*1.4.1 Key Elements*

Looking more closely at Johnston's eight key elements, and viewing this fairy tale within a clinical interpretive context, writers have focused both on Snow White herself and beyond the significance of the various elements of the story such as the role of the dwarves, the mirror, and the queen. Each of these eight elements will now be individually addressed.

Snow White is depicted as a beautiful princess whose mother died when she was very young; due to her father's remarriage, she was raised by her stepmother. In addition to her beauty, Snow White demonstrates qualities of naivety, gullibility, and submissive maidenhood [68, 70]. Her apparently immature qualities are combined with industriousness in caring for others and she demonstrates an ability to survive against the odds when left in the forest. Her beauty inspires jealousy from the queen, mercy from the huntsman, kindness from the dwarves, and love from the Prince [68].

The Evil Queen, also known as the stepmother or the wicked witch [69, 77], is part of the mother archetype [78]. The Evil Queen is depicted as being vain in her need to be the most beautiful person in the kingdom, and she is intensely jealous of Snow White's beauty [68, 70]. She relies on a magical looking glass also known as a mirror, to regularly determine who is the most beautiful person in line with her narcissistic behavior [70]. Bettelheim [52] comments on the narcissistic nature of the stepmother in the original story, and states that "It is the narcissistic parent who feels most threatened by his child's growing up, because that means the parent must be aging," with Schectman corroborating this understanding [79]. The dark and destructive nature of the Evil Queen is seen in ordering the death of Snow White and having her heart cut out as a trophy, which in some versions she also consumes. She sees Snow White as a continued competition and threat to her own survival and engages in manipulative behavior to destroy her via trickery and poison.

The Mirror, also known as a looking-glass, is seen as a magical device calibrating absolute beauty in response to the queen's regular and classic question, "Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of us all?" [68, 71]. The mirror is central to understanding developing consciousness, and a healthy sense of self [77]. The Mirror can also be seen as reflecting the effects of aging on loss of beauty and reframing of self-image [80], and therefore inherently draws parallels between youth and aging. The reflective nature of the mirror links to image, self-image, and critical selfreflective practices.

The Huntsman, also known as the woodcutter or even a servant, is directed by the Evil Queen to kill Snow White and bring back her heart. However, he responds to Snow White's entreaty to be set free in the woods and not killed, resulting in leaving her alone and without any allies [68]. In doing so, he defies the order of the Queen and deceives her with a heart taken from an animal, despite the potential impact on himself. He exercises a benevolent influence on the unfolding story of Snow White, counteracting the destructive tendencies of the Queen.

Snow White arrives at the cottage of the Seven Dwarves, whose presence is a particular characteristic of the Snow White fairy tale. She engages diligently in cooking, cleaning, and household duties for the dwarves, reinforcing gender roles to stay home and take care of children [70]. The Dwarves also take on the role of surrogate family [68] and "have the character of Snow White's sons" [70]; for example, in ensuring that they are washed, clean, and well-fed. Johnston also comments that the story would not be the same if it was "seven large men rather than dwarfs" [68] and here the influence of "little people" is evident. Across many genres, diminutive creatures often carry magical and other characteristics, such as elves, leprechauns, and little people of English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish traditions [81]. From a Jungian point of view, dwarves may be seen as "guardians of the threshold of the unconscious" [82]. At the same time, the multiplicity of the dwarves may also symbolize internal fragmentation as the opposite of inner integration, in line with Jungian thought [82].

The Apple in this fairy tale aligns with Christian themes from the garden of Eden, where it symbolizes sin and temptation, within the context of frequent warnings by the dwarves that Snow White should beware of strangers [68]. The poisoned nature of the apple as provided by the disguised Evil Queen continues the sense of dark and destructive forces, causing Snow White to fall into a deep sleep which may indicate an end of innocence [70]. Sleeping also indicates a deep unconscious level of activity and the potential for transformation [82]. After she falls into a deep sleep, the Dwarves make a glass coffin to house Snow White and constantly watch over her [70, 74].

Being awoken from a deep sleep constitutes the Revival of Snow White and a wide range of versions exist about how this occurs, most typically relating to the moving of the glass coffin and a kiss from the Prince who has found her. The Prince immediately falls in love at first sight [68], which can also be seen as a sign of increasing integration and maturity within the psyche [70].

Following Revival, Snow White finds her Happily Ever After as a victory over death in marrying the Prince with a splendid gala wedding celebration [68, 74]. Symbolically, marriage may represent inner reconciliation and integration within the psyche as part of the individuation process [82]. Within the marriage celebration, dancing is seen as an incarnation of internal energy as change and movement occur over time as a uniting and integrating function [82]. The destructive influence of the Evil Queen is destroyed forever and a positive future is anticipated for Snow White [70].

The Snow White fairy tale is essentially about change, as are other heroic myths. Opperman makes a connection between naming the Queen as also a Wicked Witch in the Snow White fairy tale [69]. Further, he outlines how a critical incident or sensitizing event can lead to subconscious conclusions and reactions which remain latent until triggered later in life by an event or events, forming a pattern of responses; the task is to "wake up" from this pattern to become more conscious and able to live life to the full. [69] Patterns of interaction in fairy tales such as Snow White may be interpreted as part of an individual's psyche, and offer insights into the psyche's pathway to maturity [73]. The story of Snow White is seen as being about the development of the feminine psyche [73]. Hockley and Fadina consider that Snow White "embraces both otherness and difference, and in so doing she follows her own path through life" [67], toward living her life in an authentic and personally meaningful manner as

conceptualized within the Jungian individuation process [67]. We now look at the role of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) as a clinical modality supporting inner psychodynamic change via the use of spontaneous imagery with music.
