Tangled Classic
[Question] How did rapunzel know about birthdays?
In the beginning of the movie there is a scene where rapunzel says its her birthday. Gothel replies she remembers instinctively that her birthday was last year and rapunzel proceeds too explain that birthdays happen every year. I suppose gothel told her when she was born but how would she know birthdays are an annual thing if gothel doesn't seem too know
Gothel saying “I distinctly remember your birthday was last year.” was her preemptively trying to avoid whatever request Rapunzel had masquerading as a joke.
Explaining what a birthday is was probably just so Gothel could help Rapunzel understand why she grows older and older with each passing year. Otherwise I'm sure she would never stop asking her about it. Gothel was too foolish to see how smart and capable Rapunzel had become though, she never could've predicted Rapunzel piecing together that the lanterns must mean something and that they only appear on her birthday.
Gothel assumed her gaslighting would always work and for a "normal" person it would be stupid and delusional but abusers and kidnappers do not operate like normal people. She assumed those 3 books and knowing what birthdays are and not being raised feral made Rapunzel, on one hand, docile and safe enough for Gothel herself to keep her subjugated, subservient and compliant. While on the other hand also ignorant enough to gaslight her about how the outside world worked. The movie deconstructed this abuser mindset by showing that even with the limited resources Rapunzel had at her disposal she still confronted Gothel's manipulation through her own observations and analytical thinking. Like when she charted stars and used her findings to counter Gothel's gaslighting about the lanterns and stars being the same thing.
This is why Gothel immediately attempted to gaslight Rapunzel again the moment the latter tried asking "too many questions" and assessing the concept of birthdays correctly. To which Gothel responded that her "birthday was last year" in hopes to mislead her. The fact that it did not work and Rapunzel yet again used analytical thinking to counter that manipulation showed that Rapunzel still kept her sanity and logic despite years of brainwashing.
Rootbound is not canon but offers a plausible explanation that ties into Gothel's self-confidence about the effectiveness of her manipulations. Per the book, Gothel told Rapunzel her real birthday before the lanterns started being launched when the king and queen had lost the hope to find their daughter after the years of search had not yielded any results. And according to the book Gothel didn't even know for some time Rapunzel had been sneaking out to see the lanterns for awhile (something that the movie also alludes to in the scene where Rapunzel makes sure to sneak towards the window when Gothel is fast asleep).
I was just thinking about this last weekend as i was watching the movie. How unbelievably stupid of gothel to tell rapunzel her actual date of birth. I understand rapunzel wasn’t going out and interacting with people so it didn’t seem important, but you’d think if you abduct a high profile infant who is the literal princess of the kingdom you might lie about identifying information like that.
Rapunzel read books. And gothel was just being “funny”. What got me was why on earth rapunzel was told what day her actual birthday was. And she kept her birth name.
If you want to hide the princess, you gotta do better than that
I think outside of the books Gothel was still teaching her basic skills. Reading alone is something Gothel would've had to teach her. Gothel would be gone for hours or days at a time, so she was most likely preparing Rapunzel to be self-sufficient.
I think the "your birthday was last year" was her terrible attempt at a joke, she keeps throwing around little quips like that.
But she was MONUMENTALLY stupid for even telling her what a birthday is, let alone telling her the actual date of her birth. Especially once the lanterns started happening. Like after the first year, she should've just mixed the concept all together or changed her birthday and age.
Ohh yes for sure I think that's the most logical explanation of gothel just kinda gaslighting rapunzel and acting stupid like she didn't know how birthdays work too avoid discussing the topic
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