Andersen's Application of Religious Iconography in Storytelling

Andersen's Application of Religious Iconography in Storytelling
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Andersen's Application of Religious Iconography in Storytelling
Religious iconography is the use of imagery to convey religious ideas and concepts and to depict religious events. In other words, it is the use of religious symbols or narratives to deliver a specific message about a phenomenon or event. Christian Andersen is among the authors who have utilized religious iconography effectively in their work of literature. In the Little Mermaid, The Little Match, The Red Shoes, and The Snow Queen, Andersen utilizes religious iconography to convey concepts concerned with humanity's relationship with a higher power, the ideas of sin and repentance and their importance, and the cruelty of the material world concerning heavenly beliefs.
In The Red Shoes, the shoes represent the idea of temptation and sin. Karen had red shoes that everyone despised the same way people despised sinful acts or traits. The shows caused her to dance all of her days, leading to bruises and injuries the same way sin is enjoyable, at the start, but with severe consequences in the end (Andersen, 2020). When she cuts off her feet to rid the shoes, she acts following Biblical teaching that says, "if your right-hand causes you to sin, cut it…". Even after cutting the shoes off, they still tempted her from time to time. However, her repentance and belief in God allow the church to come to her, which is a miracle and a sign that her resistance to sin was not in vain, just like Christians are promised heaven if they behave in the same manner as Karen. In this instance, Andersen uses iconography to highlight the relationship between humanity and a higher power (God). People must ...