The second meaning of witch-hunt in this story is that there is no proper basis for the Queen’s punishment, and that her people have been indoctrinated against her: “they have told the people bad things about me a little truth to add savor to the dish, but mixed with many lies” (Gaiman 115). The Queen takes advantage of her narrative voice, framing the mutiny involved in her capture and usurpation as a witch-hunt in both senses of the term: the first alludes to the Salem witch trials, as Gaiman’s version ends with the Queen who is about to be burned alive (116). This level of depth and complexity is in direct contrast to the archetypal representation of characters in traditional tales. Use of the first-person perspective facilitates introspective insight into the Queen’s interior life, allowing for intrigue and horror to be accrued in the incremental introduction of her stepdaughter. Indeed, Gaiman is actively threading together his modern version of “Snow White” while the Queen is interlacing her subjective narrative, and mediating the dissemination of the account that readers encounter. This passage draws upon the metaphor of weaving as storytelling, whilst functioning as metafiction. Gaiman highlights the Queen’s role of storyteller early on, situating her in the domestic sphere of her private chamber, where she partakes in the practice of embroidering (107).

While the Grimms’ tale is written from a third-person omniscient point of view, Gaiman transmits his variant retrospectively through the “wise” Queen’s first-person viewpoint (106). Gaiman’s most drastic and immediate change in his overhaul of the Snow White tradition is a shift in narrative perspective. Overall, Neil Gaiman’s rendition of “Snow White” is a more sexually oriented tale that breathes life into an otherwise one-dimensional character, allotting Snow an unprecedented form of agency through her status of “undead predator.” Neil Gaiman’s “Snow, Glass, Apples” reimagines the tale through a shift to the Queen’s point-of-view, including a series of fundamental reversals invoking a more compelling Princess who commands attention from her family and readers alike. The Grimms’ version relies heavily on Snow White’s dysfunctional relationship with her villainous stepmother as a foundation of its intrigue. This may be surprising, as the tale’s titular character is dull however, a strong cast of secondary characters has played a large role in the story’s continued dissemination. The Brothers Grimms’ publication of “Snow White” spawned a lasting legacy that spans across multiple generations of narrative re-invention.

Neil gaiman snow white retelling