Archetypes In Ashputtle

The story of Cinderella is well known all across the world and most countries have their own versions of the fairytale. While each story might have unique differences, they all have major character and story archetypes that play key parts to exemplify the major themes. An archetype can be any type recurring theme, symbol or pattern throughout a story. For example, the German retelling of Cinderella, titled Ashputtle, has many archetypes that play off the theme. The authors, Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm, use specific archetypal narrative patterns such as a greedy, cruel relative who behaves unfairly, a series of tests, often impossible, that a character must pass or a just end that rewards good and punishes evil to illustrate major themes of love,

After enduring cruel treatment from her own family for years, Ashputtle finally gets her own happily ever after and her family members receive what they deserve: cruel punishment. In the story, on page 858, the text states, “On the day of Ashputle’s wedding, the two sisters came and tried to ingratiate themselves and shared in her happiness…both sisters were punished with blindness to the end of their days for being so wicked and false” (Grimm). The stepsisters were so forbidding and cruel towards Ashputtle that in the end, receive what they deserve which doesn’t happen in some of the other Cinderella stories worldwide. The Grimm brothers chose to make their retelling of the story have an unusual ending (most just end with Cinderella getting married) and in doing so, unintentionally exemplified the archetypal narrative pattern of a just end that rewards good and punishes evil. But this doesn’t just appear once in the story. When Ashputtle flees the celebration one night to avoid her family, she leaves behind a shoe. This shoe is then picked up by the prince, who then searches throughout the entire kingdom for the owner of the beautiful shoe so that he can marry her. When he arrives at Ashputtle’s home, the stepmother insists that her two daughters cut off parts of their feet to try to fit their wide and unsightly