30 pages • 1 hour read
Hans Christian AndersenThe Emperor's New Clothes
Fiction | Short Story | Middle Grade | Published in 1837A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Conformity Versus Nonconformity
One of the major themes of “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is the social conflict of conformity versus nonconformity. The swindlers’ lie is dependent upon the people of the empire conforming to the belief that the fabric can be seen. Although nobody is capable of seeing the fabric, each character believes that others are able to. This leads to everyone in the capital city pretending to be able to see the fabric to fit in with others, keep up appearances, and maintain their social standing. In the story, conformity aligns with lies while nonconformity aligns with the truth. With this, nonconformity is elevated as a virtue.
By pretending to see the fabric, the emperor’s men and the citizens of the kingdom are conforming to an inherently flawed idea or social order. The fabric is not symbolic of any one thing in particular. Rather, it is a symbol of flawed notions that individuals or societies adhere to without scrutiny. Each time a character pretends to see the fabric, they do so out of fear that they will be ostracized from their society or lose their high standing within the social order. This is first illustrated by the emperor’s minister who is sent to check on the weavers’ work. After struggling with the fact that he cannot see anything on the looms, the minister resolves that “It would never do to let on that I can’t see the cloth” (Paragraph 9). He chooses to willfully ignore the truth in order to maintain his status as the emperor’s trusted minister.
His conformity is carried one step further when reporting back to the emperor. Because he cannot see the fabric himself, he is totally reliant on the fraudulent reports of the weavers: “[The swindlers] proceeded to name all the colors and to explain the intricate pattern. The old minister paid the closest attention so that he could tell it all to the emperor. And so he did” (Paragraph 11). Unable or unwilling to trust his own powers of perception, the minister conforms to the ideas passed down to him by the weavers. He then perpetuates these ideas as an authority figure, thus lending even greater strength to the fiction. This is a reversal of duty, as ministers are meant to advise figureheads based on expertise. Again, this calls the social order into question by suggesting that ministers make decisions based on their personal benefit rather than the truth.
This pattern of conformity repeats until the climax of the story, when a small child in the crowd speaks out against it unknowingly. Once the social order is disrupted by the child’s voice, the crowd is empowered to break free from the mindset of conformity. However, while the child’s nonconformity can be read as an act of revolution, it does not completely shatter the pattern of conformity. The child is ultimately the only character who fully represents a nonconformist mindset. The rest of the townsfolk conform to the child’s (correct) judgment about the emperor’s outfit. Additionally, the emperor and his men continue with his nude procession. With this, Andersen hints that individual instances of nonconformity are not enough to change the system, particularly when those in power choose to maintain the illusion rather than acknowledge the truth.
The Trappings of Power
One of the qualities that makes “The Emperor’s New Clothes” unique among fairy tales is its depth of social commentary. Some of the story’s most pointed social criticism is pointed at those in power, and the trappings that come with positions of power. Each member of the emperor’s court, and the emperor himself, is unwilling to admit that they cannot see the swindlers’ fabric due to fear of losing their social rank and the power that comes with it. Their power is therefore dependent on upholding a known falsehood. In this way, the reality of power structures comes into question. It is apparent that those in power, such as the emperor and his noblemen, are not there because they are exceedingly wise or emotionally qualified to rule.
Each of the first two men sent to inspect the swindlers’ fabric expresses direct concerns for their rank when confronting the truth. This is first seen in the old minister’s internal monologue: “Am I unfit to be a minister? It would never do to let on that I can’t see the cloth” (Paragraph 9). The second official faces a similar internal conflict: “I know I’m not stupid […] so it must be that I’m unworthy of my good office. That’s strange. I mustn’t let anyone find it out, though” (Paragraph 15). In both cases, the men ultimately decide to lie because doing so will protect their status as high-ranking members of society. This can be read as a general critique of individuals in a position of power, or as a critique of the corruptive influence of power itself. Each official has an opportunity to put a stop to the swindlers’ lies, but neither does so because such actions would threaten their status. This point is also emphasized in the climactic moment, in which a child, an individual with no social status or notions of power, is the lone voice to speak truthfully.
Andersen takes his critique of the trappings of power one step further in the story’s conclusion. Even after the truth is exposed, the emperor resolves to continue with the procession: “The emperor shivered, for he suspected they were right. But he thought, ‘This procession has got to go on.’ So he walked more proudly than ever, as his noblemen held high the train that wasn’t there at all” (Paragraph 31). The emperor is so attached to his position of power that he adheres to the lie which props it up even more vigorously when his authoritative image is correctly called into question. While the story ends here, it begs the question of what happens after the narrative concludes. The emperor was humiliated, but even this extreme scenario likely wouldn’t have removed a ruler from a position of power, despite the crowd becoming fully aware of his foolish behavior. The emperor continued to deny the truth to himself, and likely internally maintained this façade moving forward.
The Value of Labor
A more subtle theme at work in “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is the value of labor within the kingdom. The story’s omniscient third-person narration informs the reader right away that the emperor is being deceived by the swindlers. However, the emperor, not knowing this fact, repeatedly rewards the swindlers with riches for labor they have not performed. Although the emperor does not knowingly pay for fraudulent labor at first, this dynamic can be read as a critique of how labor is valued in society.
Despite providing no material value to the emperor and his kingdom, the swindlers do provide a perceived social value. The emperor believes that he can use the fabric to, “discover which men in [the] empire are unfit for their posts” (Paragraph 3). In this sense, the fabric is a symbol of the imaginary fabric that holds the social hierarchy together. The swindlers, then, are “performing” labor that upholds that social order. They are rewarded richly for this social duty: “The swindlers at once asked for more money, more silk and gold thread […] but it all went into their pockets. Not a thread went into their looms, though they worked at their weaving as hard as ever” (Paragraph 12). The swindlers are exploiting a system that is primarily concerned with its own self-preservation. Rather than rewarding workers for labor, which benefits the kingdom as a whole, the emperor and his men affirm labor that allows them to remain in their stations.
The swindlers are not only rewarded with material wealth but with social wealth as well. When the emperor finally “sees” their work for himself, he “gave each of the swindlers a cross to wear in his buttonhole and the title of ‘Sir Weaver’” (Paragraph 19). The swindlers are elevated and welcomed into the noble class for their deceptive acts. They achieve this by performing a service that is believed to benefit the kingdom’s nobility. This dynamic reflects an economy in which upward mobility is determined by arbitrary or illusory factors. In addition, the swindlers also undermine the very system that rewards them and props them up. Because their labor was ultimately hollow, the emperor is quickly exposed during his grand procession. This humiliation and disruption of the social order is a direct result of the emperor’s investment in the swindlers’ labor.
The result of the emperor’s improper valuation of labor is a social and economic system that is ultimately hollow. In a system where dishonor and deception are richly rewarded, notions of social prestige and meritocracy can be openly questioned. Even after the people of the city become aware of the nonexistent fabric, it is important for the emperor to continue improperly valuing labor such as that of the swindlers to maintain the status he already achieved with his lies.
