Character Autopsy: The Brave Little Tailor

This is the character autopsy, where I take a character that I adore and force them down onto the cold and metallic table and cut them open, exploring what about their character that resonates with me and how I can use it in my own writing. On the table today is the man whose wit took him from nothing to king of the country, The Brave Little Tailor.

The Grimm Brothers fairy tales became of interest to me when I became a teenager, wanting to shed the childish fiction I was use to and explore something darker. Of all the tales, The Brave Little Tailor is not the darkest, but it was one that resonated with me. The general plot is that The Brave Little Tailor, through a simple misunderstanding, bluffed his way through multiple challenges. I liked how he used wit to overcome brawn, which is best demonstrated when he is challenged by the troll. There were three challenges that the troll gave; who could carry the most, who could throw the furthest and who had the greatest grip strength. In response to the great feats that the troll demonstrated, such as launching a boulder far into the air, The Brave Little Tailor would respond with some kind of clever trick, such as throwing a bird and convincing the troll it was a rock as it flew away, not to be seen again. I think I liked his approach the most, the clever tricking and intriguing part of his character.

I’m not sure what the moral of the story would be, perhaps not to underestimate someone based on their size or job, but for me it demonstrated the importance of using your wit. Dumb characters can be annoying, depending on the circumstance, and in my writing, I have written my share of idiots, but their idiocy always served a purpose and that purpose was either to show a position as idiotic or to allow the wit of another character to shine. Just like the troll’s lack of intelligence amplified The Brave Little Tailor’s wit, a well-placed idiot can amplify another character. I think there is a balance with wittiness, one that The Brave Little Tailor has. That balance is that he is not too arrogant, as is the case with other “witty” characters. I understand why a witty character could be arrogant but unless they are a villain, they can become insufferable. When I design my next witty hero, I know that the foundations for the character will be rooted in the shadow of The Brave Little Tailor.