“Every fairy tale had a bloody lining.”
— Anne Sexton
Simplified Meaning:
Fairy tales often seem like happy, magical stories, but many originally contained darker, more serious themes. Think about old fairy tales like "Cinderella" or "Little Red Riding Hood." In Cinderella's story, her stepsisters hurt their own feet trying to fit into the glass slipper. In Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf eats her grandma. These parts show that bad things can happen even in stories with happy endings. In real life, it's similar; behind many successes or happy moments, there might be struggles or tough times people go through but don't always show. Take someone who achieves great success in their job. They might have worked very hard, faced failures, or sacrificed a lot to get there. This quote suggests that recognizing the efforts and hardships behind good outcomes makes us appreciate them even more. By understanding this, we can better handle our own challenges. When things get tough or don't go as planned, we can remember that it's part of the journey to something better. Keeping this in mind helps us stay motivated and see the bigger picture, just like knowing the full fairy tale makes the happy ending more meaningful.