Structure

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Beginning

The story begins with a phrase typically used in fairy tales, which establishes the setting of the events in another world and another time: “Once upon a time, and a very good time it was, though it wasn’t in my time, nor your time, not anyone else’s time” (ll. 1-2).

The narrator introduces the protagonist and gives readers a backstory:

(…) there was a girl whose mother had died, and her father married again. And her stepmoth…

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Middle

The middle of the tale develops the rising action as the girl sets out on her journey. She asks everyone she meets where she can find the well, but no one knows. Finally, she meets a “queer little old woman, all bent double” (l. 13), who guides her to the well. The mysterious old woman (either wise or evil) is a traditional figure in fairy tales.

The girl arrives at the well and attempts to take out water with the sieve given by her stepmother. Naturally, the water leaks out through the sieve’s holes. This creates a tension point in the story, as the girl is left desp…

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Ending

In the falling action, the prince explains that he was enchanted by an evil magician and that the spell could only be broken if a girl obeyed him for a night and then chopped his head off. This provides a backstory on the prince.

The stepmother is surprised by the presence of the prince and displeased that the prince will marry the girl. He marries the girl, and they go live with his father, the king, in h…