Fairy tales have been passed down from generation to generation, with each person altering the tale in some way to reflect a part of their life in the work. The Brothers Grimm wrote hundreds of fairy tales during their lives, and in these works they used their childhood experiences as a reference. Due to the hardships they faced growing up, their tales take a more gruesome approach to fairy tales. Because their mother was their sole caregiver growing up, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm reflect their affection for her through the independent and strong-willed female characters of their fairy tales. Female heroines are rarely seen in modern fairy tales, but due to their childhood, the Brothers Grimm frequently used them in their works to illustrate the love and devotion they have for their own mothers. This predominance of heroic female characters in the works of the Brothers Grimm is the result of an upbringing without a strong male figure. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm experienced many tragedies during their adolescence that left them emotionally impressionable. Jacob was born on January 4, 1785 and Wilhelm was born on February 24, 1786 in Hanau, Germany. Misfortune first struck them with the death of their father, soon followed by that of their grandfather, which left the family in a state of ruin. Their father, Phillip Wilhelm, died when Jacob and Wilhelm were just children and very impressionable. (Brothers, age 9) Two years after Phillip Wilhelm's death, the brother's grandfather also died, leaving the family struggling in diminished circumstances. (Brothers, age 9) Their lives changed dramatically as they adapted to their new situation being raised solely by their mother. After the death of their father, t...... middle of paper ......rs Grimm." Multilingual Archives. WorldLingo. Web. March 2, 2011.10. Bonner, Sarah. "'Snow White: Repetition and Resistance in the Visual Arts '-." Center for Practice as Research in the Arts. Web. March 02, 2011. .11. Grimm, Brothers. Cinderella; The Complete Grimm Fairy Tales. (21) Needland Media . BHS Library. 12. Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales. 13. Grimm's Brothers. Knights Tale; Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales (64) BHS Library. 15) Needland Library...