Role of Cinderella in Modern Times

Role of Cinderella in Modern Times

There are many fairy tales told to children in the United States. My personal favorite was, is, and always will be the tale of Cinderella. The story is as follows: A young girl's mother dies, leaving her alone with her father. As the little girl grows up, she and her father become very close, and he treats her like a little princess. One day, he tells her that he is remarrying. At first, the woman and her two daughters are kind to the girl, but this all soon ends. Shortly after the marriage, the father dies, and from that point on, the "wicked stepmother" and "evil stepsisters" rename the girl "Cinderella" (after the cinders she is forced to sweep from the fireplace). They treat her as an indentured servant, ordering her around, and being very cruel in general.

One day, all the woman are invited to a party at the royal palace, the purpose of which is to find a wife for the Prince. But the stepmother tells Cinderella that she cannot go unless she finishes all her chores-an impossible task in the short amount of time before the ball. The stepmother does not want her at the ball because Cinderella is much more beautiful than the woman's own daughters.

After the stepmother and stepsisters have left for the ball, Cinderella looks around the messy house, and begins to weep. Suddenly, a fairy appears, tells Cinderella that she is her "Fairy Godmother" and makes her a deal. She simply waves her magic wand, and the house is spotless. Another wave, and Cinderella is clean and beautiful, wearing a gorgeous ball gown and glass slippers. The only catch is that Cinderella must be home at midnight, when the spell will wear off.

When Cinderella gets to the ball, she is the most beautiful woman there, and the prince is immediately enraptured by her. They dance all night, but suddenly Cinderella realizes it is almost 12 and she must leave. While fleeing the palace before the prince can see her transform back into a servant girl, Cinderella loses one of her slippers.

The prince is determined to find her again, so he sets out to try the slipper on the foot of every woman in the countryside. He sees by the very small size of the shoe that it would fit only Cinderella. When he gets to Cinderella's house, the stepsisters try to cram their feet into the shoes (in the original version of the story, they even cut off their toes to do so).