Fairy Tales Symbol Analysis

In We Were Liars, the almost mythical wealth and beauty of the Sinclair family is represented through fairy tales. Cady Eastman often employs the structure and tropes of fairy tales in her narration, casting the Sinclairs as a royal family that works to shield itself from the threat of outsiders. In many ways, Cady sees her life as a fairy tale, in which she is wealthy and privileged like royalty, but also trapped and lonely within the confines of the castle. She portrays Gat, the love of her life, as a mouse who has been expelled from the castle because he is different and—according to Harris, the king—inferior to the royal family. The fairy tales evolve along with the narrative itself.  Toward the end of the novel, Cady has decided that the only way for the young girl in her story to find happiness is to escape the castle and reunite with the mouse, therefore relinquishing her wealth and privilege forever. This, of course, parallels the decision to burn down Clairmont and extinguish the family fortune.