Character Clues

Character Analysis

Clothing

When Ani heads off to Bayern, one-fifth of the wagons on the journey are just full of her stuff—mainly clothes. She's got a specific mourning gown, a traveling gown, and yes, a bunch of fancy gowns for all the other days as well. It's clear that clothes are a big deal in her world and this is why it's such a big no-no when Selia sneaks a peak at what Ani's gorgeous garments would look like on her. We're told: "Selia stood in the third wagon. She was holding up Ani's green gown against her front" (4.19). Uh-oh.

We get that clothes are important for people to figure out what social class everyone is, but for the majority of the novel, we see Ani in things other than her fancy dresses. While on a practical level this is because her princess clothes wouldn't really fit in with the forest workers (and, you know, Selia's got them all with her anyway), it's pretty significant that Ani figures out who she is—and how to be a princess—without her usual attire. Perhaps clothes aren't as important as characters think they are. Bummer, Selia.

Social Status

Crown princess, princess, goose girl—they're all just titles to us, but in the novel, social status is not to be messed with. It's how we tell the difference between whether someone should sleep in a warm, cozy bed in a palace, or a lumpy, drafty cot in a hut. Ani seems unusual since she doesn't really care all that much about her social status, right from the beginning. But then again, that's easy for a princess to say. As Selia declares to Ani at one point:

"All I have ever wanted is what you have. And you, you don't even care about what you are. And I have had to serve you and call you mistress and wait and wait and wait." (4.37)

Hmm… even though Selia's a spoiled brat who is our sworn enemy, she's got a point. Ani doesn't want to be princess, and treats it like a chore, whereas Selia wants nothing more than a fancy title and a closet full of treasures. Just like with clothes in this book, though, titles aren't as important as people might think they are. Ani does her best—and arguably most princess-like work—as the goose girl, and though Selia gets everyone to treat her like a pretty princess for a while, her ugly ways reveal themselves soon enough.