Comparsion Of The Stepsisters In Cinderella By Grimm Brothers

¨Then her mother gave her a knife and said, ´Cut off your toe. When you are queen you will no longer have to go on foot´¨(Grimm par. 49). In the Grimm Brothers version of “Cinderella”, in an attempt to fit their feet into the slipper in which the Prince uses to decide his wife, the Stepsisters of Cinderella cut of parts of their heel and toes. Along with losing parts of their feet, at the end of the story, both Stepsisters have both of their eyes pecked out by pigeons. All of the misfortune the Stepsisters exhibit at the end of the story help develop the morals of this story; revenge. The Stepsisters deserve the revenge they receive for all the adversity they bring to Cinderella's life. The Stepsisters bring Cinderella misery in all three versions,

“Cinderella” by The Grimm Brothers, The Little Golden Book version of Cinderella and the 2015 Disney Film version of Cinderella. Throughout each adaptation of Cinderella the Stepsisters act malicious towards Cinderella in very similar ways, however their specific actions differ. The three versions of Cinderella portray similarities and differences through the utilization of morals or theme, varying adaptations of Cinderella's relationship with her stepfamily, and display of the The Color Red as an Archetype.
Each imitation of Cinderella illustrates a different theme while preserving the same ideas to keep the story true to the original version. The Grimm Brothers version of “Cinderella” certainly stands out from the rest with its darker theme of revenge. A more descriptive definition of this theme would be, getting what is deserved. In the Grimm brothers version of “Cinderella”, the Stepsisters, “Did everything imaginable to hurt her. They made fun of her, scattered peas and lentils into the ashes for her, so that she had to sit and pick them out again”(Grimm 6). Since the Stepsisters cause hardships to Cinderella throughout the story, at the end of the story they are given what they deserve, both of their eyes pecked out by pigeons at Cinderella's wedding, leaving them blind for the rest of their lives. The idea of a character getting what is deserved is echoed in each interpretation of the story, as each one ends with Cinderella finding love and getting married to her soulmate; the prince. Along with Cinderella getting what she deserves, the villains of the story get what they deserve in the end. Even though the fate of the villains are not as violent in the other versions as they are in the Grimm Brothers version, they still have a dismal conclusions of loneliness and abandonment. In The Little Golden Book version of Cinderella, the moral of the story is good comes to good people. The moral is defined when Cinderella gets married to the Prince because she remains a good person through the story along with the hardships she faced, and gets that fairytale ending; “Everyone in the kingdom was delighted with the Prince’s new bride. And Cinderella and the Prince lived happily ever after!”(Little Golden Book 14). This moral is somewhat similar to that of the Grimm Brothers version because of the idea that someone is getting what they deserve. However, The Little Golden Book Version possesses a positive connotation since there is a lack of violence present in their fates, along with how the focus of the story is more about Cinderella getting the good in which she deserves rather than the stepfamily receiving the misfortune they deserve. The 2015 Disney Film Version carries a moral that is repeated multiple times throughout the movie; have courage and be kind. This moral pertains to the Grimm Brothers version because in that version, Cinderella's mother tells her to “Remain pious and good,”(Grimm 1) just before she passes away. This is similar to the film version because just like the Grimm Brothers version, in the film version the mother reminds Cinderella to “Have courage and be kind” just before she dies. Each version shows characteristics of revenge and people getting what they deserve, but shows differences in how the moral is interpreted; positive or negative. The connotation of the Grimm Brothers version is negative while the connotation of the other two versions is positive.
If each version is studied closely it can be seen that the color red is used as an archetype to show violence and power.

In the Grimm Brothers version, the color red is used to portray violence. This can be recognized when the Stepsisters cut off parts of their feet to try and fit it in the slipper to become the new princess. “Then he looked at her foot and saw how the blood was running from it. He turned his horse around and took the false bride home again,”(Grimm 53). This utilization of blood creates a violent feeling connected to the Stepsisters due to the color red’s association with blood and violence. The use of the red archetype in the Grimm Brothers version separates it from the other two versions by creating a violent mood throughout the story while the other two versions give off a rather positive mood, however, the color red is still used as an archetype in each version. The color red is more commonly used to represent power rather than violence. For example, in the Little Golden Book Version the evil Stepmother wears a red dress the entire time to show that she has power over the household and Cinderella. The story shows the Stepmother’s power over Cinderella by describing how the Stepmother treated her. The story states that “The Stepmother gave Ella a little room in the attic, old rags to wear, and all the housework to do”(Little Golden Book 4). In The Little Golden book version, red is also use to illustrate power through the Prince. The Prince wears a red

pair of pants through the story which represents his power as he is the Prince and has power over the kingdom. Similarly, the duke wears a red sash to display the power he has in the kingdom. The film version displays the red archetype in a very similar way; to represent power. In the film, the earliest use of the red archetype is when the stepfamily moves into the home with Cinderella and her father, and the Stepmother is wearing bright red lipstick to represent her power. Along with this, each member of the stepfamily, the mother, Drizella and Anastasia all have bright red hair to show their power over Cinderella and the household. These uses of the color red could be described to represent power or violence since the stepfamily gives off a violent vibe. The Stepmother is represented similarly in each version, forcing Cinderella to live an awful life as a maid, but that will be discussed in more depth in the next paragraph. The color red is used in multiple outfits throughout the film to show royalty and power over kingdoms. An example of this would be the King wearing red, showing his power over his kingdom. Along with the King, Princess Shelina wears a red and black dress to show the power her and her country retain. Both the Little Golden Book Version and the film use the color red to represent royal power through outfits. Each adaptation of Cinderella utilizes the red archetype to represent power and sometimes violence.
In every adaptation of the story of Cinderella the Stepmother and the Stepsisters work together to destroy Cinderella’s life and happiness.

How the stepfamily treats Cinderella is echoed through each version; like a maid. In each version Cinderella is taken away from her room and forced to sleep in some absurd place. In the Grimm Brothers Version, Cinderella did not have a bed, “Instead she had to sleep by the hearth in the ashes”(Grimm 6). A hearth is the floor of a fireplace, which means Cinderella was forced to sleep on a floor next to a fireplace. In the Little Golden Book Version, “The Stepmother gave Ella a little room in the attic,”(Little Golden Book 4). This piece is just like the film version, where the Stepmother forces Cinderella to stay in a dark room in the attic, and forces her out of her own bedroom. Where Cinderella sleeps is an example of how the relationships between Cinderella and the stepfamily are all similar. Differences can be found in what they make her do to be able to go to the Prince’s ball. In the Grimm Brothers version, after they get news of the ball the Stepsisters force call Cinderella and tell her “‘Comb our hair for us. Brush our shoes and fasten our buckles. We are going to the festival at the kings castle’”(Grimm 16). In this version they force her to get them ready for the ball, which doesn’t happen in any of the other versions. The Stepmother’s reaction to Cinderella’s proposal of her going to the ball is also different in this version.

When Cinderella first asks to attend the ball, her mother rejects her offer and tells her no since she is dirty, doesn’t know how how to dance, and doesn’t own nice enough clothes or shoes to attend the ball. After that, the Stepmother allows Cinderella to attend the ball under one circumstance; “‘I have scattered a bowl of lentils into the ashes for you. If you can pick them out again in two hours, then you may go with us’”(Grimm 19). Once Cinderella finishes picking the lentils out of the ashes, with the help of some birds, she pours two bowl of lentils into the ashes and forces her to pick them out again in one hour. After she finishes she takes the bowl to the Stepmother, who continues to not allow her to attend the ball. In The Little Golden Book version, when Cinderella first asks her Stepmother if she can attend the ball, she replies yes, if Cinderella can get all of her work done. Once Cinderella completes all of her work, she puts on her mother's old pink dress and gets all ready for the ball, with the help of her animal helpers. From there she heads down stairs to show her stepfamily the outfit, where they completely destroy poor Cinderella’s dress by tearing off her ribbons and ripping the dress to shreds. The same exact plotline happens in the film version. The difference between the film version versus the Little Golden Book Version and The Grimm Brothers Version was how in the film version the Stepmother was mainly focused on as the villain, while in the Little Golden Book Version, the Stepsisters are focused on as the villain. In the Film, the way the Stepmother treats Cinderella is disgusting and causes the viewers to feel hatred towards the mother, while the other two versions focus on the Stepsisters as they destroy Cinderella's dress, and at the end get the misfortune that they deserve. Even though the stepfamily treated Cinderella awfully in every version, their specific actions through each version vary.
The three versions of Cinderella portray similarities and differences through the utilization of morals or theme, varying adaptations of Cinderella's relationship with her stepfamily, and display of the color of red’s archetype. The most apparent similarities originate from the theme since every version of the story is based around the same concept; Cinderella, a good person getting what she deserves. These morals can be applied to the real world because the lessons generated through these stories teach children to “have courage and be kind” and good will come to them. Since Cinderella stayed courageous and kind through all her hardships, and remained a good person, she got the fairytale ending that she earned. The opposite goes for the stepfamily, who were rude and evil through the whole story so the step family receives the harsh, lonely endings that they deserved. These morals teach children positive qualities and to be a good person.