Cinderella Archetypes

Cinderella is not the same happy ending or everyone lives happy ever after type of story around the world. One thing that will always be in a Cinderella story is the evil step-mother. However, there are very different type of endings in both archetypes of Cinderella. The ideas of a fairy god mother in both cultures is every interesting, too. There are many similarities in the Vietnam and French archetypes about Cinderella, such as the evil step-mother, but also differences like what happens at the end of the story or how the fairy god mothers both help in different ways.

To begin with, the wicked step mother both tried to ruin Tam and Cinderella’s lives. Both step mothers were both newlyweds. They both were very jealous of their step daughter, because they were more beautiful and humble. Each step mother thought that their own child was better and superior to Tam and Cinderella. They forced them both to work all day and all night, also made them sleep in the most unthinkable, dirty, and filthy places you could think of. For

example, In the French Cinderella “She slept in a sorry garret, on a wretched straw bed” (Perrault). This shows how both step-mothers unfairly punished and treated the little girls because of their jealousy. The step-mothers envied their step daughters treating them injustice unknowing that would negatively affect their fate.
Next, the end of these similar stories are extremely different in many ways.

The French Cinderella is much more happy and less morbid than the Vietnam version. As you can see Cinderella said “That she forgave them with all her heart” (Perrault).In the French version of Cinderella she was much more forgiving. Vietnam version was not very happy ending for her step sister nor step mother because of the awful things they did too poor Tam. Tam told Cam if she wanted to be as beautiful as her she would have to jump into a pot of boiling water, which, killed Cam and she didn’t even otter a word. When the step mother heard her daughter Cam had died she cried until she was blind and later died of a broken heart. The French Cinderella is definitely more of a story you would want to tell your children compared to the Vietnam which is darker spin on the story. Not only do the end of stories differ from each other, but so do the god mothers

themselves.
Lastly, each fairy god mother are beneficial in their own ways when they help the little girls. The only goal that the fairy god mothers share is bringing justice to each of these mistreated girls. They both achieve this goal in different ways from each other. The fairy god mother also known as Goddess of mercy help Tam by transforming her into various things like a bird, tree and basically a god after her step mother kills her. The other fairy god mother helped by transforming things around Cinderella to make her look more beautiful. For example, “Her godmother touched her with her wand, and her clothes turned into gold and silver, all basset with jewels” (Perrault). These are how the god mothers help these poor little girls. Many ways fairy god mothers can help people in need.
Even though all the differences each Cinderella story has, like the way the god mothers help or how the stories end, they are still similar in many ways. The mean step mother are truly very evil and jealous. Both stories may have the same ideas, except for the end. The god mothers also find their own way in helping each child. Despite all the difference between each French and Vietnam version of Cinderella. They both have the same universal theme that good things happen to good people.