The Juniper Tree And Cinderell Social Implications Of Marriage

The Juniper Tree and Cinderella: Social Implications of Marriage

During the 1800’s, marriage was different than it was today. Divorce was frowned upon considerably more than it is nowadays, and inheritance was a common issue among families. The current age, however, has a much higher divorce rate, as "First-time marriages: probably 20 to 25 percent have ended in divorce on average," (Most Marriages Do Make It, Mrs. Feldhahn). The social differences between the ages are large. Women usually married young, and if they didn’t marry, they were considered less useful. Death by childbirth was also a common situation families had to deal with in the era, due to a lack of medical technology at the time. In this era, the Grimm brothers, Wilhelm and
For one, it is obvious that materialism existed in the 1800’s when this Grimm tale was published. Cinderella becomes unhappy when “They took her beautiful clothes away from her, dressed her in an old gray smock, and gave her wooden shoes. "Just look at the proud princess! How decked out she is!" they shouted and laughed as they led her into the kitchen.” (Cinderella, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm). In addition, half of the entire story is her trying to look good for the prince. The prince falls in love with her seemingly entirely based on her looks, which is extremely materialistic in nature, and implies that at the time, a girl had to be attractive to find true love. The issue of remarriage is also present in the tale, because two evil stepsisters and an evil stepmother are the main antagonists. They took away all of Cinderella’s prized possessions and made her perform chores around the house. A modern Disney adaptation of Cinderella exists, and removes all of the more gruesome parts of the story, such as the sisters cutting off parts of their feet and having their eyes pecked out by birds. The Disney version is more focused on love and achieving happiness with another, which shifts the focus from marriage to beautification. This reflects the changes from the 1800’s to the modern era we live in today. Cinderella tells a materialistic tale, beginning with death and remarriage and ending in ‘true love’, and at the time the Grimms’ Fairy Tales were written, materialism was common and remarriage was frowned upon. These implications are clearly present and expressed throughout the