The film, Ever After is an adaptation of the Brother’s Grimm fairy tale adaptation, “Aschenputtle.” This film reflects a feminist attitude on the traditional view of the “damsel in distress” character which is present in the Grimm’s adaptation. Unlike Aschenputtle from the Grimm’s tale, the protagonist from the film, whose name is Danielle, does not hold true to the stereotype that all women should be well mannered and well behaved at all times. Additionally, Danielle is a more independent character with a stronger voice, as opposed to Aschenputtle who really does not speak up for herself. Lastly, the Prince’s focus is not solely based on looks in the film; he cares about brains as well, where as the Prince in Aschenputtle cares far more about appearance. Danielle is more of a free spirit so to say; she is not always as “ladylike” as people would like her to be. This suggests a message that it is okay for women to be adventurous and “get dirty.” It shows that women should not have to put on this prim and proper mask that is so prevalent in many fairytales. The first instance where Danielle shows unladylike gestures is when, Gustav, a young boy who later becomes a servant with Danielle when her father dies, throws rocks at her window. When she comes to the window, he yells up to her that she “looks like a girl.” Danielle’s humorous and witty response is, “Yeah, that’s what I am half twit!” This is obviously “unladylike” language coming from Danielle’s mouth; but she doesn’t care because standing up for herself; this takes precedence over “acting like a lady.” Danielle gets so angry at him that she actually gets into a fight in the mud with him, claiming she will “whip him!” Also making sure to mention that it does not matter tha... ... middle of paper ... ... distress” character is lessened with Danielle’s character because she does not feel the need to be well mannered and ladylike at all times. She is also far more outspoken and independent than Aschenputtle. Lastly, the way in which Danielle is treated by her prince suggests that looks are not as important as personality. This is not to say that Ever After contains no anti-feminism qualities, but it is safe to argue that this adaptation is far less degrading towards woman than the Grimm’s adaptation, “Aschenputtle.” Women should be appreciated for who they are and what is on the inside and men should take the time to take a woman’s personality into account before they want to marry them. Women should be treated with respect and not treated as if they are helpless and in distress. Ever After gives us a glimmer of what it is like to be an independent woman.
Which is caused by the narrator having a male perspective. The narrator does not give the women and credit or redeeming qualities. All the women follow a general stereotype. If they tried to break away from the stereotype, they would me more important and influential characters. Paquette, a chambermaid in the Baron’s castle, is described as “a pretty and obedient brunette” (5). She is identified obedient not because of her job as a chambermaid, but because she is willing to exploit her soul and body to the men around the castle. In regards to the old woman, she doesn’t even have an actual name, which does not matter since is ugly and useless. The old woman has the mindset that she is; an object; a mistake; a disgrace. That her time has passed as a beautiful useful woman. All the rape and abuse has physically affected her and she is out of luck. In fact, she is lucky if men talk to her, or even look at her without
The scene where Danielle rescues Prince Henry from the gypsies is one of the paramount scenes within ‘Ever After’ that conveys sublime elements of feminism. Throughout the scene, the subversion of gender roles and Danielle’s contrasting attributes pertain and challenge the notion of femininity in the traditional Cinderella story. At the beginning of the scene, Danielle is depicted in her undergarments and remains this way when she returns to the ground to confront the gypsies. In the traditional story, no such events were detailed as prudency and morality were obligatory traits for women, and anyone who was to revolt would be shamed. On the contrary, Danielle shows minimal concern for her lack of clothing, but rather enforces self-empowerment
...c plot" limits and ignores the non-traditional female experience which is just as important to analyze. The Nan Princes, Lena Lingards and Tiny Solderalls of the fictional world deserve and demand critical attention not for what they don't do (the dishes) but for what they are-- working women.
Similar to the above conversation, one must take these tales with a grain of salt, and keep in mind the time period in which they were written. For the purpose of this paper, the focus will only be on what the tale is striving to teach those who read it. Similar to Lurie’s opinion on “The Light Princess,” readers of “Sleeping Beauty” may come away from the story thinking the best was to grow up or be helped is to fall in love; let the man (prince) solve the problem (Lurie 360). This thought is further echoed by Martin Hallett and Barbara Karasek, the authors of “Folk and Fairy Tales,” as they describe the story “as a metaphor for growing up: the heroine falls asleep as a naïve girl and awakens as a mature young woman on the threshold of marriage”
The rise of women in power has caused many men to feel a growing sense of insecurity in their manhood. For example, In Raisin In the Sun, Walter Lee felt lesser of a man, primarily, because of Lena Younger’s position as head of the family. The fact that he, the sole man of the family, as Travis is considered more of a boy, is constantly thwarted from making any executive decision by a woman can be directly associated with his foulness, but, once Lena Younger entrust him with the insurance money, Walter becomes friendly and very pleasant to be with. Similarly, in Mariama Ba’s So Long a Letter, Ramatoulaye is considered “Lioness” after rejecting all of her pretenders. The surname evokes fear which subtly hints of the insecurity that the men have toward women who have the power to deny them, yet it is also distinctly different from Hansberry, considering that, even through their insecurity, the men still fancy these powerful women, possibly to satisfy their ego in “taming” the beast and owning as trophy. Both aspects emphasize how men are poorly able to deal with this sudden change in
Some people might say that these movies provide entertainment and transport families into the lives of princes and princesses. Many critics have said that the films have amazing soundtracks and have detailed and interesting plots. Still, however entertaining the films may be, the way women are viewed and treated outweigh any enjoyment that a viewer could have. The subliminal lessons young women learn from these films have lifelong repercussions and negatively affect the female
of the Cinderella story are psychologically harmful to women.” (p648). The fact that Cinderella is a limited character may give the girl an impression that she should be happy with what she has and not have any or aspirations in her life. That is, until her Prince comes to rescue her. Since these comments were made, the Cinderella story has been modified and changed. In order to see how gender roles have changed in fairy tales from the old to the new, let’s compare the classic version of Cinderella by Charles Perrault to a recent version which is a movie that was released in 1998 called “Ever After”which was directed by Andy Tennant.
Her lionhearted clothes reflected her valiant and strong attitude. However – Elisa Allen hid her true feelings. She was deceitful in interpersonal communication. Her tongue spilled bittersweet black smut like that of industrialized coal engines. However – it was compassionate, her concern and subtle behavior. A girl screaming to escape maiden life, but only knew it was disrupt order. “Her face was eager and mature and handsome; even her work with the scissors was over-eager, over-powerful. “The chrysanthemum stems seemed too small and easy for her energy.” Verily, she had the heart of a lion and the appearance of a virgin.
Neikirk, Alice. ""...Happily Ever After" (or What Fairytales Teach Girls About Being Women)." Web. 8 Dec. 2013.
“I've told her and I've told her: daughter, you have to teach that child the facts of life before it's too late” (Hopkinson 1). These are the first three lines of Nalo Hopkinson's short story “Riding the Red”, a modern adaptation of Charles Perrault's “Little Red Riding Hood”. In his fairy tale Perrault prevents girls from men's nature. In Hopkinson's adaptation, the goal remains the same: through the grandmother biographic narration, the author elaborates a slightly revisited plot without altering the moral: young girls should beware of men; especially when they seem innocent.
Beatrice's refusal to be controlled by men and Hero's subservience carries echoes of modern-day feminism. Comparing this novel to a contemporary society, women have made a substantial amount of progress in terms of gender roles. It is women like Beatrice, and the many others that choose to defy the expectations that are placed upon us by society, that help us progress to a more utopian civilization. This novel can be read by future generations to reflect back on how much we have changed and how much we have progressed, not only as women, but as humans in general. Additionally, this play also serves as one of the world's greatest odes to the single life known to man.
The films message to viewers about gender and power is that women are meant to take care of the home and play the supportive role, while men go out to their jobs and provide. Men are strong and burly and women are naïve and domesticated. Women need men and men always come to the rescue to save women and give them a happy ending. Power is portrayed in the film both visually and through the film’s script and dialogue. The common idea that women are inferior to men is placed subtly in this movie throughout the plot and how these charac...
The Bloody Chamber is a remake of the original fairytale Bluebeard; however Angela Carter rewrites the fairy tale using her feminist views to raise issues concerning roles in relationships and marriage, sexuality and corruption. Carter challenges the classic role of the male protagonist and the female victim; she does this by changing the stereotypes of the traditional fairy tale’s males as the saviours and females as the victims. She challenges the fairy tale’s traditional sex roles when she replaces the brother of the bride for the mother as the rescuer, “one hand on the reins of the rearing horse while the other clasped my fathers service revolver” this demonstrates to the reader that women are as strong as men, even stronger and can take on a expected man’s role and make it their own therefore challenging the stereotypical gender roles of Men. In addition to this as a feminist, Carter uses anti-essentialism to present that time, power and position are the details that makes a man act like he does and a woman like she does. This is revealed through the setting, France 1790’s, were men and women were not equal. The Marquis in this story is presented as a wealthy older man who has the ability to seduce and retrieve what he wants, “his world” this emphasizes the power he maintains and it gives him ownership not only of his wealth but the young bride and even possibly the...
Danielle Steel, in her work of fiction, Mixed Blessings, has effectively used plot, setting, and theme as she weaves a powerful tale of three couples who face decisions about having children that will test, in unexpected ways, the ties that bind them as lovers, partners, and friends. Steel has used these elements to emphasize that there are people who have such a great need and love for children. In Mixed Blessings, she represents women radically and optimistically as shown by Diana Goode, Barbie Mason, and Pilar Graham, unlike the negative representation of womanhood in the movie version of her other novel, The Ring, where Kassandra feels that taking her own life would save her children and her husband from the shame of her unfaithfulness.
Women in the novel are accurately portrayed as they were in the 1920’s. Lewis presents two different scenarios in the novel, but both of these cases can follow the same mannerisms. First, Lewis depicts the loving housewife. Myra, Babbitt’s wife, continually comforts Babbitt throughout the whole novel. Myra even accepts the blame when Babbitt decides to cheat on her. Women are depicted throughout the novel as inferior when...