Minority Groups in Snow White

In this section of my analysis I will be looking at: the treatment of minorities; the roles of minorities; and lack of diversity. This will then be linked to the context of each text in order for us to see how the concepts society has of minority groups have changed in accordance to history and culture.

The only minority group present in each version of Snow White is the dwarfs so they will be my main focus in this section.

Treatment of minorities

The treatment of the dwarfs, as a minority group, in the original tale differs to how they are treated in the remakes. Originally, the dwarfs were respected characters. They were presented as caring and taken seriously. However, when Walt Disney began work on his remake of the tale, he decided to turn the dwarfs into the comedy element of the story, using them for gags. Despite them being the most loved characters, they are treated as inferior and child-like. A lot of the adaptations of the tale followed this pattern of treatment. In Mirror Mirror, for example, the Prince mocks the dwarfs, stating things such as “you’re short and it’s funny” and refusing to fight them because of their height. The dwarfs even explain how they were banished from the village by the Queen because they are ‘undesirables’ and ‘ugly’ and no one in the village stuck up for them when this happened. They are alienated, isolated and treated as lesser than the other characters. Similarly, in Snow White and the Huntsman, they are disrespected and discriminated against. For example, they are referred to as “stupid little dwarfs.”

Roles of minorities

Like the treatment of the dwarfs, the role they play in the original tale differs from their role in the adaptations. For example, originally they lived in a neat, clean house and it was Snow who messes it up, whereas Disney changed this. After the original tale, the dwarfs were portrayed as slobbish and child-like. It is Snow who teaches them manners and cares for them. They are loveable but silly characters, who are not taken seriously by the other characters in the story. In Mirror Mirror, they are even banished by the Queen so live in isolation and become thieves who are bitter towards the villagers. In Snow White and the Huntsman they are taken slightly more seriously as they participate in the battles and are portrayed like warriors.

Lack of diversity

In every version of Snow White that I have investigated there has been a significant lack in diversity. The only minority group present is the dwarfs. Even when looking at race/ethnicity in terms of minority groups, there is no diversity, with only white British and white American actors/characters present. The only actor that is not white is one of the dwarfs in Mirror Mirror, but he is the only exception. In addition to this, in Snow White and the Huntsman the dwarfs are played by average height actors, so the minority group is not played by minorities. This caused major controversy in America, with ‘Little People of America’ campaigning against the casting.
Below is a collage I have created showing the lack of diversity in relation to race/ethnicity in each interpretation of Snow White:

Linking all of these sub-sections to context, the tale of Snow White came from a time when minority groups were not accepted and were discriminated against in society. This could explain the lack of diversity and the way minorities are portrayed/treated in the tale. This lack of diversity still exists today in film, despite the fact that minority groups are more accepted in society, which may be why the more contemporary adaptations did not incorporate more diverse characters. With the controversy surrounding the casting of average height actors as the dwarfs in Snow White and the Huntsman, it highlights the issues of diversity in relation to acting roles for actors with dwarfism. Mark Povinelli, who plays the dwarf, Half Pint, in Mirror Mirror, stated how there is a lack of roles for actors with dwarfism as they either get casted as stereotypical silly roles or not casted at all, like in Snow White and the Huntsman. A similar issue still arises with minority groups in relation to race. In Hollywood there is a significant lack of ethnic minorities even today. An example of this is the recent Oscars controversy, as there was a lack of nominations for black actors, directors, etc.

These issues highlight the problematic views of minorities that still exist in modern society. The tale of Snow White is just one example of many.