Summary
A woman is introduced to the reader by an unnamed third-person narrator. Her physical beauty is described; she is “tall,” “dark,” and has many beauty marks on her body. The narrator describes the exact location of each beauty mark on her body, which is then followed by a visual row of dots within the text in a vertical line. The introductory paragraph ends with a mention of her black hair and white skin—details that confirm the woman described is Snow White.
The next short section focuses on the seven dwarves and is told from a first-person perspective using “we” and “us,” which implies that the narrator is one of the dwarves. The narrator introduces Bill, the leader of the seven dwarves. Bill has become tired of Snow White and does not want to be touched, either by Snow White or anyone else. While describing Bill’s aversion to touch, the narrator mentions the remaining six dwarves: Kevin, Edward, Hubert, Henry, Clem, and Dan. Bill is unable to tell Snow White that he does not want to be touched and the narrator speculates that Bill is anxious. Although one of the dwarves, Dan, disagrees, the remaining dwarves believe the anxiety theory. At the end of this section, the narrator says that Bill has stopped going into the shower with Snow White. The narrator proposes that Snow White has noticed this change but that she is most likely unable to understand why Bill has altered his behavior.
The dwarves and Snow White sit at a breakfast table littered with cardboard boxes, each of which is labeled with a seemingly random word. Snow White expresses her frustration with words, explaining how they are always the same and that she wants to hear new words. The narrator introduces a visitor at the table, Howard, who suggests new words. In response, the dwarves assault him with cardboard boxes that were sitting on the table and force him away from the table. Henry, one of the dwarves, suggests two new words—“murder and create”—which Snow White says are two words she hasn’t heard before.
The dwarves go to wash buildings, one of their several occupations. The narrator explains that being on top of the buildings allows the dwarves to watch girls passing below. They drink beer at the top of the building and the narrator says that the dwarves wish Hogo de Bergerac, a man known for his “loathsome acts,” was on top of the building with them. However, they retract this statement when they consider that Hogo may commit more “loathsome acts” like throwing beer cans into the street.
The narrator describes how Snow White has written a poem but will not let the dwarves read it. When they ask her what she is writing, she is hesitant but eventually repeats that it is a poem. She does not give any more details. The dwarves ask her how long it is and she tells them that it is four pages, which the dwarves think is very long.
The next section introduces one of Barthelme’s unconventional narrative styles. Rather than using standard prose that narrates events, the section is titled “Vacillations and confusions of Snow White.” Still written from the perspective of the first-person narrator, the section depicts Snow White asking who she should love. The narrator states that she loves “us” but that this love is not enough.
In the next section, the narrative voice switches from using “we” pronouns to the singular “I.” The narrator, along with the other dwarves, is planning to break into Paul’s apartment and steal his typewriter in order to sell it. When the dwarves call the apartment, Paul doesn’t answer the phone. He is in his bath and speaking to himself, discussing the nature of his attraction to Snow White. It is unclear how the narrator is hearing Paul. Paul admits that black hair makes him nervous, even though he knows that when any man sees the ebony hair hanging out of a window, the man feels compelled to climb up it. He does not explicitly name Snow White and refers to a “girl” that the hair belongs to. Barthelme introduces a recurring theme in the novel: departing from the original Snow White story and incorporating elements of other fairytales such as the Rapunzel tale. The section ends when Paul hears the phone ringing.
The narrator describes a river of women in the streets. Some women stand in windows and unbuckle their shirts to please the men, which the narrator says he—using the singular pronoun “I”—likes. Returning to using “we,” the narrator describes how they have voted to use the girl-river in the next town over. As the dwarves ride in a boat over the women, they wonder if Snow White is happy while she is alone. The dwarves state that if she was unhappy, they would not be able to do anything about it. The dwarves return to the village and see the women dipping their pants into a well and laughing. The narrator describes how the girls think that a boy by the well will be Pope one day, even though he is not “hungry” and his family isn’t poor.
The narrator wonders what Snow White is thinking. She enters the kitchen for a glass of water, which Henry gives her. She asks him why he thinks she asked for the glass of water, and he answers incorrectly. She accuses him of not paying attention and does not tell him why she wanted it, instead stating “Let a hundred flowers bloom” before leaving. Kevin enters the room and says Snow White smiled at him. Henry and Kevin try to figure out what Snow White’s statement meant but are unable to. The narrator repeats his initial question, wondering what Snow White is thinking, before explaining that the dwarves are growing irritated with her behavior. At the end, the narrator mentions that the dwarves are also annoyed because they are finding small Chairman Mao poems in the baby food, an item that has not yet been explained and adds additional absurdity to the scene.
The prose is interrupted by a capitalized list written in bold on a single page. The list is titled “The Psychology of Snow White” and summarizes three items that she fears: mirrors, apples, and poisoned combs—references to the objects in Disney’s animated version of the Snow White fairytale. The next section is narrated by the same first-person narrator as in previous sections of prose. The narrator explains that the dwarves make Chinese baby food along with their other job, washing buildings. The narrator lists the dishes they make. The dishes are all traditional Chinese dishes, although each one has the prefix “baby” (baby bow yee, baby dow shew) and is then translated in parentheses into English (chopped pork and Chinese vegetables, for example). The baby food is made in vats. The narrator describes how gullible mothers buy the food because of its nice packaging. The recipes for the food come from the dwarves’ father. The narrator says that nothing is known about the father and that he was not very interesting. Then, the narrator breaks the fourth wall when they reference that the text—the text we are reading—has commented on a hymn the father used to sing.
The dwarves, led by Henry, plot to overthrow Bill. Henry expresses his frustrations with Bill, who has grown lazy. He is angry at Bill and says that he has had enough of Bill’s passive behavior. The dwarves discuss a psychiatrist with Snow White at dinner. This section consists primarily of unattributed dialogue. In short phrases, Snow White describes how she went to the movies with the psychiatrist. Clem tells Snow White that life is unextraordinary and she agrees. Dan tells Snow White that Christmas is coming. After this statement, the narrator asks a rhetorical question within the narration, wondering what the easiest way to kill Dan would be.
In the next section, the first-person narrator is replaced by a third-person perspective. Clem is on an airplane. An airline stewardess is attracted to him, but Clem can only think of Snow White. He talks to himself and says that Snow White is waiting for all of the dwarves. Despite this, he believes that she is “his.” The plane lands in Chicago and the passengers exit in order of fame, with the most famous exiting first and the least famous exiting last. Clem is in the lower middle. Clem says that he is tired of making love in the shower and wishes for a bed. He resolves to go to a brothel, even though he says that doing so would mean he is unfaithful to the shower.
In the next section, Barthelme interrupts the previous sections of prose again with a bolded, completely capitalized single page of text. The section is written like a textbook, recounting the history of the English Romantics. The section states that the second generation of English Romantics were able to find independence from society through heroism, art, and spiritual transcendence. The next section is written from a third-person perspective and explains Snow White’s education. She has taken classes on feminism, music, poetry, psychology, painting, and literature. The section ends with an unfinished sentence cut off by a dash.
Paul talks to himself and discusses how he is a prince. He states that his blood is blue and describes his father, a kingly man. Paul says that he should find a woman in need, save her, and ride away with her on a horse, recounting a traditional fairytale narrative. He then questions this duty and says that he is interested in the sandwich he is eating. At the end, he describes his father again. Paul does not understand what his father said while dying.
The next section is in first-person perspective using a singular “I” pronoun. Henry notices weakness on a pad, an object that is not explained and remains ambiguous. The narrator begins to discuss the nature of ecstasy in a philosophical manner, questioning its nature and what the term means. Henry’s dialogue is also interwoven with the narrative. He debates the German translation of ecstasy. He also debates going to Acadia to remove his parents from the parking space where they live. Dan enters and they discuss an interrupted screw, another object that appears without explanation. Henry angrily says that their language is dirty and sexual. The section ends when Henry says that he can improve on what is given, referencing another abstract object or concept that is not clarified.
A page of disjointed dialogue follows. It is made up of words and phrases randomly spaced across the page. Many of the phrases reference the novel, mentioning Clem, the number seven, and washing.
The next section contains the first mention of Jane. She writes letters to Hogo de Bergerac. Hogo had driven her in his Pontiac convertible. Hogo’s previous behavior is described; he changed his name to Hogo and the narrator suspects he has a shady relationship with Paul. Jane asks Hogo for ice cream and he shoves it into her mouth. The section ends when the narrator says that Hogo’s mother loved him but does not speak to him now that he has changed his name.
Snow White talks to herself as she takes a shower. She describes how pleasant the water feels. Clem is with her in the shower. The rest of the dwarves are scattered around the apartment they all share. She wonders why Bill has not come to the shower. She accuses Clem of being anti-erotic and doesn’t like his attitude towards sex, which she describes as “Western.”
The narrator narrates the following section. Dan speaks to Apollinaire, a French poet. The dwarves compare him to LaGuardia, who was the mayor of New York from 1934-1945. Bill is drunk. The narrator—using the singular “I”—smokes a cigarette and says that things are better when they are calm. Edward begins to speak but Kevin tells him to stop. Bill puts a bandage over Edward’s mouth and Clem strips. The narrator continues to smoke. Alicia, a woman who is unintroduced and appears in the narrative randomly, shows the dwarves a pornographic pastry. The dwarves are uninterested. Bill says that he is fond of “her,” although it is not explicit that he is talking about Snow White.
Snow White cleans the apartment. Every single one of her actions is described in precise detail, mentioning the cleaning products she uses and the exact place that she cleans.
The narrative is interrupted by another page of bold, capitalized text. It is a list of things that Snow White remembers. She remembers the huntsman, the forest, and the steaming knife. As in the previous section with a list, all of the elements are references to the Snow White fairytale. Jane remembers how she used to be fair and that many men were attracted to her. Now she has become mean and witchlike. She states that she would become completely evil if she was not in love with Hogo de Bergerac, even though he is also attracted to her because of her evil qualities. She says that she will spend her day sitting on a porch swing and remembering better days that occurred in the past.
The dwarves attend a horror show, where Hubert puts his hand in Snow White’s lap where her vulva is. He recalls a Polish film he had seen earlier but believes that the movie they are watching now is better. Snow White is worried about her reputation. The dwarves question why they have let her become a public scandal and state that no one believes she is only a housekeeper. Snow White, in her room, says that the seven dwarves only add up to two real men. She says that there might not be any real men left and that this means people will have to satisfy themselves with movies.
The next section, titled “Miseries and complaints of Snow White,” consists of a sole line of dialogue in which an unnamed speaker says that they are tired of being a horsewife.
The novel switches into using another form, including a letter from Jane addressed to someone named Mr. Quistgaard. The letter is disjointed and nonsensical. Jane repeats that she can penetrate Mr. Quistgaard’s “plenum”—his community—and that she has his phone number and knows his address. She says she has control of him.
Another bolded, capitalized section follows. It contains a single phrase: “Paul: A Friend of the Family.”
Paul carries a white package into the apartment. The dwarves remark that it is interesting and Snow White says that it is poor. Paul agrees and they discuss where it appears most poor. Their conversation shifts and they begin to debate artistic movements and their treatment of the image. They kiss. The dwarves and Snow White go to bed together singing a song. She tells them her opinion of Paul and they agree that they are glad to know him.
The dwarves go to Paul’s home and steal his typewriter. They try to sell it but cannot find anyone to buy it. They mention George’s attraction to a woman, Amelia—the first and only mention of her in the novel. George wants to write while sitting underneath her skirt. The dwarves tell George they cannot sell the typewriter if he is writing on it and he returns it. They plan to return to Paul’s home but do not want to run into him because they are annoyed by his pretentious nature.
The next section is made up primarily of a dialogue between Bill and an unnamed person. He explains how he tried to make people weep while delivering a lecture but failed. The only person who wept was the person he is speaking to. Bill’s lecture was supposed to make people weep in their bedrooms. He explains that he gave it at the University of Bridgeport for the faculty.
A page with a single bold statement follows. It states that the revolution in religion did not become popular or influence the public’s antiquated beliefs.
Paul speaks to himself and wonders what he is expected to do in life. The narrator explains that Paul wants to become a monk, although they hoped he would join the President’s war against poetry. They accept his decision, especially because they still have his typewriter. Underneath Paul’s window, people caress each other.
A section of dialogue between Jane and her mother follows. Jane asks her mother to go to Hogo’s. Her mother doesn’t let her go because she believes Hogo is too old—he is thirty-five—and lewd. Her mother is wearing a dress that she bought in 1918 when she was in the trenches during World War I. Her mother then explains that if Jane does not go to Hogo’s, Hogo will come to them.
The dwarves and Snow White discuss her poem. It is written in free verse and has several themes. The dwarves ask Snow White why she stays in their house. She says that she cannot imagine a better situation for herself. The dwarves agree with her since they stay there for the same reason. Snow White confesses that her imagination is growing. The dwarves believe something is starting to go wrong.
The next section is a bolded list of what appear to be book titles about horsewives. There are also several titles about psychology and religion.
The dwarves observe that Bill is becoming more distressed. Bill says that the dwarves' love for Snow White is damaging and recalls that all of the dwarves were born in American national parks. He has asked Hogo de Bergerac to come and give the dwarves advice about love.
Hogo reads a book of short stories. He speaks with disdain of Nazis and Germany. He then walks home from washing buildings and begins to feel a “wrinkle” in his groin which grows. He discusses how he needs to fix the wrinkle by seducing an unnamed woman.
The dwarves discuss signs on the wall that say “Kill the Rich” and one that makes fun of Jean-Paul Sartre. Clem mentions that he feels a violent urge to hurt the women and men outside. Kevin agrees with Clem but mistakenly calls him Roger.
The dwarves crack eggs. Bill worries about the egg whites and the dwarves say that they can’t take women’s cooking advice. They are making meringue. Snow White tells them that she doesn’t like their world. The narrator discusses a man and his guns. The dwarves give the egg yolks to Snow White but she is not satisfied. The dwarves do not know what to do or how to react to her dissatisfaction.
In another section titled “The psychology of Snow White,” Snow White hopes that her prince will come. The narrator explains that Snow White’s life is dictated by the state of being incomplete and without a partner, even though she lives with the dwarves. The narrator then mentions that Snow White has a singing bone that tells Snow White stories.
Bill says that he is being followed by a nun and explains that he must remain sane. He wishes to escape the nun.
The next section contains short italicized lines broken up by lines of “ah ah ah.” In the italicized lines, a narrator—it is unclear whether it is the same one who has narrated the rest of the novel—laments the fact that Emily Dickinson has left them.
The dwarves speak to Hogo. Hogo begins to speak of his sexual attraction to women and what he likes to watch them do, often in derogatory terms.
A bolded section with a single statement on the nature of erotic attraction theorizes that when the opportunity for sexual satisfaction arises, erotic attraction fades. Due to this phenomenon, men create barriers to inhibit the opportunities and retain their attraction.
Snow White debates which prince will come and lists princes from history, fairytales, and fiction.
Paul goes to the monastery. On his way, he stands in front of a fence and says that his pose will attract people, which will give him the opportunity to be on television and leave the monastery. He muses that in the past, men could own horses and that they are now unable to do so. He compares horses to cars but does not want a car.
Snow White lets her hair fall out of the window. She states that she thinks her hair will make her desirable.
The President is introduced as an active character for the first time. He speaks to himself, expressing his worry about the dwarves and Snow White. He is also worried about the economy, but returns to his concerns over Bill. He says that they are his Americans.
In another break from traditional narrative form, Part I ends with a questionnaire. It asks the reader whether they like the story and whether they have understood the novel’s themes, characters, and premise. The questionnaire makes several details explicit; Jane is the evil stepmother and Paul is the prince. It asks the reader if the Snow White portrayed in the novel is similar to the Snow White that they remember. It also asks the reader what they would want from the rest of the novel and how successful they have found the novel thus far. Do they want more emotion? Do they want a war? Have they perceived a metaphysical dimension in the novel? What is the novel itself? Most of the questions offer a “yes” or “no” option, although one contains lines for the reader to write a long response explaining what the novel is. One question asks whether the Authors Guild has represented writers sufficiently before Congress. Another question asks the reader to rate the novel on a scale of all novels written since the "War." It also asks whether the reader stands up or sits down while reading. The questions become more absurd and the final one asks whether humans should have more shoulders.
Analysis
Within the first pages of Part I, Barthelme introduces the disjointed prose, structure, and style that is present throughout the novel. In the first paragraph, Snow White’s physicality is the same as it is in the traditional fairytale: ebony hair, skin that is “white as snow.” And yet, even within this paragraph, the conventional portrayal of Snow White is physically disrupted by the presence of beauty marks. Her pure beauty and the preconception of her beauty that a reader brings into the story is altered. The form of the paragraph mirrors its content; as the beauty marks force the reader to revise the image they already have of Snow White, the physical line of dots on the page pushes them to reconsider what they expect from a novel and standard prose. The paragraph ends with a sentence that still echoes traditional fairytale language, establishing the novel’s continuous play between the original tale and changing its form or content.
The narrative voice used throughout a majority of this section is one of the many elements that add absurdity and ambiguity to the narrative. The generalized “we” facilitates the ongoing rise in tension the dwarves develop towards Bill, as mentioned in the second brief section. It strips away objectivity and creates space for subjective opinions. The narrative voice often assesses the characters’ behaviors and intentions. One of the themes that emerge within the first section of the novel is the narrator’s lack of understanding of Snow White. Repeatedly, the narrator questions what she is thinking and the limits of her knowledge. When Snow White expresses her frustration with words, the narrator—using the communal “we” that associates it with the dwarves, although its exact identity or name is never made explicit—questions what those words could be. A rift opens up between Snow White and the narrator (and, if we are to assume that the narrator is part of the dwarves, then it is also a rift between the dwarves and Snow White). However, at other times, the narrator appears omniscient, breaking down the traditional rule that a first-person narrator has one limited view confined to a single character. The narrator is able to inhabit all of the dwarves and reveal their inner thoughts and feelings. It is also present always, which forces the reader to question who this narrator is—a question that is never answered in the novel.
Snow White is dissatisfied with her own identity, which she expresses by fixating on writing and words. She writes poems and searches for new words (“I wish there were some words in the world that were not the words I always hear”). Snow White appears to be actively rewriting her own fairytale and revising her traditional role. Snow White takes on the role of writer, breaking the fourth wall and acknowledging the written history of her characterization—another way that Barthelme questions the fairytale structure. Breaking the fourth wall goes against the constrictive, predictive nature of fairytales. In fairytales, characters do not stray from the recycled story. But in this retelling, the characters have agency to go against tradition. Snow White’s confusion is also doubled by her continuous questions about how she should act or proceed. In another break from standard forward-moving plot-driven form, sections titled “Vacillations and confusions of Snow White” focus on Snow White’s doubt. She doesn’t know who she should love (“But who am I to love?” she asks herself), even though the original fairytale only allows her one option: the Prince.
Paul, like Snow White, questions his role as the Prince. When he discusses his royal blood and duty as a Prince, he states that he is just as interested in the sandwich he is eating as he is in his duty as a Prince. The simple, quotidian sandwich is comically appealing when compared to the consequence of his role as the Prince. Again, the fairytale narrative is subverted. A prince is never seen participating in daily activities like eating, nor is he supposed to doubt his actions or role within the fairytale. A hero who is distracted by a sandwich is comical. Jane, the evil stepmother, also differs from her traditional role. Her identity as the evil stepmother is not explicit until the end of Part I, when the quiz asks if the reader has understood that Jane is the evil stepmother. Instead, Jane is like Snow White—searching for a lover, Hogo de Bergerac.
The dwarves, too, depart from their traditional roles. They are regular people with standard American names: Bill, Kevin, Edward, Hubert, Henry, Clem, and Dan. The dwarves’ jobs and their dedication to them also act as a criticism of American work culture. They are obsessed with tending the vats, making Chinese baby food, and washing buildings. Nothing seems to come of their work, except when they mention that the packaging on the baby food attracts mothers. Their jobs are absurd and meaningless, but they define themselves by their work, deciding to riot against Bill because he is no longer as dedicated to the jobs as they are. They are willing to sacrifice one of their friends in order to continue being productive, even when that productivity is meaningless. Barthelme satirizes another element of American culture by portraying a general "President" character. The President worries about the dwarves, who he calls "his Americans," but also does little to solve the issues he notices. By calling the dwarves "his," he takes on a father-like role. Barthelme reveals the American tendency to view a president or politician as paternal.
By changing the original fairytale, Barthelme adds comedy to the novel. The novel’s tonal variety sets it apart from the fairytale from which it takes inspiration. Fairytales are often written in one style. They use the same characters—princes, princesses, witches—and often incorporate similar plot elements. But in Barthelme’s retelling, the characters stray from their roles and create elements of tragedy and comedy. They are crude and have their own individual thoughts that the narrator reveals through the monologues they engage in with themselves. Barthelme also makes the relationship between Snow White and the dwarves sexual by using the shower as a symbol of their physical relationship. Once Bill loses interest in Snow White, he stops going to the shower, which the dwarves believe Snow White has noticed. Although Hogo de Bergerac is not one of the dwarves, he also adds an element of crude, vulgar sexuality. The “wrinkle” in his groin makes him explicitly aroused and sexual. A fairytale, meant to be told to children, would never contain references to sexuality.
As Barthelme questions, subverts, and changes the nature of the Snow White tale, he reveals the absurdity of the fairytale form. He exposes its sterility by adding sexuality into his own retelling. He questions the actions of characters and why they know what they “should” do. What do princes, princesses, and dwarves do when they don’t know what to do—when they cease to follow their predicted plot? Confusion and absurdity force the reader to search for meaning in a sea of nonsensical, loosely related sections that jump between indeterminate places and times. Barthelme’s investigation of the fairytale extends beyond this one genre, putting into question the very idea of plot itself. The bolded, capitalized lists of words don’t fit within any “narrative” or plot convention. They interrupt the text. Often, they make little sense. On a linguistic level, Barthelme uses nonsense words of his own invention, like “horsewives” rather than housewives. Other sections also defy any search for meaning, such as the section that asks Emily Dickinson why she has left the narrator. The quiz at the end totally destroys the notion that a novel is a fixed object. Barthelme makes readers an active participant by asking them what they think about the novel, how it should continue, and how they read it. The questionnaire at the end also adds an element of metafiction at the end because the book acknowledges that it, itself, is a book. This metafictional element reinforces Barthelme's commentary on the conceit of a "novel"; he gives agency to the reader and revokes the idea of a novel as static. It stops the reader from making their own conclusions and outlines its own plot: Jane is the evil stepmother, Paul is the prince. Even the quiz becomes absurd at the end by asking whether the reader thinks people have the appropriate number of shoulders. Nothing “traditional” is left intact: plot, characters, genre, or form.
