face his struggles without their protection. Because of stories about witches who abduct and eat children, he’s afraid of the Witch of the Woods. However, his determination to save Opal gives him the courage to enter the witch’s forest alone: “There was a clean blanket of snow on the ground, and it was unnaturally quiet. It should have looked peaceful, but it felt eerie. My heart was pounding so hard I could feel it in my throat and ears” (80). Rather than a terrifying enchantress, he finds Red’s wise and generous grandmother.
Rump summons his courage again when he leaves the only home he’s ever known. Looking back at the Village from a distance, he ponders, “I had never been anywhere but this village. Even though I knew there were other kingdoms and villages and probably mountains all over the world, this had always been my world” (94). The 12-year-old bravely makes the journey to the King’s City all alone at night. His courage flags when he sees the towering walls and armed guards blocking the way to the castle, and he wonders, “Would I be a coward if I went back down the hill?” (96). Still, with a combination of courage, problem-solving, and a little luck, he slips past the guards and climbs Opal’s tower.
After Rump leaves the castle, his quest leads him to cross paths with the trolls and the Wool Witches. As with the Witch of the Woods, Rump initially fears that the members of these magical groups will devour him. When the trolls free him from the snare, Rump is petrified: “The trolls dragged me through the trees like a dead rabbit. I couldn’t speak or even move” (139). He soon learns that rumors hide the truth about trolls and that they are warm and welcoming friends, not ravenous monsters. Likewise, Rump’s aunts teach him about his power and give him the first home he’s known since losing Gran. His troll friends also play an important role in his journey. Thanks to Bork, Rump eventually realizes that he is a stiltskin with the power to untangle the rumpel.
In his bravest moment, Rump returns to the castle to break the curse and rescue Red. Fear threatens to overpower him when he confronts the miller who destroyed his mother’s life and sought to imprison him in the same dismal fate: “All the power I had felt just hours before had abandoned me. My words felt small and weak. ‘I won’t spin,’ I whispered” (248). When Opal speaks his true name, his courage comes rushing back, allowing him to enact his plan and escape with his friend. By daring to leave the familiar behind and seek out the truth about himself, the heroic Rump exemplifies the importance of courage.
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