It is to be expected that a culture’s fairy tales speak to its values, especially its gender roles. This is generally the case with the fairy tales we were assigned for class on Friday, though an element of escapism also manifests. “The Frog Tsarevna” sets forth three duties for the ideal bride: weaving, baking, and entertaining the groom’s father (the patriarch of the contemporary Russian family unit). An interesting contradiction arises in how such ideal behavior contradicts the beauty standard: “Vasilisa the Beautiful” depicts the titular protagonist as beautiful by virtue of having a doll perform all of her domestic duties (with the possible exception of weaving). Similarly, it is Vasilisa the Wise and Clever in frog form who showcases two of the three idealized behaviors. Rather than merely ascribing beauty to idleness, the stories offer a vision of emancipation. After all, the two stories involve women earning freedom cruel masters and marrying into the royal family. Sure, it is not freedom in the Western sense of independence, but a fantasy nonetheless emerges to accompany the prescribed expectations.

In terms of messages for Russian men, the responsibility-escapism contrast is more dramatic. On the one hand, “Tsarevich Ivan and Grey Wolf” promotes Tsarevich Ivan’s loyalty toward his father. Similar to how Vasilisa benefits from her doll in the eponymous story, “The Frog Tsarevna” shows how Tsarevich Ivan’s mercy toward the animals enabled him to rescue his marriage. Both scenarios promote a deference to abstract authorities (albeit not the Orthodox system central to prior works). On the other hand, some stories celebrate hooliganism. Most notably, “Tsarevich Ivan and Grey Wolf” sets forth a rouge male hero. As soon as Tsarevich Ivan set off on his quest, his austerity gave way to careless sleep and greed. I was reminded of “Frol Skobeev” in how “Tsarevich Ivan and Grey Wolf” unfolded: both rogues found themselves insulated against lasting harm through compromised allies, magnanimous adversaries, and luck. Yet while the former acts as a satire of the Russian nobility, “Tsarevich Ivan and the Grey Wolf” plays out a similar drama at face value. Yes, the latter does contain sequences where Tsarevich Ivan is harangued for his duplicitous conduct and futile pursuits, but that doesn’t change how the result clashes with the authoritarian institutions of the state. So Russian men are entreated to equal parts fantasy and duty.