Abandonment

One of the main themes that runs through the story of “Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin” by Liesl Shurtliff is one of abandonment. Rump’s father died in the mines of the mountain before Rump was born. His mother died in childbirth and she had only enough breath left in her to get out just part of his name. Thus, the baby would be known as “Rump”, a name that caused him a special kind of grief for years to come. He didn’t blame his mother for his half-name but couldn’t help but imagine how much better things would have been for him had she lived and been able to tell him his complete name. The story unfolds when Rump is twelve.

Rump was raised by his grandmother who loved him, but he was tortured by the loss of his mother. He saw...