An Allusion To The Fable Of Cinderella

The final line of this poem, which is an allusion to the fable of Cinderella, also contains powerful and transcending literal imagery, which helps to reiterate the overall message of this poem. In the story of Cinderella, Cinderella’s step sister feels that she is obligated to literally severing off her toe in order to fit her foot into the slipper given by the Prince. In the final lines of this stanza, the speaker states, “I declined with thanks the honour/ of cutting off my toe” (Major 23-24). The shift of these two verses indicate that the speaker is no longer the respected “princess”, but rather the lowly step sister. In other words, the speaker realizes that she must respect her own self worth, rather than committing a horrendous act, and mutilating herself in order to satisfy this “prince”, thus degrading herself to the levels of the step sister.

Even in American culture, men feel inclined to think of women as property rather than people, and if that property is to be “damaged”, it must be sealed off and protected. Their inclinations are a reality somewhere else in the world, where women are indeed considered property that can be disfigured and mutilated if necessary. As such, the speaker refuses to accept such a barbaric ideology, which is not fit to be a part of 21st Century human civilization. Furthermore, it is seen that throughout the poem, the speaker portrays an overall progression of degradation shown by men towards women. Before, the woman was like Rapunzel - one to wait in a tower all her life, waiting for a prince - to what is now a woman who must mutilate themselves for their “prince”. Therefore, this powerful yet gruesome literal imagery should act as a final barrier for the women reading this poem, to show that if they are to cross it, whatever lies ahead is beyond evil and will be their