Deception vs Magic

All the variations of Cinderella have the same basic plot and theme. Her father remarries to a widowed woman who has two daughters. After Cinderella’s father dies, the woman and her daughters treat Cinderella with cruelly and demean her into the position of a servant. She wears rags, receives menial provisions, and sleeps by the fireplace. Because she sleeps by the fireplace, her face is always dirty with ashes, and

A mother trying to provide and care for her daughters is normally acceptable, but in the Cinderella story, it suddenly becomes malicious. Although the stepmother treats Cinderella ridiculously unkind, she is simply trying to make life better for her daughters. Her first step in this direction is marrying Cinderella’s father. Most consider her to be a “gold digger” and do not contemplate the fact that she needs to provide for her daughters and herself. While Cinderella’s father may possibly be in love with her, the stepmother is most likely more interested in living comfortably.

The stepmother has to con Cinderella’s father into loving her. She needs to present herself and her daughters as benevolent and gentle woman. Their social standing probably attracts Cinderella’s father, also. He falls in love and brings them to stay with him. To his face they are kind, but behind his back they are cruel to Cinderella. As earlier mentioned, they demean her into the position of a lowly house servant. After his death though, the stepmother begins to again ponder a way to provide for her family, except this time she is looking for a husband for her daughters and not herself.

Cinderella can use magic to deceive and this is approved by all, but in “Grudgekin the Thistle Girl’ by John Gardner, the stepmother uses magic to deceive and because of this she is maniacal. Grudgekin, through help of fairies, meets the prince. He falls in love with her and asks for her name. When she tells him her name he laughs at it and calls it ugly, thinking she made up the name. Grudgekin gets upset at this and leaves, refusing to see him again. The prince advertises “far and wide” for knowledge of Grudgekin. Grudgekin’s stepmother hears of this and, because her stepmother is a witch, she puts a spell on Grudgekin. She makes Grudgekin think her name is Rosemarie and puts her in the Children’s Home. The stepmother then proceeds to turn herself into Grudgekin to try and get the prince to marry her. While at first he is happy to see his Grudgekin, he soon figures out the truth.

After Ashputtle’s mother dies in the Grimm brothers’ story, Ashputtle plants a hazel tree over her mother’s grave. The spirit of Ashputtle’s mother comes out of the hazel tree as a dove and grants any of Ashputtle’s wishes. Ashputtle’s stepmother assigns her ridiculous tasks to try and prevent her from going to the ball. Even after Ashputtle manages to finish her chores, the stepmother still does not allow her to go. Such as in Disney’s tale, the doves turn Ashputtle’s rags into an evening gown and she wins the heart of the prince.

None of the Cinderellas ever do anything for themselves, whether they get help through magic or other people. Everything that happens to Cinderella happens because she allows it to happen. Being helpless is an att

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