The Story of Cinderella
The story Cinderella is one of the most well-known stories that has been passed on from generation to generation. The new Cinderella film is based on the tale, but with a few changes. The story is about events in modern society. Moral concepts are taken from the novel since the bulk of the events in the story exist in real life. However, there are several events in the narrative that do not seem to be grounded in reality.
The Plot Revolves Around Cinderella and Her Relationships
The plot revolves around Cinderella and her friendship with her stepmother and daughters. The story portrays the girl as the most beautiful girl in the society she lived. Despite her beautiful nature, the relationship between her and the stepmother and daughters does not allow her to showcase her beauty. The stepmother and her daughters molest Cinderella and most of the time, she is tasked with handling all house chores from morning to evening (Askew and Hajdinjak-Krec 13). They do not give her a chance to make herself smart by cleaning her body and putting on attractive clothes. She wears rags only and they force her to sleep in the ashes as they sleep on good beds.
Cinderella's Calm and Humble Nature
Cinderella believes that all her troubles came as a result of her mother's death. In spite of all the mistreatments she gets, she stays calm and humble. She remembers the last message her mother told her before she died. Her late mother instructed her to be a cool and humble girl all times of her life. Whenever she is insulted by her step sisters and their mother, she went to cry near her mother's grave because her mother told her that she will be watching her from the heaven. However, the mistreatments and all sorts of oppression did not deny her a chance to meet and marry the prince that every beautiful girl was yearning to get married to him.
Analysis of the Tale
The analysis of the tale shows that it focuses on the life of a woman in the society. The entire story is based on the relationship between female characters and how they relate to each other. In addition, the life of Cinderella and her stepmother and sisters reveals what is seen to matter most in the life of a female in the society. It also talks about how women are supposed to behave in order to get whatever they wish for themselves. The story suggests that getting married to the prince was something that was admired by all women in that society. The pious and good nature of Cinderella enabled her to get what every female was dreaming about in the society (August 30).
The Significance of Physical Beauty
The depiction of Cinderella as a beautiful girl in the story and that every person admired her during the festival is one of the incidents that shows the reality of the story in relation to real life. In the actual life situations, physical beauty is a very valuable aspect that determines the value of a girl in the society. It is common in real life to find out that beautiful and attractive girls that fit the description of Cinderella in the tale receive favors over unattractive girls. The same case might be true for males, but its significance is greater among females. Just like in the tale where Cinderella gets married to a prince because she is beautiful, being physically attractive is also associated with marrying powerful and influential people. It seems to be a fundamental factor that dictates the fortune of ladies in contemporary real-life situations. The significance of beauty is also portrayed in the tale by explaining how girls were struggling to put on the most attractive clothes in order to attract the prince. Cinderella was advised by her stepmother not to go to the festival because she did not have attractive attires that would make her appear beautiful during the festival. In reality, the level of physical beauty is directly proportional to the degree of admiration one commands in society. Like in the real life, beauty might determine the social status held in society. The more beautiful a person is, the higher the chances of being in the most respected groups in social settings. Like in the Cinderella tale, she got married to the prince because she was the most beautiful girl compared to any other girl that attended the festival. The incident suggested that her exquisiteness was a sure bet to get married to the prince.
The Role of Women in Society
The focus of the story around the life of Cinderella as well as her relationship with stepsisters and their mother reveals the position of a woman within the family and society at large. It is clear from the tale that Cinderella's father does not have influence on the life of her daughter. Despite the mistreatments she goes through from the time the stepmother moved in with her daughters, her father shows no commitment or efforts to save her daughter from the brutal hands of her stepmother (Cassidy, et al. 32). The father brings beautiful clothes and ornaments for his stepsisters but not for his own child Cinderella. According to the tale, women are more influential than men in families. On the other hand, the case may not be a reality because fathers are expected to protect their children at all costs. Such cases might be real in isolated situations in real life. In reality, men are in control of their families because they are seen as the heads of the family. Because of their position, they are obligated to ensure that their children are not abused in any way. The portrayal of Cinderella's father does not seem to be a reality.
The Significance of Marriage
The tale Cinderella suggests that marriage is a paramount turning point in the life of a woman. It marks the end of a certain situation and marks the beginning of a new life. The marriage of Cinderella to the prince is used to indicate the end of suffering for Cinderella. Everyone, including her stepmother and sisters, is convinced that getting married to the prince has marked a new beginning in her life. Her life was characterized by suffering and she was still mourning several years after the demise of her mother (Branagh, et al. 42). Despite the hardships she was going through in the hands of her stepmother, she still wanted to get married. She was denied a chance to go to the festival but she went secretly with hopes that she will win the heart of the prince. On the other side, she also believed that getting married will save her from the harsh life she has been undergoing. By good luck, the prince chose her out of the many girls who had come to try their lucks. She was also excited that her life had taken a new direction. Her social status was also going to change because she will be crowned the new queen. The excitement and the importance of marriage as portrayed in the tale seem real in relation to what happens in actual life. Many young people believe that marriage leads to a happily ever after. Almost every young person yearns to get married because they believe it will mark a new beginning characterized with happiness and enjoyment in their lives.
The Reality of Marriage
The young people, particularly girls who have come across the tale Cinderella and its latest movie, are made to believe that their wedding days will be the definitive events in their lifetime. The significance of the wedding day is centered on the belief that most of their challenges end on that day and the times after that day will be full of fun and good moments like the story of Cinderella in the tale as well as in the latest movie version. Marriage is viewed as not just a single choice amongst numerous choices that are made over the course of a lifetime, but as a brass ring that ought to be grasped, a superlative achievement. In real life, marriage is a long process that starts with dating before the big day; the wedding comes. Most couples expect to live happily after the honeymoon until death do them part. The reality is that a wedding is not the beginning of what many ladies expect. Disappointments, worries, and uncertainties start to loom after the wedding. In most cases, people realize that the life after marriage is worse than the life prior to marriage because many aspects of life change. There is increased responsibilities through adoption of new roles, and some events like bachelor parties come to an end.
The Reality of Marriage (continued)
The depiction of marriage as a new beginning in the life of a woman paints a totally different picture of what happens in reality. Newlyweds do not see or imagine anything beyond their intimacy. It is estimated that half of the marriages in America end in divorce. There are very few marriages that go according to what the couples expected after getting married. Some of the marriages that last for many years are full of challenges and uncertainties, and most couples wish they should not have married their current partners. There are all indications that marriage; as opposed to the tale Cinderella, is a beginning of new challenges in life. In most cases, women suffer the most when divorce strikes their marriages.
The Expectations of Men
The image of the prince is used in the tale Cinderella to show what is expected of a man in society. In the tale, the role of the prince portrays a man as a probable solution for some challenges facing women. The prince became a savior to Cinderella. When he selected and stuck to Cinderella for three consecutive days that ended with taking her from her home, it is clear from the story that he had saved the beautiful Cinderella from harassment and insults. A man is always expected to act as a way out for some situations facing society. Interestingly, even ladies who lived peacefully in their homes competed to marry the prince. The stiff competition between ladies to win the heart of the prince unearths how valuable a man is in the life of a woman. The competition shows that a woman admires to be identified by a man even if he does not have the status of the prince within society.
Works Cited
Askew, Amanda, and Marsela Hajdinjak-Krec. Cinderella. QED, 2011.
August, Elizabeth. Cinderella Story. Harlequin Books, 2014.
Branagh, Kenneth, et al. Cinderella.Oxford, 2015.
Cassidy, Anne, et al. Cinderella. Franklin Watts Ltd, 2015.
