In the book she was an enchantress with great powers who had a garden of turnips, but in the film Mother Gothel was an old lady who used magic flower to keep it young for hundreds of years. The magical flower was taken by the male kings to save the queen's life, then Mother Gothel identified that the flower's healing power was growing with the newborn Rapunzel's golden hair, so she kidnapped Rapunzel from the palace so that Mother Gothel could always be young but in the story mother Gothel threatens the king for her newborn baby and takes care of her like a mother. When Mother Gothel knows that Rapunzel was meeting Prince Gothel she gets angry and cuts Rapunzel's hair with scissors and then leaves her in the desert. In the film he tries to convince Rapunzel by showing the cruelty of the outside world. In both the film and the novel she has a negative character but she cares for Rapunzel due to her selfishness as taking care of Rapunzel's hair could make her live young