A Modern Fairy Tale

I was reading the NY Times this morning with a steamy cup of coffee when I came upon this wonderful literary blog. A professor from the University of Arizona asked the question, when did male authors stop thanking their wives, in the acknowledgments, for tirelessly typing their manuscripts? I suddenly realized that if I had lived maybe 40 years ago how different my life would be. I mean sure we all joke about older relatives and ridiculous friends asking us when we are going to meet a nice boy and get married, but in all honestly most people don't think twice about a single girl. Especially if she is doing something with her life. I have approximately one married friend, and she is going back to school this fall for a masters. So even if you do choose marriage you can still be successful in the work place, you can make more than your husband, you can ask him to stay at home and raise the kids. Thank God it's 2007 and not 1945...because Lord knows what I would do in a apron at home with little Johnny and Jane. Maybe put a gun to my head, more likely put one to my husband's.

So along these same lines I was coming home from the grocery store and the Dave Matthews song 'Rapunzel' came on and I suddenly thought, what an interesting literary figure. I mean it is the half done story of female independence. Here is this girl trapped in a room. She frees herself through her own ingenuity and of course the help of a handsome price. But today there is no need for the price. We can let down our golden hair but we don't need a price to climb the stairs, we can do that ourselves. And you know what, to the women who came before us, we are living the modern day fairy tale...and its the story of independence, equality and fulfillment. Cheers