Differences Between Cinderella And Grimm Brothers

Majd Abi-Nader

Student # 0291481

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Comparing Charles Perrault’s Cinderella Fairy tale

Vs. The Grimm Brothers

The tale of Cinderella has been around for hundreds of years. Generations continue to enjoy the story and share it amongst each other throughout our world today. Different versions have been made to the story since it was first published. The fairytale of Cinderella has adapted and changed with our cultures and times in diverse ways to appeal to all types of audiences in the modern world. When comparing the tale of Cinderella between Charles Perrault’s and the Grimm brother’s versions, there are comparative changes made to the story. Some of the notable changes comparable between the two stories are; the figure that helps Cinderella achieve her wishes, the types of wishes granted, the reason for her departure from the ball, and the fate of her stepsisters at the end of the story. While these changes are prominent changes in the story line, the outline of the story is similar.

In Charles Perrault’s version of the Cinderella story, the figure that helps her achieve her wishes is her fairytale godmother.

She appears when Cinderella begins to cry after her sister’s leave for the prince’s ball and grants her a wish to attend the ball with a restriction that she must return home by midnight or else, she will return to her normal self. In the Grimm brother’s version of the story the figure that gives Cinderella her wish is the bird that had built its nest in the tree a top her mothers grave. In this story the bird grants Cinderella whatever she wishes for and there are no restrictions involved as to when Cinderella must return home from the ball before her wishes vanish and she returns back to her old

self.

In the Grimm brother’s version of the story the bird who nested in the tree on top of her mother’s grave grants Cinderella her wish of a gold dress and golden slippers. In Perrault’s version her fairy godmother grants her, her wish by transforming a pumpkin into a coach, a lizard into 6 footmen, 6 mice into a grey horses, a rat into a coachman, and gave her a beautiful gown, with shoes.

When Cinderella leaves the ball near midnight in Perrault’s version of the fairytale its because the fairy godmother has imposed this restriction on her or else she will return to her regular self, with the carriage, footmen, and her coachman all disappearing into the night. However in the Grimm brothers, and because there were no restrictions as to when she could leave, Cinderella was able to leave the ball whenever she wanted. However, since she didn’t have a carriage to take her home, on the first night of the ball Cinderella flees. She runs away and hides in a pigeon house so the prince doesn’t find out her true identity. On the second night of the ball she hides up in a pear tree so the prince doesn’t discover her and returns to her home before her stepsisters and mother arrive.

The fate of Cinderella’s stepsister in the story changes drastically between the Grimm brothers and Charles Perrault’s version. In the Grimm brothers version Cinderella’s stepsisters beg her for forgiveness, which she accepts. They move in with her to the palace and marry two lords. In Charles Perrault’s version Cinderella’s stepsisters have their eyes picked out by the bird who she had befriended condemning them to an eternity of blindness and misery.

In conclusion, the fairytale of Cinderella follows a similar pattern of story telling. However, there are some specifics to the story that can sometimes alter its course and the way in which it is told. Some of these changes are greatly comparable such as; the figure that helps Cinderella achieve her wishes, the types of wishes granted, the reason for her departure from the ball, and the fate of her stepsisters at the end of the story. These are just some of the changes to the stories when comparing them between the Grimm brother’s version and Charles Perrault’s.