Cinderella and feminism

Xue MiuMiu

Dr. Marquardt

Eng1300 w10

April 6, 15

#491

Reflection Of Cinderella

     Cinderella story is a traditional fairy tale, which we always read it at a very young age. I think it has a bad reflection for children.

     When we are very young, we are less likely to question tradition and some traditional opinions will influence us. Cinderella is an image of beauty and kindness. But we can’t deny that Cinderella is passive and submissive. When she was young, she suffered from cruelties by her stepmother and stepsisters. She didn’t struggle for her life and fate. She even had no behavior to change her life. She only received others’ help and waited for prince. She got real love and happy life in the end. But it’s only a fairy tale. I think people won’t get happy life without efforts in real life. So I think Cinderella story has a very bad influence to children especially to girls. At first, it gave some marks to females. For example, woman should be soft, beautiful, submissive and attractive to man. And females should devote their lives to family. It doesn’t stress personal value. It is seem to get man’s favor is a greatest value for females. What’s worse, his mother also told her that she should be kind and then she will be blessed rather that telling her   should be brave and strong in heart. It is a typical image under the patriarchal model. The heroine was oppressed and never resisted.

      Cinderella also showed her inability in the fairy tale. Whatever happened, she always did nothing. No, she would do one thing—cried. Women depended on man in the few thousands of years. They had no economic source, which it limited them too much. Female had no freedom to develop business. They can only devote themselves to family. The phenomenon is also exists now. Some females choose to give up their work and to look after their children. And they try their best to prevent husband leaving them rather than develop themselves. In patriarchal societies, women concerned about marriage, and marriage is a wonderful, because they can only rely on men become impotent “human”. I can understand it in ancient years. Woman can’t get economic source. I don’t know why there are many opinions such as find a good husband and marriage is a largest safeguard in modern society.

       Maybe I can understand why Cinderella story is very popular. It can set a good model to al woman, which can help to maintain the stability of male community. Females need to be rescued by man, which show male dominance.

       Males control females and society for many years. I realize some fairy tale has been instilled into a particular way of thinking in a patriarchal society by rereading Cinderella story. I think it is harm to develop free and democratic society and it has a very bad reflection to children and the whole society.