In reality, marriages often don’t result in the “happily ever after” outcome portrayed in fairy tales. Couples tie the knot, have kids, and frequently end up divorcing. Following a divorce, many individuals experience loneliness but eventually learn to embrace solitude. Eventually, they embark on a quest for a new partner and ultimately remarry. In certain instances, the new spouse also brings children into the equation, giving rise to a blended family akin to Charles Perrault’s tale of “Cinderella.”
Stepmothers face a difficult and stressful task in adjusting to their new stepchildren. Their role is similar to that of a mother, showing love, discipline, and encouragement towards another woman’s child as if they were her own. Regrettably, fairy tales such as Cinderella depict stepmothers as wicked women who prioritize the well-being of their own children.
However, it is widely known that every story has two sides. In the case of Cinderella, her stepmother is often depicted as wicked, but some argue that she is simply misunderstood. Viewing things from the stepmother’s perspective rather than Cinderella’s reveals that Cinderella herself was actually a spoiled teenager who found joy in being disobedient, evasive, and deceitful. Moreover, she heavily depended on magic to resolve her issues. It is understandable for any parent to feel frustrated with a teenage girl behaving inappropriately in front of her younger siblings.
The text describes the joining of a family with two girls and an only child. Unlike the spoiled only child, both girls shared a common experience with Cinderella – the loss of a parent. This commonality should have made it easier for the girls to bond. Unfortunately, there was turmoil within the family that would worsen their situation. Throughout history, we have been taught to believe in Cinderella’s goodness. However, this explanation sheds light on another side of her character as she disobeys her stepmother, seeks help from forbidden sources, uses magic powers, tells lies, hides, pretends to be someone else, and attempts to evade pursuit (Panttaja 660).
Despite situations requiring her obedience, this girl adamantly rejected them. She defiantly refused to attend school, used vulgar language, and dressed inappropriately regardless of the occasion. She had no qualms about being dirty and would engage in playing in the ashes for hours (Rossner 664). According to the stepmother, “She would rather starve than cook a meal and allow her clothes to become stiff with dirt, but she seemed to derive pleasure from tending the fireplace” (Rossner 663). As a result of her refusal to keep her own room tidy, it is not surprising that she ended up sleeping among the ashes.
No. Cinderella appeared comfortable amidst the ashes, as if it were her rightful place. This dwelling was akin to a grand estate, spacious to the extent that she could have chosen another room for sleeping if she desired. As for her obligations within the household, she adamantly declined to participate physically, most likely under the belief that the family’s abundance of wealth necessitated hiring assistance; therefore, why should she be burdened with chores and domestic duties? Instead, she favored relying on enchanted birds to aid her in accomplishing these tasks rather than attempting to complete them herself.
The absence of tears indicated her enjoyment in being disobedient, providing her with a constant sense of control over the entire situation. This desire for control is what every spoiled child craves. Despite knowing that her actions were causing harm to others in the family, she remained unaffected. Cinderella exhibited exceptional evasiveness when it came to avoiding demanding or unpleasant scenarios. She had a knack for improvising convincing tales, and if that didn’t suffice, she remained untroubled due to her backup plan of relying on magic.
While preparing for the ball with her fairy godmother, the girl was informed that she must depart before midnight. If she failed to do so, her dress and transportation would lose their magical qualities, causing her clothes to transform into rags and her transportation to disperse like animals. Consequently, she realized the need to strategically plan her evening. It was imperative for her to leave the ball prior to midnight, perhaps even earlier, and make an effort to arrive home before anyone else to conceal her absence.
She was so skilled at escaping and eluding capture that no one could catch her. Even when the Prince attempted to escort her home, she managed to slip away from him and enter the dovecote (Grimm 630-631). In a worrisome effort to locate her, the men even resorted to breaking into the dovecote using an ax in a desperate attempt to find her, but ultimately discovered it was empty. “The Prince followed her, but he couldn’t catch up to her” (Perrault 627). As if the previous night hadn’t been challenging enough, she would face a similar situation for her escape the following evening.
During the next escape from the ball, she quietly went away and scaled a pear tree. “She scaled among the branches like a nimble squirrel and the King’s son had no clue where she went” (Grimm 631). The tree was later cut down, but no one was found inside. Despite losing her beloved glass slipper, her main goal was to go unrecognized and she had to abandon the glass slipper. She had perfected her ability to evade, outsmarting even the most intelligent men.
Had she not lost her glass slipper, there would have been no extensive search for the owner and her secret would remain undisclosed. Yet, this possibility did not cross her mind when she devised her escape plan. She pondered the consequences of one of her glass slippers accidentally slipping off. Perhaps the fairy godmother should have provided additional instructions such as, “Dear, please ensure that you do not misplace or abandon any personal belongings, particularly your slipper, or else the King’s men will conduct a thorough search for you.
To avoid leaving any evidence at the scene, it is crucial not to be caught when trying to be evasive. If this advice had been heeded, the revelation of Cinderella’s true identity as the unidentified princess may never have come to light. Even after losing her glass slipper, Cinderella had already devised a plan to deceive her family. Upon their return from the ball, she planned to pretend she had been asleep the entire time they were gone by feigning sleep. She effortlessly assumed the role of a deceitful actress and sarcastically exclaimed, “How late you are!” while rubbing her eyes and yawning and stretching as if she had just woken up (despite not feeling sleepy since their last encounter) (Perrault 627).
The dovecote was discovered to be vacant because she had fled through the rear to reach the hazel tree, where she transformed into her previous garments and stealthily returned to the kitchen. She then laid in the ashes as usual, to create the illusion that she had been there all night. Without any problems, she repeated this act the following night. Deception came effortlessly to her, and if any issues arose, her fairy godmother was ready to assist with her magical abilities. According to Pattaya, Cinderella doesn’t succeed solely because of her patience or virtue, but also because she is resourceful and willing to utilize potent magic to overcome her adversaries. (658)
Cinderella may evoke sympathy initially due to her new family situation, but her true nature as a teenage troublemaker who undermines others with magic is both outrageous and unacceptable. Cinderella’s reliance on magic as a fix for problems is addictive and counterproductive. Instead of being disobedient, she should join forces with her family to create a better life. Furthermore, her evasiveness and deceitfulness at a young age is concerning and sets her on an unfavorable path.
A housekeeper, a chef, and a life coach are crucial elements to solving this puzzle and would greatly assist in improving this family’s situation. If Cinderella had been a more well-behaved stepdaughter, her stepmother and stepsisters would have experienced greater happiness. Being a stepmother raising someone else’s child and two of your own is already challenging, but having a defiant, entitled teenager in the household who lacks concern for others eventually becomes overwhelming.
Cinderella may have exhibited various negative behaviors, such as disobedience, lack of helpfulness, evasiveness, and deceit. However, the fairy godmother’s continuous provision of magical solutions to problems only exacerbated the situation. To address this issue and ensure Cinderella’s integration into the family, it is crucial to administer a substantial amount of tough love while eliminating the fairy godmother’s influence. As a teenager who is unable to live independently, Cinderella should strive to heed the guidance of the adults in her life and behave obediently like her fellow sisters.
Shouldn’t she consider joining the team and assisting the family with chores and other requested tasks? If she ceased her deceitful behavior and stopped avoiding others, would she crumble? Failure to address this situation could result in Cinderella being placed in a detention center with similar young girls. If she continues down her current path, we might witness her appearance on an episode of COPS.
Works Cited
- Behrens, Laurence and Leonard J. Rosen, eds. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 10th ed. New York: Pearson, 2008.
- Grimm, Jakob and Wilhelm. “Ashputtle. ” Behrens and Rosen 595-600. Panttaja, Elizabeth. “Cinderella: Not So Morally Superior. ”
- Behrens and Rosen 644-47. Perrault, Charles. “Cinderella. ” Behrens and Rosen 591-95. Rossner, Judith. “I Am Cinderella’s Stepmother and I Know My Rights. ” Behrens and Rosen 640-43.
