The Red Shoes

Karen is a poor little girl who finds comfort in her new red shoes after being adopted by a wealthy old lady. At first, she enjoys the beauty of the shoes, but they soon become a source of vanity and trouble for her. She wears them to church against advice and later to a ball despite her guardian's illness. The magical red shoes force her to dance uncontrollably through the night and into the woods. No matter how hard she tries to stop, the shoes carry her over fields, roads, and even across graves. She encounters an angel who condemns her to dance until she is pale and cold. Terrified and exhausted, Karen seeks help from the executioner to end her suffering. He chops off her feet, but the red shoes continue to dance away into the deep forest. After receiving wooden feet and crutches, Karen repents deeply for her vanity and pride. She works hard as a servant in a clergyman's house, finding peace in simple labor and prayer. Eventually, she visits the church again with humility, no longer tempted by worldly beauty. The angel appears to her with green roses instead of a sword, offering forgiveness. Karen is granted divine mercy and enters heaven in spirit, free from the burden of the red shoes.