Stereotypes In Cinderella Man

As children grow up, they tend to forget the stories that once made up their lives and look down upon what they deem as “child’s play”; however, these stories raise children where parents are not present. Fairy tales characters for children are the construction workers of the adult world, and as the children mature into adulthood, the gates of imagination are opened and the storybook characters morph into newspaper headlines; suddenly, the clock strikes twelve and the glitz and glamour disappear as the realization that “human nature is not innately good, that conflict is real [and] life is harsh before it is happy” (Tatar 306) sinks in. James Braddock, as he attends the ball, assumes the role of Atlas, holding the weight of the working class

From a young age, storybook heroes are subconsciously placed on pedestals by children; however, through idolizing fictional characters, imagination tends to get carried away in the boat society has built. Within the film Cinderella Man, Braddock assumes the role of the “new Cinderella”; rising from the ashes, Cinderbottom saves the working class through “self-determination and independence” (Poniewozik 324). However, Braddock unknowingly creates a leakage on the boat, causing the dreams of children to drown. While every child’s dream is to become a hero, such as Cinderella Man, not every child possesses the attributes such as Cinderella’s beauty that allows her to be the “bell of the ball” or the nimbleness of Jack in “Jack and the Beanstalk,” who escapes the giant with the “life-threatening chant” (Tatar 310). Thus, with Braddock’s rise to fame and fortune comes his pedestal of

However, one may ask how Braddock is able to “effortlessly” twirl into his own happily ever after. According to Rackham, cited by Tatar, fairy tales are “part of our everyday thought and expression [for they] help shape our lives.” Jack Spriggins’ pocket in “Jack and the Beanstalk” seems to have sprouted a hole; thus, his enchanted seeds are firmly planted in the minds of children while they are still young and highly impressionable. As the stalk of the bean serves as the cultivation of adult morale, the flowers and beans that blossom represent the “adult anxieties and desires” for the petals eventually die and are reborn as the child matures and acquires different personalities (Tatar 307). However, while fairy tales serve as “model[s] [of] behavioral codes and developmental paths,” often do parents forget to brush aside the traps that villains “cunning[ly]” (Tatar 309) place, leading children to potentially become as “passionate about the vices as well as the virtues” (Tatar 309). Through this passion, children can often become transfixed on immoral qualities such as lying or cunningness that are displayed in fairy tales such as “Aladdin” or “Puss in Boots” (Tatar 309); with this fascination, an evil seed can potentially