Grimm's Cinderella Story

1894 Words4 Pages

The Grimm’s stories have strict criteria for good and evil. Good women are not the hero, they do not plan, nor do they get themselves out of bad situations; they are obtuse and wait until a Prince saves them. These qualities doom the female protagonists (and readers) to pursue the only destiny women have, and that is to be a wife and mother (Rowe, 1978). Cinderella is the heroine and the ideal good girl. She is unambiguously beautiful, kind, and compassionate. She does not complain or get angry. This is foreseen early in the Grimm’s Cinderella story: “ “Is the stupid goose to sit in the parlour with us?" said they. "He who wants to eat bread must earn it; out with the kitchen-wench…. and led her into the kitchen. There she had to do hard work from morning till night, get up before daybreak, carry water, light fires, cook and wash. Besides this, the sisters did her every imaginable injury -- they mocked her and emptied her peas and lentils into the ashes, so that she was forced to sit and pick them out again. “(Grimms 21). Instead, she takes her burdens as they come. Clare R. Ferrer noted in her article, “heroines are not allowed any defects, nor are they required to develop, since they are already perfect.” At the beginning of the story, Cinderella is described as “remaining pious and good” in-spite of the loss she endured. Cinderella is such a good person, that she takes the abuse from her step-sisters with grace and never asks for anything, nor does she reveal to her father or the Prince the type of life she has succumbed to living. Beauty goes hand-in-hand with being a good woman. According to Parsons, “a high premium is placed on feminine beauty…Women are positioned as the object of men’s gaze, and beauty determines a woman’s ... ... middle of paper ... ...” 2006 : n. pag. Print. Mendelson, M. "Forever Acting Alone: The Absence of Female Collaboration in Grimms' Fairy Tales." Children's Literature in English28.3 (1997): pp. 111-125(15). Ebscohost. Web. 20 Nov. 2013. O’Niell, Thomas. “Guardians of the Fairy Tale: The Brothers Grimm.” Web. 10 Nov 2013. . Parsons, Linda T.. "Ella Evolving: Cinderella Stories And The Construction Of Gender- Appropriate Behavior."Children's Literature in Education 35.2 (2004): 135-154. Print. Rowe, Karen. Feminism and fairy tales.. Cambridge, Mass.: Radcliffe College, 1978. Print. Stone, Kay F.. Some day your witch will come. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 2008. Print. Zipes, Jack. Fairy tales and the art of subversion the classical genre for children and the process of civilization. New York [u.a.: Routledge, 2011. Print.

Show More
Related

  • The Obedience Of Women In Snow White, By The Brothers Grimm

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the Brothers Grimm, the first characterization of Cinderella is a description that “she was always good and said her prayers” (Grimm 122). This helps define her as an obedient daughter who will later be rewarded for such behavior. Obedience was clearly an important aspect for women in the Brothers

    Read More

  • The Rights Of Women In Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper

    1235 Words  | 3 Pages

    In fact, Cinderella itself is a prime example on how women should not be suppressed of their own potential. The Cinderella story most known is the “Disney version.” This version is criticized greatly by feminists due to Cinderella’s lack of taking action. Peggy Orenstein wrote an article in the New York Times in 2006 commenting on princesses in today’s society. She speaks of how every little girl these days are expected to be enthralled with princesses. She notes how they cannot grow up wanting to be heroes or anything of that sort. This is similar to “The Yellow Wallpaper” because due to princess stories such as Cinderella, little girls are pushed so often to desire being princesses just like in the short story, wives must succumb to their husband’s authority and ‘superior’

    Read More

  • "Cinderella": The Grimm Brothers v. Disney

    801 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “Cinderella” by the Grimm Brothers, the moral is that one should never lie or be wicked to others. In the story, Cinderella’s mother passed away and a year later her father gets remarried to an evil woman who has two daughters. The wife and daughters torment Cinderella, making her complete tedious chores. Eventually, Cinderella attends a ball for the Prince and they fall in love. However, she runs away every night and he cannot find her. The Prince finally takes one of her slippers and sets out to find the love of his life. He then goes to her household and asks all the sisters to try the slipper on. The stepsisters try to deceive the Prince but “the blood was streaming from” their feet and they are eventually caught. When Cinderella tries on the shoe it fits perfectly and the two get married. At the reception, two birds peck out the stepsisters’ eyes, punishing them “with blindness as long as they lived.” The archetypes in the story are Cinderella who is the damsel in distress, the Prince who saves her and the evil stepsisters and mother who are the villains. A convention is that true love always...

    Read More

  • Damsels In Address

    1353 Words  | 3 Pages

    Damsels in Address It is clearly evident that many fairy tales of childhood tend to shape the reader. Certain moral codes and ideals are tightly woven into the text of many fairy tales, promoting or denoting a character’s actions. In the Grimm’s fairy tales Cinderella, Brier Rose, and Rapunzel, the heroines of these tales exhibit strong behavioral codes, thus providing opportunity for the young female reader to relate to the damsel, or to model herself to behave in a similar fashion. In accordance with Marcia R. Lieberman’s essay, " ‘Some Day My Prince Will Come’: Female Acculturation Through the Fairy Tale," I agree with the assertion that positive traits in fairy tale indicate reward, while the negative characteristics bring misfortune. A heroine in a fairy tale is to be seen as a mentor, a model to easily portray what is right, and what is inherently wrong. For instance, a passive heroine proves to bring eventual reward through pain and suffering, while a female who is assertive, either mentally or physically, is shunned. Suggestions integrated throughout the text of the three tales provide strong evidence as to the desired morals and values of the society in which the tales were written. Through the examination of tales, their inherent messages surface. Children’s perceptions of fairytales can go a long way towards shaping social interactions among said children. Passivity is a major player in the personalities of Rapunzel, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. Rapunzel relies completely on a determined prince to escape her imprisonment; Cinderella uses a fairy godmother to help her cause and Sleeping Beauty waits until Prince Charming wakes her. Children could see these characterizations of women and begin to intertwine them with their own budding personalities. Boys begin to see women as weak and Girls may interpret these behavior traits as indicative of their being the lesser part of relationships with men. Sexual roles, although not overtly discussed within the pages of fairytales, becomes the focus for these young people. Marcia Lieberman reiterates the idea of inherent roles stating, "a picture of sexual roles, behavior psychology, and a way of predicting outcome or fate according to sex"(Lieberman, 384). As they grow older, the children may begin to fall into the roles they discovered in the fairytales; boys begin ...

    Read More

  • Cinderella : A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflicts, by Bruno Bettelheim

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...hough she was brutally mistreated, Cinderella was able to find a solution for her problems and children can to. All they have to do is make the effort, try hard enough and success is possible. Adults should pay attention to this and see if Cinderella can help their children keep a positive attitude toward whatever situation they may be in - exaggerated as it may be. Cinderella doesn't only help show one how to overcome adversity it points out good morals, and sends the message that good always prevails. Both of these messages are crucial in a society that is slowly crumbling. All we can do is watch and hope the messages learned from Cinderella make a difference in the lives of Children all around the world.

    Read More

  • Cinderella Research Paper

    427 Words  | 1 Pages

    The stepmother in Cinderella craved more power and she was determined to get it even if it meant hurting her own children. When the stepmother comes out to see her daughters dressed for the ball she says, “I have two horses in the race” referring to her children as horses in a race. This can be seen as Grimms foreshadowing that from the very beginning she has only seen them as pawns on a chessboard for her using. The stepmother has many people she uses as pawns. She blackmails respectable people to move up into society and get favors.Through the stepmother was beautiful and charming herself ”(her) true nature was revealed cold, cruel ,and bitterly jealous of cinderella's charm and beauty” which surpassed her daughters and hers. The

    Read More

  • Comparison of Two Versions of Cinderella: Grimm vs. Perrault

    967 Words  | 2 Pages

    A lot of the fairy tale stories that we have seen as young adults and even as adults are original folk tale stories that have been modified and rewritten to accommodate our new cultures. Cinderella happens to be one of these stories that have been changed over the years. There are many different versions of Cinderella, an African Cinderella, a Hungarian Cinderella and even a Chinese version. All of the Cinderella’s are similar in plot, but the author dictates the story’s theme based on the people whom he is writing for which completely changes the story’s tone, mood and other elements. While Perrault's version stresses the values and materialistic worries of his middle-class audience, Grimm’s' focus is on the harsh realities of life associated with the peasant culture. Perrault’s and Grimm’s Cinderella’s have the same plot, but their writing style is different which completely modifies the tale.

    Read More

  • Lasting Love Requires Chemistry and Commitment

    1220 Words  | 3 Pages

    Little girls begin to watch fairy tale stories pertaining to love long before they can ever really understand such a thing. Yet, they are born with the need to be loved. There are many Disney movies that depict the fairy tale love that are the dreams dancing around in the head of almost every little girl. Jacob and Wilelm Grimm wrote what is believed by some to be the original version of the Cinderella story. The story differs from modern-day versions of the tale. Cinderella’s mother was dying. The mother said, “Dear child, I must leave you now, but I will look down on you from heaven. Plant a tree on my grave, and when you want something just shake the tree, and you shall get what you want. I will help you in time of need. Just remain pious and good” (Gromm 405). Cinderella remained pure in heart and good despite all that her evil stepmother and stepsisters caused her to endure. Furthermore, true to her promise Cinderella’s mother became her saving grace. She always provided what her daughter needed. It was through that provision that against all odds Cinderella found true love. In the fairy tale, the difference in social status did not thwart love.

    Read More

  • Feminism and Fairy Tales

    1259 Words  | 3 Pages

    In a society unbridled with double standards and set views about women, one may wonder the origins of such beliefs. It might come as a surprise that these ideals and standards are embedded and have been for centuries in the beloved fairy tales we enjoyed reading as kids. In her analytical essay, “To Spin a Yarn: The Female Voice in Folklore and Fairy Tales”, Karen Rowe argues that fairy tales present “cultural norms which exalt passivity, dependency, and self-sacrifice as a female’s cardinal virtues.” Rowe presents an excellent point, which can be supported by versions of the cult classics, “Cinderella” and “Snow White”. Charles Perrault’s “ The Little Glass Slipper” and the Brothers Grimm’s “ Snow White” exemplify the beliefs that females are supposed to be docile, dependent on the male persona and willing to sacrifice themselves. In many cases, when strong female characters are presented they are always contradicting in these characteristics, thus labeled as villainous. Such is the case of the Cinderella’s stepsisters in Perrault’s “Cinderella” and the stepmother in the Brothers Grimm’s “Snow White.” These female characters face judgment and disapproval when they commit the same acts as male characters. With such messages rooted in our beloved fairy tales it is no wonder that society is rampant with these ideals about women and disapprove of women when they try to break free of this mold.

    Read More

  • The Cinderella Story: Cinderella's Story

    757 Words  | 2 Pages

    Work, Work and Work. This was Cinderella's life, and it was all because of my mother. You may think you know how Cinderella's story went but its not true I am not just one of the evil stepsister. This is what really happened.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Cinderella Can Ruin People's Life

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    Firstly, Cinderella promotes a very unhealthy way of thinking because it causes females to become delusional. According to Cinderella, all

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Cinderella

    1162 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is this element of hope in a true fairytale that creates the support for a protagonist to overcome the opposing force that has been thrust onto them. A genuine fairytale is said to have the element of, “A innocent character [placed against] the evil character who normally loses somehow,” (Gokturk) which is seen as Cinderella is chosen by the prince over the evil step-sisters at the ball. As human beings with a developed moral system, it has been seen that the more deserving, mistreated character is favored to succeed in the story. Cinderella is seen as this “underdog” character in her quest to find love with the prince and overcome her step-sisters’ mistreatment. As Cinderella is mistreated by her new family, sympathy is built for the emerging protagonist and hope of her to conquer her situation follows. The underdog of this story grows in favorability to be picked by the prince due to the societal belief that the more deserving candidate should overcome their opposition. If there was no sense of hope thought the story of Cinderella, this story could not be categorized as a true embodiment of a

    Read More

  • Stereotypes In Cinderella

    613 Words  | 2 Pages

    Cinderella, the main female character in Cinderella, experiences some very harsh stereotypes that degrade and demoralize women in general. Her role in the household was to cook, clean, and care for her step-sisters Anastasia and Drizella as well as her

    Read More

  • The Many Versions of Cinderella

    928 Words  | 2 Pages

    Each person in the world has heard of Cinderella, no matter what kind of version it may be. Cinderella is the one fairy tale story that has been popular and will always be the one tale that has to be told to children. Words and story lines might be twist and turn, but in the end the knowledge of the story will be learned in similar ways. As we all know when one story is told another is created, when one is at its best then another is at its worse. One version will always be better than another, but no matter what version it might be the story will be told.

    Read More

  • A Cinderella Story

    1279 Words  | 3 Pages

    When examining adaptations of fairytales you must look at the original source. This can be a very difficult task because with fairytales we never really know where the original came from. I will base my paper on the theory that the original tale of Cinderella comes from the Grimm Brothers version of Ashputtle. In comparison we will examine two movies. First there is the Disney version Cinderella. Secondly we will look at the movie 'Ever After'.

    Read More

More about Grimm's Cinderella Story

Open Document