Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin

Spinning wheels serve as a motif for the theme of Fighting Fate. The spinning wheel is an essential component of the traditional Rumpelstiltskin tale, and the device takes on added layers of meaning in Shurtliff’s reinterpretation. The spinning wheel that belonged to Rump’s mother, Anna, is especially significant. Oswald the merchant, who later becomes the Village’s miller, gives her the spinning wheel years before the start of the novel. This backhanded gift signifies his control over her and his intention to force her to spin gold for him for the rest of her days. Although Anna manages to flee to the Village, she brings the spinning wheel with her, indicating that she is unable to escape her fate. Indeed, the curse so weakens her that she dies immediately after giving birth to Rump, unable to even tell Gran her son’s full name.

Gran tries to protect Rump from the fate that claimed his mother by hiding Anna’s spinning wheel behind the woodpile. Despite her efforts, Rump finds the wheel and spins straw into gold. His discovery sets the novel’s rising action into motion and suggests that his fate is inevitable. Throughout the novel, Rump believes that his destiny is tied to the spinning wheel and his magical ability to spin straw into gold.