Perrault Cinderella
Regina Moore English 104 February 4, 15
Short Essay: Perrault’s Cinderella
Folklore, modern media, and historical events within the western world have shown us time and time again that women are meant to be the fairer and weaker of the two sexes; while reiterating the idea that men are strong, valiant, and ultimately the saviors of all women. This notion has been used to fortify the difference between the two genders, asserting the claim that women cannot save themselves or each other, and can only find their “happily ever after” with the help of a man. Perrault’s “Cinderella: or The Glass Slipper,” is the story of a mistreated, but kindhearted, girl who eventually marries a prince and goes on to live happily ever after. Within Perrault’s “Cinderella,” women are illustrated as powerful, and are the sole characters that drive the plot. While the male characters within the story remain flat and generally unimportant, therefore challenging the gender dichotomy that has depicted women as demure, and men as being critical in the lives of women. Perrault’s “Cinderella” is essentially a story about women. The women are given identifiers that allow the readers to foresee their actions, while the men in the story are flat and nearly unidentifiable, showing an absence of importance amongst the male characters. “Cinderella” begins by characterizing the women in the story, describing Cinderella’s new stepfamily as the “haughtiest and proudest” (449) and renders Cinderella and her late mother as “gentle, “good,” and the “best in the world” (450). What stands out the most amongst these descriptions is the lack of characterization of Cinderella’s father, who is only described as being “totally under the control of his wife” (450). It is presumed that without Cinderella’s father being so feeble under the rule of his new wife, he would better protect Cinderella from being mistreated by her new stepfamily. In society, men are often portrayed
Short Essay: Perrault’s Cinderella
Folklore, modern media, and historical events within the western world have shown us time and time again that women are meant to be the fairer and weaker of the two sexes; while reiterating the idea that men are strong, valiant, and ultimately the saviors of all women. This notion has been used to fortify the difference between the two genders, asserting the claim that women cannot save themselves or each other, and can only find their “happily ever after” with the help of a man. Perrault’s “Cinderella: or The Glass Slipper,” is the story of a mistreated, but kindhearted, girl who eventually marries a prince and goes on to live happily ever after. Within Perrault’s “Cinderella,” women are illustrated as powerful, and are the sole characters that drive the plot. While the male characters within the story remain flat and generally unimportant, therefore challenging the gender dichotomy that has depicted women as demure, and men as being critical in the lives of women. Perrault’s “Cinderella” is essentially a story about women. The women are given identifiers that allow the readers to foresee their actions, while the men in the story are flat and nearly unidentifiable, showing an absence of importance amongst the male characters. “Cinderella” begins by characterizing the women in the story, describing Cinderella’s new stepfamily as the “haughtiest and proudest” (449) and renders Cinderella and her late mother as “gentle, “good,” and the “best in the world” (450). What stands out the most amongst these descriptions is the lack of characterization of Cinderella’s father, who is only described as being “totally under the control of his wife” (450). It is presumed that without Cinderella’s father being so feeble under the rule of his new wife, he would better protect Cinderella from being mistreated by her new stepfamily. In society, men are often portrayed