Marne Bruckner
Illustration I: Final Part 1
Folk Tale Proposal
11.22.21
For my final project I want to reinterpret the Norwegian folktale, “The Billy Goats Gruff.” “The Billy Goats Gruff” is about a family of three Billy goats who are hungry but need to cross a bridge in order to get to land that has lush grassy meadows. Each Billy goat crosses the bridge one by one, starting with the baby. Each time a goat tries to cross they are abruptly stopped by a giant troll that hides under the bridge and considers it his bridge. The troll acts like a gatekeeper, he threatens to eat them for making such noise with their hooves on his bridge. Each Billy goat outsmarts him and tells him to wait for the next goat who is much bigger to eat. The troll listens and then comes face to face with “big Billy goat Gruff” who has hooves and is able to ram and toss the troll over the bridge and into the water to his demise. This story is one of my favorites to read with my daughter, I like the repetition in it as well as the idea of a family sticking together to outsmart a bully.
While rereading the story, I began to think of a reinterpretation that I am passionate about. One thing I feel strongly about is the reconstruction of many NYC neighborhoods. I hate how gentrification and revamps of the city strip the authenticity and often leave families and neighborhoods disparaged because of skyrocketing rents and companies that urge old house holders to sell in order to build new condos where they stand. This thinking brought me to a book I read in high school called “Can’t Stop Won’t Stop” by Jeff Chang. This book taught me about the reconstruction of the Bronx in the 1940s-1980s and the birth of Hip Hop. One topic within it that I would like to use as a tool for reinterpretation is the building of the Cross Bronx expressway, by Robert Moses. Robert Moses will serve as an animated version of the troll, as he holds up and stands by the building of this terrible “bridge”/ expressway which forces a divide across Bronx neighborhoods, forcing many families out of their homes. The South Bronx which became broken by the building of the expressway will represent that barren grassless land that the three Billy goat gruffs must leave in order to cross the expressway or bridge and get to the “promise land” the north side or Manhattan where it is lush green and full of lucrative change.
I am excited about this reinterpretation because it is not only celebrating the legacy of a folktale but also can serve as a political satire which takes a stance on the way reconstruction affects the fabric of one’s environment, how big rebuilds or changes disproportionately marginalize underrepresented communities. I love the idea of Robert Moses being the troll because I am able to illustrate how Moses didn’t care. I can give voice to the many people of the South Bronx who had to watch their community being torn apart by this giant “bridge” and left as urban decay.
Resources:
Usborne Animal Stories for Bedtime Retold by Susanna Davidson and Katie Daynes Illustrated by Richard Johnson
Research on Cross Bronx Expressway: https://ejatlas.org/conflict/cross-bronx-highway
Can’t Stop Won’t Stop by Jeff Chang
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