5 Things Rapunzel Taught Me About Power

There’s something about fairy tales that sticks with you long after childhood. I remember being drawn to Rapunzel not just because of her impossibly long hair, but because of the quiet strength she seemed to carry—even locked away in a tower. As I grew older and revisited her story, I began to see it less as a simple children’s tale and more as a meditation on power: who has it, how it’s wielded, and what it means to reclaim it.

Rapunzel’s story, especially in its original telling by the Brothers Grimm, isn’t all glitter and happy endings. It’s full of isolation, manipulation, and resilience. And in revisiting it, I found myself reflecting on my own relationship with power—where I’ve felt it, where I’ve denied it, and where I’ve been blind to it. These are the five things Rapunzel taught me.

## Power Often Hides Behind Kindness

Rapunzel’s tale begins not with a villainous act, but with what seems like a favor. Her parents, desperate for a plant growing in the witch’s garden, are caught and offered a trade: the child in exchange for the herbs. It’s a deal made under the guise of generosity, but it’s one that quietly steals power from the family.

This dynamic has always haunted me. So often, power isn’t seized with force—it’s taken slowly, under the cover of goodwill. I’ve seen it in workplaces where “mentorship” masks control, and in relationships where “help” becomes a tether. Rapunzel didn’t choose her tower. It was built for her, brick by brick, under the pretense of care.

That’s the thing about soft power: it’s harder to name, and even harder to escape.

## Isolation Feels Like Safety Until It Isn’t

For most of her life, Rapunzel knows only the walls of the tower. The witch tells her the world is dangerous, that she’s better off staying put. And Rapunzel believes it—until she doesn’t.

There’s a moment in the story when she asks the witch why her voice carries farther than the witch’s when she sings. That small question, almost innocent in tone, reveals a crack in the foundation of her obedience. It’s the first sign that the walls keeping her in were also keeping the truth out.

I’ve felt that before—clinging to a known kind of pain because it feels safer than the unknown. Rapunzel reminded me that isolation can masquerade as protection. But real power starts when you ask the uncomfortable questions, even if the answers might shake everything.

## Speaking Up Changes Everything

It’s easy to overlook how much of Rapunzel’s journey hinges on her voice. From the moment she sings, she calls the world to her. Then, when she dares to ask the witch the question about her hair, she begins to break the spell of silence that’s held her captive.

And when the prince finds her, it’s not her beauty or her hair that draws him—it’s her voice. That’s what lures him back, again and again.

In my own life, I’ve learned that speaking up isn’t just about being heard—it’s about asserting your presence. Rapunzel’s voice didn’t just attract the prince; it signaled that she was still there, still thinking, still feeling, still becoming.

Sometimes, all it takes is one question to remind yourself that you’re not powerless—you’ve just been waiting to be heard.

## Power Isn’t Always About Rebellion

There’s a temptation to romanticize rebellion—especially when we talk about characters like Rapunzel. We imagine her storming down the tower stairs, declaring her independence. But her journey wasn’t a dramatic revolt. It was quiet, cumulative, and deeply personal.

She didn’t fight the witch with force. She questioned, she waited, and then she chose. That choice—to let down her hair for the prince, to ask the question that betrayed her growing awareness—was her act of power.

I used to think power required a big moment, a clear turning point. But Rapunzel taught me that real power often grows in the spaces between. It’s in the decision to trust your instincts, even when the world tells you not to.

Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can do is decide to keep going—on your own terms.

## Healing Happens When You Choose Your Own Path

In some versions of the tale, Rapunzel’s reunion with the prince is bittersweet. He arrives blind, having been blinded by thorns after jumping from the tower. Together, they find their way back—not through magic or divine intervention, but through choice and care.

That’s the part we don’t talk about enough. Her power isn’t just in leaving the tower—it’s in choosing what comes next. She doesn’t return to her parents. She doesn’t punish the witch. She finds her own path, and in doing so, she finds healing.

I’ve learned that reclaiming power doesn’t always mean going back to where you started. Sometimes it means walking forward, even when the way is unclear.

Rapunzel didn’t need a rescue. She needed the space to choose. And sometimes, that’s the most powerful thing of all.

Talk to Rapunzel on HoloDream to explore how she found her voice—and what she might say to the girl still in the tower today.