Snow White decides that she will not indulge in pleasurable actions, nor will she clean the house any longer and do various chores. She mentions that she got this idea from books that she read. Her sentence cuts off halfway through the page but continues on the next one, where she wonders what would have happened to her if the dwarves had left her in the forest. Her concerns become fatalistic, and she mentions that she will eventually die no matter what.
In the next few sections, the dwarves fracture off and the narrative voice switches to third person. Rather than using “we” or “I” as in previous sections, each dwarf is presented alone. In the scenes, they are solitary and engaging in self destructive behavior.
Dan speaks to himself. He has drunk three bottles of wine. He is unhappy that Snow White did not prepare dinner for him since he is tired after a long day of working in the vats and washing the buildings. He feels that the dwarves have stopped loving Snow White because of Bill’s poor leadership.
Bill lectures Hubert and explains that he has substituted feeling his own emotions with listening to the sorrows of others. He says that he should be the monk, not Paul, which Hubert says the dwarves have also considered.
Clem talks to himself while consuming absurd amounts of beer. He mentions a couple of dishes that he enjoys, such as fried catfish, before abruptly switching topics and discussing his dissatisfaction with his life in America. He believes that the lack of action in response to Snow White’s hair and the lack of princes stems from several facets of the American identity. America’s lack of equality inhibits princes from embracing their identities. Clem calls for an end to wealth and a redistribution of money.
Edward poisons himself by drinking insect repellant.
A bolded, capitalized section of a single page describes Russian literature’s development through the 19th century and lists prominent Russian authors: Gogol, Dostoevsky, and Pushkin. It mentions Tolstoy but ends without completing the sentence, fading off with an ellipsis.
Snow White strips her clothes before her window and bares her naked breasts. She discusses her physical features, praising them, before briefly debating the connection between her mind and her body.
The first-person narrative voice returns. The dwarves have resolved to not vote anymore. The narrative voice addresses a boy, Bobble, who is with the dwarves. They plan to use him to accumulate their votes, giving them to him so that he can store them.
Paul stands below Snow White’s window and looks at her naked breasts. He compares her to a dancer from New Orleans and describes how a man stopped him from dancing on Bourbon street. He calls himself a voyeur and decides that looking up at the window is pleasurable.
A bolded, capitalized section on a single page with a single phrase on it follows, stating that Paul has never seen Snow White as a woman.
Hogo and Paul have a physical altercation. Hogo tells Paul that he is disgusting for looking at Snow White in the window. Hogo decides that he must get rid of Paul. Hogo begins to devise a plan to get rid of Paul. As Hogo works on the plan, it transforms into a physical entity that begins to spread across his room. When Jane enters the room, Hogo attempts to conceal the plan by laying on it. He debates who he is more attracted to, Snow White or Jane. Without reaching a conclusion, he asks himself why humans are never satisfied with what they have and why the always desire more. He then returns to the plan and analyzes it further. Jane asks him what he is thinking about and Hogo lies, saying that he is thinking about playing the accordion.
The dwarves, desperate to relieve their anger, assault a dog. The girls, who have thus far not been mentioned after the brief scene in Part I where they became a river running through the road, reappear, wrapping their hair in headscarves. The dwarves are approached by a group of actors and have a brief, nonsensical conversation with them. The rest of the section consists of a series of absurd, unrelated statements that make little sense, jumping around different subjects and things that the dwarves and Hogo do. At the end, Hogo sharpens a knife and a machete.
The President looks out of his window. The narrator breaks the fourth wall, mentioning that it is the same window described previously. The President worries that everything is falling apart. The section switches focus and Hogo confesses to Jane that he loves Snow White. The dwarves decide to put Bill on trial. Paul, still looking at Snow White, decides that he must put her under constant surveillance by using a system of mirrors and trained dogs. He describes the laborious process of training the dogs. Snow White cooks meat in the kitchen and laments the nature of fate. She states that Paul has lost his prince-like qualities and that she is no longer attracted to him.
Jane laments the fact that Hogo has left her and vows to seek revenge against Snow White.
Bill’s trial begins. This section is one of the longest in the novel. The section lacks tags and is a series of statements that begin to blur together, one after the other. One of the dwarves—it is unclear who is speaking—accuses Bill of losing his potential greatness, bringing up Bill’s most recent act of unsavory behavior wherein he threw beer cans through the window of a car. Bill avoids the dwarves’ questions and tells them that he wished to make his life a powerful statement. Bill explains that two men, Fondue and Maeght, told him about a black horse when he was twelve years old that he now lives in fear of. Bill’s story becomes more and more absurd as he mentions disparate elements that have little relation to each other: a “High Life,” a wooden plank, and a clock. The dwarves, referring to themselves as a court, ask what caused Bill’s state of disarray. As Bill speaks, he begins to use nonsensical words. He continues to describe how he threw the beer cans, at one point laughing out loud. Bill’s laughter offends the dwarves. The dwarves recount how his action caused the passengers of the car physical harm. It is revealed that the passengers were Fondue and Maeght. The dwarves continue to describe Bill’s actions. He had danced a jig after throwing the beer cans. Another voice enters the interrogation—a lawyer defending Bill and objecting the dwarves’ narrative. A man named Shield 333 is called to the stand to testify. His speech is written in a different style; he appears to have a Scottish or Irish accent. He gives an inconclusive account of the event and the dwarves return to questioning Bill. The dwarves, at the end of the interrogation, accuse Bill of letting the fire under the vats go out. Bill confirms this statement and the dwarves label it “vatricide.”
In a bolded, capitalized section, Snow White’s internal thoughts are written out as brief objects and statements separated by ellipses. She appears distressed and lists the phrase “when he doesn’t,” being afraid, wanting to know, and cold water.
Another section entitled “Snow White thinks” in which she asks “why am I” and describes herself as hunched against a wall. She says that “he’s cold” and ends on the word “mirror.”
Paul speaks to a woman named Emily. He tells her she must learn to spell a phrase in Danish correctly and then explains that the phrase simply means that one feels bad. This translation is incorrect, although Paul does not admit it this and it is not mentioned in the text. Emily says that she understands, but the narrator—a third-person, omniscient narrator—reveals that she can’t understand because she is an animal. Paul says that he can do what he want because he is now a part of the Abbey of Theleme and laments the fact that Snow White is not with him. He explains that if she were with him, they could teach each other what they are really like and hypothesizes that she unlike any other girl he has met, listing out a series of saints. He confesses that he is not sure he is a better man than he has been in the past, although he now knows what he is doing.
In a paragraph of unattributed dialogue, someone (in the first person) accuses Paul of being a frog and says that the unknown narrator has either overestimated Paul or overestimated history. The unknown narrator has been disappointed, then mentions red meat that is on the rug and frog’s legs on the floor.
Hogo confesses his love to Snow White and she says that she knows he loves her. She admires him but says that they cannot be together because he has the wrong blood for their love. It is not fine enough. She says that she is reserving herself for a prince like Paul, who has the blood of kings and queens and cardinals—blood that she calls “purple.” Hogo responds by asking why love cannot conquer blood and references Stendhal, a 19th century French writer who wrote of love that seizes the senses completely. Snow White says that she is as calm as the Secretary of State. Hogo admits her argument about blood is valid but retains that he experiences a feverish love. He tells her that he hopes this blood makes him noble in her eyes and that love can transform a bad man. Snow White says that his fever of love doesn’t ennoble him. She tells him to leave and take an aspirin for his fever.
The dwarves sit at a café and discuss the past. A proprietor and a policeman approach them. The policeman tells the dwarves that they are sitting too far into the sidewalk. They move back and spill their drinks, which the proprietor tells them has incurred an additional charge. They pour their drinks all over the tablecloth. The dwarves briefly discuss the stain with the policeman before leaving the café, unsure of who was in the wrong during the stain event. Jane gives Snow White a vodka. Snow White refuses to drink it. Jane tells Snow White that she did not make the drink herself and Snow White says that this means it is okay to drink. Paul states the drink is exciting and takes it away from Snow White. He says that because he is a man, his stomach is strong enough to handle the drink, unlike Snow White. He falls to the ground and green foam comes out of his mouth. He convulses and it becomes obvious he has been poisoned. Snow White exclaims that this moment resembles a death agony and breaks the fourth wall by mentioning that it is a scene.
Fred and the dwarves reminisce on Paul’s character. Fred recalls how Paul dug a hole underneath Snow White and installed the surveillance equipment: dogs, wires, and mirrors. Fred states that Hogo put a lot of trust in Paul, although he says that this trust might have been against Hogo’s better judgement. Fred brings his attention to Amelia, who he calls Paul’s “late lover.” She has a black veil and mourns Paul, waiting for his funeral to begin. Fred first asks the listener (or the reader) to imagine her feelings but then takes back his statement, saying that it is too difficult. He revises his request and asks for empathy instead. Fred says that he a former bandleader with a passion for Snow White, who he mentions is in the third row—it becomes obvious that the dwarves, Snow White, Jane, and Amelia appear are at Paul’s funeral—and that Snow White will not speak to Fred, even though she has power over him. He dismisses this train of thought and brings his attention back to Paul. The dwarves plan to burn Paul in the sight of God and bury him according to Paul’s wishes.
A bolded, capitalized statement on the next page states that “anathematization” (the act of pronouncing that something is cursed) is not an adequate response to the world. The dwarves try to break out of the “bag” that they are in. The narrator questions why they thought there was something better in the world. The narrative voice switches from “we” to an individual “I” and mentions that Bill has been raised into the sky. The narrator says that Bill will become a “skyhero” like Theodicy—making a proper noun out of a concept that attempts to justify the coexistence of evil and God’s all-encompassing goodness—and Rime, a form of frost created by water vapor. The dwarves have lifted Bill towards the sky. The narrator theorizes that he will become a sub-deity and that if graves fall open and bodies fall out, it will be Bill’s fault.
The narrator, using the “we” pronoun, states the Bill has been hanged and that the dwarves regret this action. He is the first of the dwarves to be hanged. The narrator repeats that the dwarves regret it. The narrator says that the hanging was the verdict reached after the trial. They had a hard time hanging him, even though Hogo helped. The narrator again repeats that Bill was guilty, listing his crimes: vatricide and failure. The narrator recounts how Bill struggled as he was hanged and did not want to be hanged. The narrator states that now there is equanimity. Dan is the new leader and the dwarves have allowed Hogo to live in the house with them, even though he is a brute. Dan is characterized as a good leader and the narrator explains that he has added three new items to their line of Chinese baby food. The narrator moves on to explain what Snow White is now doing. She casts chrysanthemums on Paul’s grave. The narrator explains that Snow White knows there is nothing for her in the grave but that Snow White liked Paul’s blood. The narrator says that she was not fond of Paul himself. Instead, she was fond of the abstract idea of “him” (written out explicitly in quotation marks). The narrator, using the singular “I,” says that he is not sure her idea is the best.
The novel ends on another bolded, capitalized section. It lists several phrases that appear to reference sex—the failure of Snow White’s arse, the revirginization of Snow White, and the apotheosis of Snow White (the climax of Snow White) and ends on a list of actions. Snow White rises into the sky and the heroes depart in search of a new principle. The final line reads, “Heigh-Ho.”
Analysis
Part III features the emotion climax of the dwarves’ campaign against Bill and the total deterioration of the traditional Snow White story as all of the characters depart from their original roles. In the first section, Snow White consciously stops doing all of the chores, which in the original tale is one of her central actions. In Part I, Snow White engaged in reading and writing poems; in Part III, her reading and writing has inspired her to break out from her original role. This is an example of metatext: reading within a novel. It breaks narrative tradition. Snow White has agency to leave her own fairytale after reading. Books, themselves, have corrupted the traditional narrative. While Barthelme is often cynical and illuminates the irony of fairytales, here, the narrative incorporates a moment of feminine empowerment. Snow White has managed to gain freedom through reading and education and leave her traditional role as a woman doing chores for men and as a princess with no power. Barthelme appears to put forward a possible thesis: with education, and through reading, women (and others) are able to break away from the roles that constrain them to one fate.
This thesis about empowerment through reading is puzzling, as it seems to contradict Barthelme’s constant parodying of narrative form, plot, and characters. Barthelme confuses the reader by inserting random words and quotes, creating a plot that is always interrupted, and moments of total absurdity that are never explained. This confusion forces the reader to abandon finding one concrete meaning from the novel, since they cannot keep track of all of its forms and sections or find meaning in every single one. Readers are unable to take away a main “theme” or moral message. But Snow White reading and learning how to leave her story, empowered enough to abandon her role as a helpless princess, appears to validate the potential of novels.
At several other points in Part III, literature is referenced, like when another bolded capitalized section praises Russian literature and Russian authors from the 19th century, as well as when Hogo references Stendhal while professing his love to Snow White. In Stendhal’s novel The Red and the Black, the protagonist, Julien, becomes obsessed with a woman he works for. Hogo’s allusion to The Red and the Black is deeply ironic. In The Red and the Black, Julien attempts to shoot the woman he is in love with and is consequently sentenced to death and executed by guillotine. Hogo’s interpretation of The Red and the Black as a story about love conquering social roles and class is flawed; the Red and the Black is about love unable to conquer social roles and the deathly consequences of this inability. Where Snow White’s reading appeared to allow her freedom, Hogo’s reading exposes his lack of understanding of the novel that he has read and the possible disaster it could lead to.
It is hard to discern whether Barthelme is cynically skeptical of novels or if he harbors a belief in their power to change the reader. His continuous inclusion of real novels and authors transforms Snow White into a metatextual commentary—a novel that is analyzing literature itself. The bolded, capitalized section that condemns “anathematization,” the act of pronouncing something cursed, could be read as a reference to the novel itself as well. The novel continuously makes a parody of literature and literary convention by changing fairytale traditions and employing non-traditional formal techniques. In a way, Barthelme appears to be pronouncing the novelistic form “cursed,” a process that this statement on a single page criticizes. Anathematization, he writes, is not an adequate response. Therefore, his own response to the novel and fairytales (pronouncing them “cursed” by parodying it) would be inadequate. Again, it is difficult to extrapolate one clear meaning within Snow White, and the tension between Barthelme’s faith or cynicism towards literature becomes apparent in this last section.
Part III also crystallizes the story’s turn towards violence. Paul is poisoned and Bill is hanged. Two of the seven dwarves die violently and the remainder engage in reckless behavior, drinking insecticide and getting drunk. Barthelme’s rewriting of the fairytale becomes dark. It departs even more from the tradition of a “childish” fairytale, one that is meant to comfort. Instead, this fairytale disturbs. The dwarves are not the pleasant, benevolent men who rescue Snow White. Instead, they are psychologically tortured, coping by drinking and committing acts of violence by hanging one of their own. Interestingly, although the dwarves condemn Bill and hang him, they also appear to believe that he has reached heaven as a “skyhero.” The dwarves also bury Paul according to his wishes in the sight of God. The dwarves appear conscious of a Christian moral framework. Here, another irony emerges. Although the dwarves appear to understand Christian morals like heaven and sanctity, their actions go against these morals. They hang Bill, drink excessively, and refer to Snow White in lewd terms. Paul, who was a monk and should be most aligned with Christian values, voyeuristically looks at Snow White’s naked breasts and admits that he is experiencing pleasure, violating his monkhood by engaging in a sexual activity. He also admits that although he has become part of an abbey, he does not feel changed. Typically, becoming a monk would change someone and make them a better man, which Paul doesn't think he has done. These references to religion's hypocrisy illuminate the contradictory elements of religion; Barthelme appears to be parodying and criticizing the way people align with Christian values and the Church.
When Bill is hanged, one of the novel’s few plot lines comes to an end. The dwarves have tried Bill because of his failure to live up to his potential. His potential was his ability to work in the vats and produce Chinese baby food, which is so grave that the dwarves come up with a term for it that combines the word “vat” with the word “patricide,” implying that Bill has committed an act of murder against the vats: vatricide. The dwarves fixate on these meaningless, menial jobs so intensely that they are willing to murder one of their own once his productivity falters. Their allegiance to mindless work is dramatically fateful, and once more, another moment where Barthelme parodies a larger societal structure. The dwarves embody an empty allegiance to work and obsession with productivity to the point of life and death. They are workers, unable to empathize, only fixated on production and profit. After Bill dies, Dan becomes the leader. He is good because he has improved the dwarves’ product line and expanded it. Goodness comes from productivity in the dwarves' world and they are unable to see past it.
