Folklorist Maria Tatar sees `` Thumbelina '' as a runaway bride story and notes that it has been viewed as an allegory about arranged marriages , and a fable about being true to one 's heart that upholds the traditional notion that the love of a prince is to be valued above all else .
Folklorist Maria Tatar sees `` Thumbelina '' as a runaway bride story . She notes that it has been viewed as an allegory about arranged marriages .