Cinderella

1. Cinderella By The Brothers Grimm (1884) Group Members: Billy Bob Texan, Justin North, and Allin West Date: 5/4/13

2. Summary • Shortly after Cinderella's mother dies, a new step-mother moves in, and things quickly slide downhill for Cinderella. The step-mother and her two daughters torment Cinderella and essentially enslave her. • Then comes word that the King is throwing a three day festival for the Prince, who will be choosing a wife from among the females of the kingdom who will attend. • The step-mother assigns Cinderella two impossible-to-perform tasks as a condition for attending the festival, and Cinderella - with the help of the local avian population, with whom she has a magical relationship - performs the impossible. The step-mother, though, is not one to keep promises. She and the step-sisters head to the festival without Cinderella. • Cinderella calls upon her bird friends, who provide her a most beautiful outfit. Cinderella attends Night One of the festival, and the Prince is enchanted. But Cinderella skips out on him! • Cinderella does the same thing on Nights Two and Three, showing up each time in a more beautiful outfit. On Night Three though, the Prince is ready for her. He connives to have her leave her shoe behind, and then comes looking for the girl who fits the shoe. • Cinderella's stepsisters are actually willing to chop off parts of their feet (at the suggestion of their mother!) to fit into the shoe, but each time their bloody feet give them away. It is Cinderella's foot that fits...and without maiming! Cinderella marries the Prince, and the evil stepsisters have their eyes plucked out...by birds!

3. Findings • Lots of Christian References: “pious, God, heaven, prayed” • Nature: Instead of having a fairy godmother, Cinderella gets help from the birds. There are also lots of other nature references throughout the story including season, tree where mother is burried, tree where she hides from Prince, etc. • The Number Three: Cinderella goes to three balls, her step mother asks her to do three impossible tasks, three sisters, etc. Cinderella

4. Findings • 4. The step mother encourages her daughters to cut off parts of their feet in order to fit into the slipper. (not really the best mom in the world) • 5. The Prince is not very bright: He is fooled twice by the sisters fitting their feet into the shoe. Even though there is blood gushing out everywhere. He only notices when the birds bring it to his attention.

5. Compared to Today • The Brothers Grimm version is quite different than the Disney version we are all used to. To begin with, the father does not die in the original story. He stays alive and allows his wife to treat Cinderella poorly. Instead of a fairy god mother, Cinderella had nature to look over her, particularly the birds. Many believe these are a symbol for her dead mother watching over her. In the original, Cinderella goes to three balls instead of one and she never has any glass slippers. Instead they are gold/silver/silk shoes. Also, the prince is quite different in the original. In order to get Cinderella’s shoe, he smears pitch all over the stair case and one of her shoes sticks to it. He’s also not very bright since the sisters fool him twice with their bloody shoes. Instead of simply trying to squeeze their feet into the shoe, they cut off their heal/toes in order to make it fit. This is their mother’s idea which is disturbing all on its own. Finally, the major difference in this original version is that in the end when justice is served, two stepsisters get their eyes pecked out by birds! Nothing happens to the mother.