Concepts and social factors like class, gender roles, family relationships, and religious values among others have been cultural constants throughout history. As such they have had a tendency to creep into aspects of popular culture. Stories serve as a cultural medium to transfer values, ideas, and expectations of a society to a younger generation, and the Grimm Brothers stories such The Frog Prince, The Ungrateful Son, and, Cinderella all perform this function.
In The Frog Prince such social aspects manage to show themselves throughout the tale. The story starts with the narrator talking of the Kings three daughters and then focusing on the Kings youngest daughter. On hot days the youngest daughter would sit by a cool well under a linden tree in the dark words by the castle. Sitting by the well, her favorite activity would be to toss a golden ball up in the air and catch it. However on this occasion the daughter slips and it rolls into the well and she begins to weep. Thus enters our male protagonist, the frog. The frog inquires as to her dilemma and she explains her situation to which the frog says he can assist, however he asks what he would receive in return for his help. The Kings youngest daughter tells him that she could give him clothes, pearls, jewels, or even her crown, but the frog responds that though those are nice things, all he wants is to be loved and to be her companion and playfellow, sit beside her at the table, eat from her plate, drink from her cup, and sleep in her bed. Thinking the frog wouldnt be able to do anything other than sit around and croak, the princess consented to the frogs offer. The frog went off, disappeared below the waters, and popped back up with the ball in tow. The princess then ran back to the castle satisfied with herself as the frog attempted to keep up and shouted that he was unable to run as fast as the princess, but alas the princess had forgotten about the poor frog.
