In Hans Anderson’s tale, the princess could feel the presence of a pea under how many mattresses?
The Princess and the Pea "was obliged to act as a dominated subject within the dominant social circles despite his fame and recognition as a writer"; Andersen therefore developed a feared and loved view of the aristocracy. Others have said that Andersen constantly felt as though he did not belong, and longed to be a part of the upper class. The nervousness and humiliations Andersen suffered in the presence of the bourgeoisie were mythologized by the storyteller in the tale of "The Princess and the Pea", with Andersen himself the morbidly sensitive princess who can feel a pea through 20 mattresses. Maria Tatar notes that,
The Princess and the Pea his tale. Other differences amongst versions can be seen in various numbers of mattresses as well as feather beds. Versions of the story differ based on whether or not the character of the helper is included. The helper, in some cases, tells the princess to pretend as though she slept badly. In other versions, the helper does not appear at all, and the princess decides to lie all on her own. The Princess and the Pea "The Princess and the Pea" (; literal translation: "The Princess on the Pea") is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen about a