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Critical analysis of the story of Cinderella
Comparing different cinderella stories
Comparing different cinderella stories
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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.
In the essay “Cinderella: Saturday Afternoon at the Movies, ” Louise Bernikow explains women’s relationships and their life goals in the story of Cinderella. She believes that the ultimate goal for women in this fairy tales is to get and a life that can not achieve on their own by marrying a powerful and rich man. In order to achieve this goal, women must compete with each other and be pretty to catch rich men’s eyes. Bernikow uses Cinderella’ stepmother as an example to describe this situation. In the story, the stepmother mistreats Cinderella because Cinderella is beautiful and her daughters are in competition with Cinderella.
Like the Disney version, the cruel stepmother and wicked stepsisters put Ella and Edna through the same burdens. But Cinderella’s gloomy attitude, tendency to mope and her dependency on others are the reasons for her unhappiness. In contrast to Cinderella who is as fragile
As a teenager, I have always been drawn to the television shows and movies about the government team that chased after serial killers and spent days figuring out motives and any other possible reasons for a person’s act of terror. These shows and movies sparked a light within me that found an interest learning more about serial killers, their motives, their victims, and any other possibly reason that could make them commit such heinous crimes. What makes a serial killer kill? Are there environmental causes or genetics linked to this? Are there psychological patterns that make a person more likely to become a repeated killer?
From its onset with its first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937, Disney has grown to become a worldwide phenomenon today. But over the years, various parent groups, scholars and film critics have accused Disney for creating shallow, stereotypical princesses whose ultimate aim was to find her 'prince charming ' and live happily ever after. In her article, “What’s Wrong With Cinderella?” in the New York Times, Peggy Orenstein expresses her concern over the effect of princess figures like Cinderella on young girls ' perceptions of themselves and how they should behave (“What’s Wrong With Cinderella?”).
In the 2015 movie Cinderella we see Ella, a beautiful, young girl living with both of her parents until her mother, who taught her the virtues of kindness and courage, as well as a belief in magic, dies after falling ill. Some years later, Ella’s father marries a widow, who has two daughters, and they move in with Ella and her father. Ella’s father then is forced to go away on business; however, he also dies from an illness, leaving Ella an orphan. The true nature of her stepmother and stepsisters comes out, and Ella, called Cinderella by her stepsisters, is forced to live in the attic. Her stepmother and stepsisters mistreat and bully her all the time.
Unlike Cinderella, the stepsisters are not as easily forgiven. When it comes to Aschenputtel wedding to the prince, the stepsisters get their eyes pecked out by birds, at the church where Aschenputtel was getting married. This informs audiences, that forgiveness is not a simple act, as Cinderella portrays. From both stories, Aschenputtel makes readers understand that you don’t always have to forgive someone. It’s okay to say ‘no’, just because someone is ready to be forgiven, doesn’t mean you're ready
She has no more of a title or position than Perrault’s Cinderella, but we are given the opportunity to watch as she manages to rebel in a hundred different ways and to let her stepmother know that she refuses to quietly expect the arranged marriage, has setup in order to get her out of the way. This is not only entertaining for us as the viewers to watch, but also far more realistic in nature, when compared to that of Perrault’s Cinderella, who by the content of the story just seems to blindly expect the overwhelming cruelty shown to her by her stepmother and stepsisters, who throughout the story continue to try her as a
Similarly, in Walt Disney’s “Cinderella,” she is also treated horribly, and awarded a beautiful outfit by her fairy godmother, letting her attend a ball, encountering her true love. Cinderella gets married to the prince, however, the step-sisters are forgiven and live with Cinderella at the castle unlike the original story. Both stories have many similarities, especially in the climax. However, the
Cinderella’s stepmother constantly gives her stepdaughter hard work to do, but Cinderella perseveres, which fuels her determination to attend the ball and become the prince’s bride. Although the task is unreasonable, for Cinderella’s embarrassment and suffering only, Cinderella does not give up. Her menial task only pushes Cinderella to want her opportunity to be with the prince more, proving her determination and the benefit of being allowed to go with her stepsisters, shown by, “Then you may go with us”. Cinderella is tired of the life she lives and desperately wants a new one. This is why the benefit of being able to attend the festival makes Cinderella determined to clean up her stepmother’s
Positive interpretations of the story focus on the idea of love conquering all and the idea of a rags-to-riches story. These interpretations celebrate the idea of a woman finding happiness and success despite facing adversity. However, feminist interpretations of the story question the patriarchal nature of the story and challenge the traditional gender roles that the story reinforces. These feminist interpretations offer alternative perspectives on gender roles and seek to break down harmful gendered expectations. Anne Sexton's "Cinderella" is a modern interpretation of the Cinderella myth that explores the theme of sexual abuse.
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.
The stepmother has two daughters who are filled with jealousy and envy. Ever since becoming Cinderella’s stepmother, she has treated Cinderella differently than her two daughters. Cinderella was turned into a servant in her own house, and she could not do anything. When “the king of the castle invited his son to a fancy ball he said he could choose his bride”.
With her beautiful dress, she received “a pair of glass slippers, the prettiest in the whole world.” At the ball, no one is aware of Cinderella’s true identity. Despite that, the King’s son falls in love with her and she gets a happily-ever-after. Due to the different social classes Cinderella portrays to be, she is treated differently
She is humble and caring to all around even her evil stepfamily. When her father asks his daughter what they want him to bring back from the fair she responds with,“... the first twig that brushes against your hat on your way home ”(Grimm). Likewise, the two other step-sisters asked for “Beautiful dresses” and “Pearls and jewels” the stepsister are onto material beauty compared to Cinderella who has a beautiful soul. Cinderella is self-aware of who she is but does not have the conscious to see how her family is.
