Gender Roles In Cinderella Stories

In many Cinderella stories such as “Donkeyskin” by Perrault, the heroine, Cinderella, is more often than not a female. However, in “The Story of the Black Cow”, the lead is a male character. The gender function plays an important role as it can affect how the story is told and what message is conveyed towards the audience. Both authors use the characterization of the protagonists, specifically the gender roles, in order to portray the universal double standard in the sexist society, which these tales show to be the overriding standard affecting the characters. The contrast in the difficulty of the struggles between both genders not only influences the dramatization of the story but criticizes the gender inequality, an underlying issue that

According to Robert Darnton, he exemplifies how the origins of the story affect the plot. Evidently, there is a “nightmare quality” that is apparent among many peasant French tales: “Far from veiling their message with symbols, the storytellers of eighteenth-century France portrayed a world of raw and naked brutality” (Darnton, 284). Darnton argues that the storytellers implement elements of brutality to convey their message to the audience. In the specific case of Charles Perrault, this assertion is further emphasized by the correlation between brutality and the severity of the predicaments that women encounter as opposed to men; whereas in “The Story of the Black Cow”, this assertion is developed through the correlation between the lack of brutality and lesser predicaments that men encounter. In “Donkeyskin”, he inserts the concept of incest and violence in order to demonstrate the female’s struggles in 18th century France. The arranged marriage made by the king without the princess’s

During that time, women had filial duties that they are obligated to complete, which leads to staying in the household and prohibits them from entering the outside world. The fact that women are expected to bear children and take care of the household restrict their chances to seek roles outside of their traditional roles, especially when women are submissive to men. In 18th century France, the arranged marriage and Donkeyskin’s need to be married indicate that women are already expected to marry under parents’ expectations. Especially since women are considered objects under a marriage contract to carry on the bloodline, being married doesn’t change the amount of freedom that women have since they are burden with childbearing. Even though Donkeyskin was able to escape her home, her only employment opportunity was to become a scullery maid: “... the farmer's wife needed a scullery maid who would be energetic enough to wash the dish rags and to clean the trough for the pigs. She was put into a back corner of the kitchen… (Perrault, 112)”. Donkeyskin experiences a dramatic shift in status from being a princess to a lowly maid subservient to others as she was “put into a back corner of the kitchen”, which is the sign of loss of power and reputation as princess. Although Donkeyskin attempts to reclaim her status, she is still subjugated under traditional roles: “To be sure, her