degrimm1-6, Exercise 2: A recurring number

Model answer (one possible choice: the number three; check each tale):

In "Cinderella" the heroine goes to the festival three times. In "Snow White" the queen makes three attempts on her stepdaughter's life. In "Rumpelstiltskin" the girl has three days to guess the name (check the details in your translation).

Job in the story: repetition builds tension, lets a pattern be set up and then varied, and makes the tale easy to tell and remember aloud. The third time is usually where the outcome changes.

What not to claim: that three "stands for" something hidden, such as a specific religious idea. Some scholars argue for such readings, but the basic narrative job of the number is clear without them (see Chapter 7 for interpretation).