) The artistic creative return of the child may sometimes take the
form of _objectification or representation_. _The Steadfast Tin
Soldier_ is a model of the literary fairy tale which gives a stimulus
to the child to represent his fairy tale objectively. As
straightforward narrative it ranks high. Its very first clause is the
child's point of view: "There were five and twenty tin soldiers"; for
the child counts his soldiers. Certainly the theme is unique and the
images clear-cut.

It makes one total impression and it has one emotional tone to which
everything is made to contribute. Its message of courage and its
philosophy of life, which have been mentioned previously, are not so
insignificant even if the story does savor of the sentimental. Its
structure is one single line of sequence, from the time this marvelous
soldier was stood up on the table, until he, like many another toy,
was thrown into the fire. The vivid language used gives vitality to
the story, the words suit the ideas, and often the words recall a
picture or suggestion; as, "The Soldier _fell headlong,"_ "_trod_,"
"came down in _torrents_," "boat _bobbed_," "_spun_ round," "_clasped_
his gun," "boat _shot_ along," "_blinked_ his eyes," etc. The method
of suggestion by which an object is described through its effect on
some one else, produces a very pleasing result here. You see the
steadfast look of the Tin Soldier's eyes when the Jack-in-the-box
says, "Keep your eyes to yourself, Tin Soldier!" The position of the
Soldier in the street is given through the exclamation of the little
boys who see him--"Look! there lies a Tin Soldier, let us give him a
sail in the gutter!"

The setting in this story is a table in a sitting-room and the
playthings on the table. The characters are two playthings. After the
first telling of this story the child naturally would like to
represent it. The story has made his playthings come alive and so he
would like to make them appear also. This is a tale in which
representation, after the first telling, will give to the child much
pleasure and will give him a chance to do something with it
cooperatively. He can reproduce the setting of this tale upon a table
in a schoolroom. Each child could decide what is needed to represent
the story and offer what he can. One child could make the yard outside
the castle of green blotting-paper. Another child could furnish a
mirror for the lake, another two toy green trees, one two wax swan