I believe Perrault finished his story with a moral to summarize the fairy tale and teach children about good morals.
Cinderella, the story's lead heroine, was mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters, but she turned out to be wonderful. From the beginning of the fairy tale, Perrault lays the groundwork for the moral he delivers at the end.
Cinderella was disliked by her stepmother, who made little attempts to hide this. She was the one who did the dishes, washed the kitchen, and slept on the floor while her step-sisters slept in luxurious quarters (Perrault 32).
The stepmother wanted her daughters to appear beautiful than Cinderella, but her plans failed as Cinderella continued to be beautiful. At the same time, Perrault also sets a basis for the moral at the end of the story by documenting the events prior to the ball that was to be attended by the prince. Cinderella was denied a chance to attend the ball so that she could stay at home and perform chores as her step-sisters hoped to be noticed by the prince. Nevertheless, Cinderella was prepared by her godmother and attended the ball and danced with the Prince. While attending her second ball the Prince feel in love with her slipper, and proclaimed that he was going to marry the “woman whose foot fit the slipper” (40).
At the end of the day Cinderella was married to the prince, and did not repay her sisters with evil rather she ensured that they lived with her in the palace, and were married to noblemen. In general, Perrault ends the fairy tale with a moral to show that when it comes to beauty other aspect such as kindness also plays a role “that gift is worth more than a dress” (43). Such a moral can serve to be a great lesson for children on how to become noble people.
Works Cited
Perrault, Charles. 1889. “Cinderella or, The Little Glass Slipper”. London: Longmans, Green, and Co. [Accessed February 21, 2017]
