ZAINAB AKRAM, FOUZIA REHMAN KHAN, SAIMA RAUF and SUMAIRA SHAFIQ
Abstract
The fairy tales are supposed to be tales of fantasy and imagination, with a happily ever after. But several grim disguised aspects are also interlocked in main themes. Mostly interwoven in hegemony power acts are the cloaked counter hegemony actions that occur side by side. The fairy tales transmit power ideologies in everyday scenario, unlike any magnificent magnitude, which are constantly countered through implicit and explicit endeavors of the characters. These everyday counter hegemony acts may seem trivial, but they possess the capacity to transform a character. Thus, the study uses the theoretical framework proposed by Gramsci (1971) to evaluate the counter hegemony acts of characters against power and hegemony. The characters of Golilocks, Trollbella and Alex Bailey, from Colfer’s (2013) The Wishing Spell are thematically analyzed. The findings reveal that counter hegemony could occur at a personal level against everyday hegemony that might cause hindrances to a person’s potential of action, growth and contentment. The counter acts against power found in the text were not politically initiated under an organized leadership. However, the findings also reveal that the counter hegemony acts lead towards establishment of a new power status on a different level. Furthermore, this process could be scrutinized as a sign of continuity in life.
