Category: Cinderella

The themes we will be analyzing are, “make the best out of every situation,” and “those who are truly kind-hearted will receive good fortune.” The two themes apply to actuality and are above board. The second theme is more engaging than the first considering it speaks a truth that most disregard or take for granted.

The main character of the book, Cinderella’s Rat, is a small rat who’s accompanied by his sister, Ruth. Page 3 starts off the book with the rat stating, “life is full of surprises” (Meddaugh, 3). This is a way to foreshadow the series of events soon to occur. Scarce food and danger of predators is a continuous struggle for them, especially having to deal with it every day. On pages 5 and 6, hunger drove them to do a foolish act, they were entrapped by Cinderella’s fairy godmother. This event led to Cinderella being capable to go to the ball, shown when he arrives. Simultaneously, his sister was able to escape before her brother was turned into a coach boy. His lack of food and endangerment of cats that were once a complication that was now gone since he was human. Although, his sister continued to be a rat. While stuffing his face with food, a fellow boy mistook his sister as just a rat. When he claimed that it was his sister, he assumed his sister was turned from a human girl to a rat. Thus, the boy took him and Ruth to a wizard, turning his sister from a rat to a human whose voice mimicked a dog.

The book itself is a side plot to the Cinderella story that is widely known. The importance of being turned into a human was followed by a sequence of events concluding with his sister becoming human. Although he was transformed back into a rat, he continued to have his sister as a way to guard himself from cats and as a way to obtain food. A message to take from this is, “make the best out of every situation.” In the last few pages, he is not able to communicate with her, there are gains to her condition. Even though he contributed to Cinderella’s happy ending, his conclusion made no relation to her whatsoever.

The book, Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella by Jan Brett, is based on a chicken representing Cinderella. The story very similar to Cinderella follows the plot of a poor chicken being victimized, by a mean hen and her daughters. The story ends with Cinders falling in love with the prince at a ball that she was able to go to, due to the fairy god-chicken granting them with a gorgeous gown and transportation. The problem is solved and ends with a happy ending. One significant thing that happened is Cinders and the prince falling for each other. It is seen through pages 16 through 21. In these pages they meet, they dance, then they are left with the cliche ending of Cinders losing her glass slipper, leaving before they know each other’s names. The reason it is significant is that it shows Cinders getting her happy ending , (as always) even after the rough times she’s been put through. The message this sends out is “those who are truly kind-hearted will receive good fortune” Cinders stayed true at heart, not being cruel even in her conditions and in the end it paid off. Another noteworthy segment from page 9 when the Silkie hen, representing the fairy god-mother, swooped in to save the day by gifting her a gorgeous big gown to wear to the ball. The silkie hen also provided Cinders with transportation. It was significant due to the fact that Cinders was in no condition to go to the ball, and in a few seconds, she was more than ready to go to the ball. We can take an important message from this, “ The hardship will be worth it in the end”

Both stories correlate to Cinderella, but as a variant of her and a side plot of the tale. Many books portray different versions of the Cinderella story, but Cinderella’s Rat is more so a subplot depicting an event that commenced Cinderella’s happy ending. Cinders, a chicken account of Cinderella, has an overall homogenous narrative. Among the two accounts, they’re mostly unlike, setting aside the fact that they’re associated with Cinderella and the main characters are animals. Upon the fact that the two books are essential for children, the presence of animals engages them. In animal fiction, the story is perceived through non-human eyes, and it dispenses us a world through another perspective.

Between the messages/morals of the story, there’s a clear difference in the output of them. Through the morals of Cinders: A Chicken Cinderella, you get a clear conscience that you’ve received through the original Cinderella story, considering they have an indistinguishable plot. With Cinderella’s Rat, the principles learned throughout were considerably already well-known, with no genuine use. Both messages/morals apply to Cinderella and the readers, especially the messages from Cinders. “The truly kind-hearted will receive good fortune in the end,” is depicted with the hardship Cinders undergoes through the old hen and her daughters. They’re important because they’re values shown throughout the novels. Then, we use those morals/messages into account and build to the story.

The novel we preferred the most was Cinderella’s Rat. There was particular wittiness portrayed in the book that caught our eye. It’s fascinating because most books regarding Cinderella were various accounts of the Disney movie we all know and love. Cinderella’s Rat is a unique storyline, nevertheless centering back to Cinderella. The book itself was combined humor than seriousness, unlike Cinders. It would be a valid suggestion for those desiring a small chuckle from a book.

“And they all lived happily ever after”. Throughout a child’s life, someone has once read to them a fairytale. Every word and every picture of fairytales usually play a magical image in a person’s mind. While reading a fairytale it can open magical worlds, possibilities, hopeful thinking and allows the reader to explore new ideas. Fairytales hold an important piece of children’s literature that has a lasting impact on society. Most fairytales were written to fit the needs of society at some point. Although, as years went by these images began to establish a less relevant persona of what society is today. They reinforce the stereotypical gender roles women are trying to stay away from. What were once magical tales of women falling in love, beauty, life lessons, and villains it could be taken as a form of degrading women? Fairytales can create false advertisements for women, by appearance, behavior, and emotions.

A classic fairytale is a novel Cinderella by Brothers Grimme it describes a young beautiful girl who goes from rags to riches. Cinderella spends most of her time performing chores for her evil stepmother and her ugly stepsisters. A fairy godmother comes to Cinderella and grants her a wish, Cinderella chose to attend the ball. At the ball she meets her prince, they danced and mingled most of the night. When the clock struck twelve Cinderella left the ball quickly and left her glass slipper. The prince then searched the kingdom to find the girl who would fit into the glass slipper. To the surprise of her evil stepmother and sisters, Cinderella ended marrying the prince and living happily ever after.

Cinderella is a perfect example of how fairytales could produce false advertisements for young girls. Although, how does Cinderella end up with this happily ever after? Cinderella’s happy ending came from her prince. All Cinderella had to do to gain attention from the prince was to wear a dazzling dress, dance, and to be beautiful. The prince did not fall in love with Cinderella while she wore her servant clothes, sadly he didn’t know she existed until she put her ball gown on. Even when the prince finally sees Cinderella to allow her to try the glass slipper on, the prince no longer recognized her in the state she was in. The Cinderella the prince met was a misleading version of the true Cinderella, although she was always beautiful, he noticed her because of her “princess” like blue ballgown. For example, today it’s common for a female to gain male attention by playing “dumb”. For some men, this is “cute” and “witty”. Girls will manage to make themselves appear as ‘dumb” because of the stereotype that girls should keep their opinions and thoughts to themselves because it’s not appealing to men for a woman to have her own opinions.

Disney itself has felt guilty about the false image Cinderella has on young girls. The 2003 Disney Channel original movie The Cheetah Girls has a song called Cinderella, with lyrical phrases such as, “When I was just a little girl my mama used to tuck me into bed. And she’d read me a story. It always was about a princess in distress. And how a guy would save her and end up with her glory. I don’t want to be like Cinderella. Sittin’ in a dark cold dusty cellar. Waiting’ for somebody to come and set me free, I don’t want to be like someone waiting. For a handsome prince to come and save me. Oh, I will survive, I’d rather rescue myself.” Personally, I remember listening to this song around the age of seven or eight and understanding the meaning of it perfectly. The meaning behind the Cheetah Girls Cinderella song is that it is referencing the misleading outcome of Cinderella. The Cheetah Girls are singing how they don’t want to be like the rest of the girls, waiting for their prince charming to allow them to see the world. They want to be their own rescuers. Instead of waiting for their prince charming they will prove they do not need any man to make their dreams possible.

In most fairytales, the female character is seen as passive, obedient and sheltered. The male character is brave, strong and heroic. We see this in fairy tales such as Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Thumbelina, and Cinderella. Aside from them all sharing beautiful faces, porcelain white skin, and glossy hair they all are saved from a handsome heroic prince. Each story ends with a beautiful fairytale ending. This presents young women to believe the idea of marriage is a sole goal in their lifetime, that after finding your “prince” you will live happily ever after. As much as everyone hopes for a successful and long-lasting marriage realistically it doesn’t always happen. Marriage shouldn’t be an ultimate award in a women’s life, but this is a theme that is demonstrated in fairytales. In the Disney version of Snow White, Snow White sings “Someday my Prince Will Come” reinforcing the idea of a prince in your happy ending.

In contrast, to the female character being passive and obedient its always seen in fairytales the female character who is ambitious is played to be an evil villain. The evil character is seen as ugly, mean and scary. Fairytales embody the way society attempts to silence and oppress women by making them appear passive. In the article, The Portrayal of Women in the Fairy Tales Dr. Silima Nanda shares how Snow White has attached female stereotypes to her character. Nanda writes, “In Snow White, the dwarfs make sure that Snow White can cook, wash and clean the house. They also make the condition that the girl should not go out of the house or entertain everyone. Snow White is so innocent that she is deprived of developing an independent self. She is unable to defeat the stepmother’s evil plans. Thus, she is the perfect image of innocence, virtuous beauty, and youth.” (p.248) Besides Snow White, Cinderella obviously fulfills the stereotypical female duties around the house. Cinderella never chooses to stand up against her email stepmother and sisters, although the only way she rebelled against them was when a man claimed to own her after the slipper fit. Cinderella carries all the qualities a man wanted; she worked for the house, she was obedient and with no surprise beautiful.

Fairytales have portrayed women in positive and negative ways. Women are seen in fairytales as both admirable and abominable. Female beauty is a main theme in fairytales, although the “beauty” exposed isn’t the way beauty should always be looked too. Fairytales will forever hold sexist and stereotypical gender roles within females. In current times males and females are viewed as equals by the majority of the population. I don’t believe that young women and children should never be exposed to fairytales because there is truly something captivating and magical about them. Fairytales will change and evolve on the bias of the person reading. It’s common for young girls to dream about wearing a beautiful ball gown and dancing the night away with their prince charming. Thus, it’s important to teach women that there are different roles women can experience in life rather than traditional ones these fairytales brought upon us. These roles could be, single, single mother, widowed, a successful businesswoman, and a strong female warrior. Currently, fairytales are evolving the roles of women are changing in today’s culture. We see this in Disney movies such as, Mulan, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and The Princess and the Frog. Another story with a plot twist is The Wicked Stepmother Lament by Sara Maitland where uncommonly the narrator is the stepmother. The stepmother tells her story through her own perspective rather than the way everyone has heard. Different perspectives of Cinderella can allow the reader to see different viewpoint and angles of the story. These stories tend to steer away from the gender roles that are seen in other fairytales, the female characters are allowed more freedom. It’s society’s job to create efforts to accept the change of gender roles and patriarchy to the world we live in today. When doing this we will present a new angle on the female gender character.

Some fairy tale story can affect people physically and emotionally, but once in a while a story can call a person to escape it. The Cinderella is an misogynist story with toughness use of setting and scandalous characters that engages readers and can move them to treat women fairly. Perrault was born in Paris to a wealthy bourgeois family, the seventh child of Pierre Perrault and Paquette Le Clere. He attended very good schools and studied law before embarking on a career in government service following in the footsteps of his father and elder brother Jean.

Summary

Cinderella woke up every morning when it was still dawn and cold to start the fire. She cooked meals every morning for her Stepmother and Stepsisters. She keep the fire going, poor girl could not stay clean from all the ashes and charcoals by the fire. Cinderella, far from being an innocent fairy tale about achieving her dreams is actually a misogynist story that presents women as greedy and cruel or pretty and passive, and suggests that the best way for a woman to get ahead in the world is to let herself be abused and wait for help from someone else. Getting a dress and looking pretty is the only way she is able to be happy to be noticed and gain social power. In other words, keeping her ugly kept her from power. Be atleast is seen as the only way a woman can be powerful. Even during the dance, the prince ‘falls in love’ with her because of her stunning beauty and charming look. He only cares about her appearance (Lomax David).

Misogynist defines as a person who dislikes, despises, or is strongly prejudiced against women. Cinderella dislikes by her Stepmother and Stepsisters because they are jealous of Cinderella’s charming look and find a way that make cinderella an ugly person.

Critical Evaluation

Perrault’s setting gives the reader a sense of kindness and pios. Possibly the setting could even tell the story if there were no characters. For example, in the house of Cinderella of the kitchen, where Cinderella was doing all the tradional female tasks such as cleaning and cooking. And when Cinderella crying in the garden after what her stepsisters do to her, there was a burst of light and a fairy appeared. Cinderella’s animal friends is sad for what they saw the ugly duckling sister do to her. Darkness filled in the garden, and only cinderella’s crying was only heared, but there was a burst of light and a fairy appeared in front of cinderella and the sadness filled with surrounding disappeared.

This describes a peaceful place that is not quite reality. People should know what there place is, but Cinderella’s stepmother haven’t realize that yet. Perrault never states an exact year, so we have to use what clues we have to infer what we can.

Cinderella spent an hour crying that filled the surrounding with sadness. She won’t make it to attend to the ball of the King’s Invitation. And Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters was so cruel to her because they are jealous of Cinderella’s charming look. But Cinderella’s Fairygod Mother appeared and help her to make it through to the ball of prince’s event. Cinderella’s Fairygod Mother cast a spell on the pumpkin to make it a carriage and her animal friends.

Conclusion

Cinderella is a childhood fairy tale that has been told throughout many different cultured and time periods and there are different versions of Cinderella involving that have been adapted into movies, books, and even stage play. Every classic story of Cinderella tells how she is tortured by her monster stepmother and stepsisters, but still kind and pios and falls in love with a Prince. In addition to this, they changed up the role of family in the story and the role of other main characters. What is their reason for doing this? Disney create their own version of the tale to fit the messages they want kids to take form the tale. Cinderella went from a punishment/reward based on behaviour to a story of jealousy a stepmother towards her stepdaughter cinderella and bossed her around to do the traditional female task in her own house such as cleaning and cooking.

Abstract

Cinderella is a classic folktale written by French author Charles Perrault, which was originally titled ‘Cendrillon’ and has been passed throughout generations by the medium of storytelling and fairytales. Cinderella’s story was adapted as a full-length animated movie by Disney Animation Studios in 1950, followed by the live-action adaption of Cinderella in 2015 by the same company. Disney’s version of storytelling in animated movies and live-action movies leaves an enchanting effect on the viewers through elements of “timeless narrations, unforgettable characters and their stories, setting of stories, context and finally, the incorporation of architecture in the movies”. This paper shall discuss and analytically deconstruct the narrative of history presented in the Cinderella 2015 live-action movie and summarize how the setting and narrative that surrounds the characters builds a relation between time and space, and the built form and architectural context of the existing record of history of that particular space and time period.

Cinderella (2015) – The Story

Ella, the protagonist, is a loving, caring and selfless young girl who has a close bond with her birth parents, and believes in “having courage and being kind”, a secret that her mother leaves to her (Branagh, 2015, 00:05:25 & 00:29:30). Her father is a merchant, and is often busy with domestic and international trading works, and is seen composing letters to different officers and merchants, whereas her mother is a housewife, busy doing chores with housemaids. The family, despite being wealthy, lives with humility and gratitude for what they’ve been blessed with in their lives. In childhood, her mother passes away due to an incurable disease. When she turns 16, her father approaches her to seek her consent to remarry another woman, Lady Tremaine (antagonist) and accept her two daughters Anastasia and Drisella (antagonists) as her stepsisters, to which Ella wholeheartedly agrees. He dies after a business trip, which gives Lady Tremaine an enormous chance to take over his wealth and expose her cruel and heartless nature to Ella by burdening her with all housechores and forcing her to shift her sleeping space from her own bedroom to a ‘dark and dingy’ attic on highest floor. She is bullied by her stepsisters and mockingly nicknamed ‘Cinderella’ because she works near the cinders and the smoke from their stains her face (Branagh, 2015, 00:25:02). Sick and tired of her step-family’s abuse, Ella seeks temporary escape for herself in the forest where she meets the crown prince named Kit, who introduces. Kit develops a fondness for Ella and after returning to the grand palace, convinces his widowed father to hold a grand ball at the royal palace and invite all the princesses and maidens in the kingdom, so he can meet the mysterious girl he met in the forest i.e. Ella. Lady Tremaine and her daughters, after hearing the news, put all workload on Ella and ban her from attending the ball. At night, the Fairy Godmother appears magically to help the heartbroken and mentally shattered Ella, by turning a pumpkin in the plant house into a gold-covered luxurious gold-colored carriage, her pet mice into horses, goose into a coachman, and two lizards into footmen. And most importantly, she transforms Ella’s torn dress into an ‘elegant, unique and iconic blue gown’, adorned by butterflies on sleeves and glitter on frills (Branagh, 2015,00:50:02 – 00:50:41), and Ella’s shoes into ‘glass slippers’ with the surface of glimmering diamonds (Branagh, 2015, 00:51:27 – 00:51:34). The magic spell only lasts till midnight, so within that time frame, Ella attends the ball, meets the prince once again, dances with him in the ballroom, gets a golden chance to see his favorite secret spot in the royal garden; yet leaves without introducing herself to him, and forgets her glass slipper on the staircase. The next day, it is formally announced in the entire kingdom that whoever maiden’s foot fits in the glass slipper shall marry the crown prince. All the maidens of the kingdom gather around, desperately trying to fit their feet into the slipper but they all fail. Only Lady Tremaine’s house is left in the end, as it is located on a countryside far away from the town. Tremaine, overpowered with ‘hatred, deceit and jealousy’ for Ella’s kind heart and beauty, locks her in the attic to prevent her from meeting the prince. She fails, because outside the house, Prince and his subjects hear Ella singing ‘Lavender’s Blue’ (a 17th century nursery rhyme) and decide to investigate further. Finally, Prince Kit meets Ella and she wears the glass slipper on his request, which obviously fits her delicate feet. Kit is jubilant and joyous because his intuition about Ella turned out right; that she is indeed the “courageous and kind” mystery girl he has been looking for the whole time. This gives Ella a chance to leave her abusive household peacefully and live a better life with Kit. They both get married and as the fairytale goes… “they lived happily ever after”.

Discussion

Earliest recorded citations imply that this story of “misery transformed into fortunes” is as old as its manuscripts from the Greek civilization, but the worldwide-recognized version in the form of Cinderella was published in 1670’s till 1700’s, meaning that with reference to existing records, “Cinderella’s” origins can be traced back to that particular time period of history in late 1690’s and early 1700’s, when culture, traditions, politics, economy, domestic lifestyle etc. were much different compared to the era we’re living in currently. The case is similar for animated and live-action Cinderella movies produced by Disney, which follow similar time period and reflect same customs and traditions followed by society that is described in Charles Perrault’s iterated version. As Perrault was French, the most recognized version of Cinderella was initially published in French language, but as the legacy of this story circulated throughout the globe, this story was also being published in other languages that were used as medium of communication across other countries. Considering during 1690’s till 1700’s when Baroque revolution was taking place throughout Europe, which resulted in similar government policies, trade and commerce, architectural styles, traditions, ethics etc. being practiced across European land, it’s challenging to trackback which country or city Cinderella’s story took place in, because many sources cite that her story could’ve taken place in either England, France, Italy, Germany, Russia or any other European country.

The Deconstructive Analysis

As a part of deconstructive analysis, it is important to acknowledge that in the movie, occurrence of specific kinds of architecture types e.g. Gothic, Baroque, Rococo etc. and its relation with the contextual placement of story is as abstract as the origins of “space and exact location of city/country” where the story took place, leading to certain elements from different eras appearing amalgamated together if we consider architecture of buildings used for film-shooting in the movie as a reference. From perspective of 2015 live-action adaptation of Cinderella by Disney Studios, the overall city square, narrative of the protagonist, societal norms depicted in the movie, customs and traditions, interiors, colors, lighting techniques inside and outside building, materiality, political structure, modes of transport etc. can be used as a reference to justify that events occurring in the movie indeed took place within time period of 1670’s to 1700’s in the area of Europe.

The Kingdom

The kingdom is “a power rising above the seashores, within the heart of mountains, draped with the beauty of green”. The movie illustrates a magnificent scenario of a small kingdom that’s surrounded by mountains with diversity of flora and fauna above the sea. Terrains extend vastly and are highlighted by a network of transport system, with some roads near the cliffs. Transitions between certain scenes are shown by emphasizing on the sillhuouette of mountains during sunrise and sunset (Branagh, 2015, 01:16:54). Structures like Palace, City, countryside, and forest all are zoned separately but interconnected through a travelling infrastructure of widespread roadways. Representative colors of the kingdom shown in the movie are blue and yellow. These colors are seen and subtly replicated on many occasions in the movie, for example in half-blue-half-yellow uniforms of royal soldiers (Branagh, 2015, 00:32:34), wallpapers of halls and rooms, official flags on ships (Branagh, 2015, 01:19:39) etc. When compared to current times, there are many countries using blue and yellow as their signature colors, but in the movie the ‘order’ with which the colors of the kingdom’s representative flag is used is the reason why the kingdom’s flag is unique in its space and time and is a product of creative imagination, and cannot be used as reference to backtrack the location where the events mentioned in movie might have possibly happened.

Ella’s Home

Ella’s home is her “sanctuary in a countryside” which she treasures deeply. It is located away from the town’s hustle and bustle in the middle of the forest. Only a handful few are able to afford such housing scheme, which justifies the fact that Ella’s father was a wealthy merchant of his time who could afford a separate house for his family far from the town. The set for this house was designed and used in Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire in UK. It is a double-storey stone masonry house with different levels i.e. the attic is three floors above the ground led by a dark stone staircase. The entrance within the plot boundary first leads to a glass-house of plants, few meters distant from the house. Inside the house, creamy yellow wallpapers are covered with floral patterns and a swan chandelier hangs in the centre of the reception ceiling. Bronze cutlery and utensil items are used in kitchen housechores. Black Park in Buckinghamshire, UK is the location used for the forest that surrounds the house where Ella first meets Prince Kit for the first time, who introduces himself as an ‘apprentice’. As this location is close to Pinewood Film Studios, it was a precise match for filming forest scenes in the film.

The Royal Palace

The majestic grandeur is welcomed in the movie as the Crown Prince’s home – the Royal Palace, inspired by the ‘Zwinger’ of Dresden in Germany, a magnificence of Baroque and Rococo era’s stone embellishments and green rooftops. The location was suitable for Palace in Cinderella movie because of its affiliation with Rococo and Baroque architecture – extravagant ornaments, ornate gold carvings, exquisite paintings on ceilings and walls, emphasis on curvilinearity, fluidity and movement, a prodigious union of Gothic, Renaissance and Classical architectural elements since Baroque was introduced as a profound style reflective of the orthodox Catholic Church’s power, and Rococo was is exageratedly-ornamented successor. Zwinger was originally a military training ground in 1200’s and it was surrounded by an enclosed fortification erected to protect the city from attacks during Hussite wars in 1420’s. The building’s construction, unlike the context of the fortified ground, started in 1700’s when Baroque and Rococo styles were reminiscent in the Catholic architecture.

Unlike the interior for certain locations, the outer elevation of the Royal Palace and the scenic beauty is 3D-rendered in certain spaces – first and second floors were introduced in 3D-modelling and certain walls were curved to express the Rococo magnificence for the Palace. The ornamentation, carvings, curvilinear form, adorned pillars, statues on top of Classical-inspired pillars are an implication of the power of rulers and the political structure of that time, who would have invested their entire wealth to exhibit their status among different kingdoms of Europe. The absolutes of that era are dictated by their delicate and grand forms of structures, considering that architecture of that period played an important role to reflect the objective that size, volume and intricacy of a form is synonymous with power and position of the ruling body, which clarifies why the Royal Palace in the film is built so majestic compared to town buildings or countryside structures, to express the authority of the ruling body over the kingdom. Although filming locations were used for functions like palace, town square or residential plots, no religious-affiliated structures like any Catholic church of Baroque time-period were shown throughout the entire film.

The Royal Palace is surrounded by breathtaking gardens whose filming location was the English-perpendicular Gothic and Renaissance-inspired Hampton Court Palace, on whose regal stone staircase, Ella loses her crystal-esque glass slipper in the climax of the story. Ella’s interaction with the staircase is the biggest turning point of the story which leads to saving her life from her abusive household and officially becoming the crowned queen of the royal kingdom by marrying Kit, later becoming the renouned crowned king. The physical interaction of Ella losing her glass slipper on the stone staircase is one of the most glorified moments of the story.

The lengthy walkway in Windsor Great Park that leads to Windsor castle (previously King Edward’s court) is utilized as the path leading to Royal Palace’s grand entrance, and is used in a scene where all the maidens of kingdom are invited to the Palace in a long line to fit their feet in Ella’s glass slipper, hoping any of them gets a chance to marry the Prince, but all fail. The Old Royal Navy College in Greenwich, England was used as one of the locations for the movie, in the fencing scene between Prince Kit and the royal subjects inside the palace.

The enchanting moments of Ella and Kit’s dance scene in the Royal Ball, and settings for emotional and personal scenes between Prince Kit and his father, the King were all set and filmed in Pinewood Studios. The interplay of contrast at different intervals of this movie is what elevates the enchanting effect upon its viewers. The significance of gold ornamentation thoughout Palace interiors helps Ella’s magical blue gown gleam against the gold aura of the building. The entire emphasis and attention is on Ella during the Royal Ball, because the striking contrast with gold interiors compliments her unique gown, it helps her be prominent amongst all the maidens of the kingdom in the royal ball. (Branagh, 2015, 01:02:00)

In the palace it is shown how manual labour is required to lift heavy objects through an extensive pulley system. In a scene that features an artisan live-painting a royal portrait of Prince Kit (Branagh, 2015, 00:34:21), the canvas is larger in scale compared to human scale, so a movable bench made of wood seating and ropes on pulleys is used to carry the artisan up at certain height to paint the Prince’s face on canvas. In another scene that showcases preparation for the Grand Ball in the Palace Hall, the chandeliers are lowered to ground by pulleys and all the candles are lit in it manually, and then moved back towards the ceiling carefully (Branagh, 2015, 00:53:31). This shows how lighting issues and moving above floor level were solved by manual labour in that era and can establish a comparison between how labour is completed through machineries nowadays compared to then.

The Town Square

The town square shown in the movie was filmed in Pinewood studios, where all stone masonry buildings were designed and arranged as a set in the studio. The central square is used as an public space where King’s guards and messengers come to deliver royal announcements to the public. Residential double-storey houses and marketplace are bult adjacent to each other to minimize walking and travelling distance. The marketplace is where food, grains, bread, bakery, clothes, household items, bronze and silver cutlery etc. are sold. The town is located away from the the Palace and Ella’s home. The town square is amongst the locations where royal guards went to search for the maiden in whose foot the glass slipper fits. It’s an indicator that search for Ella, ‘the mystery girl’ whom Prince Kit fell in love with in the Royal Ball, was done literally everywhere in the kingdom.

Conclusion

Cinderella is a story of transformation of ‘rags into riches’ through determination, bravery and kindness, whose foundations are centered around the life story of the characters and their interaction with physical spaces in the manifested space of the story. In the eras of 1600’s till 1700’s the customs and traditions demanded women of that particular society to fit into societal standards of submission to authority without any external support system provided by the rulers. Ella had become an orphan and understood the abusive circumstances around herself, and accepted them as long as she had food and shelter. Had she rebeled against her evil stepmother, she would have landed homeless in the streets and quite possibly even faced death. So she worked smartly and with patience until she found perfect opportunity to escape the abuse system in her household i.e. through maintaining good relations with Prince Kit after meeting him in the woods. Her physical interactions with the architectural aspects in the film like dropping her glass slipper on the staircase add charm to the turning point of her luck and save her from her stepmother’s wrath in coming years.

References

1. Barron, Kinberg, Shearmur. (Producers), & Branagh, K. (Director). (2015). Cinderella [Motion Picture]. United Kingdom : Pinewood Studios.
2. Little Carolin, (March 22, 2015) What was Cinderella’s castle modeled after in Cinderella (2015 movie)? Retrieved from :https://www.quora.com/What-was-cinderellas-castle-modeled-after-in-Cinderella-2015-movie
3. Architecture | Old Royal Naval College. Retrieved from: https://www.ornc.org/architecture
4. https://thefairytaletraveler.com/2015/02/10/cinderella-film-locations/
5. http://blog.topdeck.travel/6-disney-movies-travel-europe/
6. Christa Thompson, (February 10, 2015) A Look at Cinderella Film Locations, England #CinderellaEvent. Retrieved from: https://thefairytaletraveler.com/2015/02/10/cinderella-film-locations/

Introduction: The Gendered Narratives in Fairytales

The portrayal of men and women in fairytales has always served as a representation of societal gender roles for centuries. Gender roles in popular fairytales such as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty invigorate controversy and conversation for critic and reader alike. The role of women in such tales reflect the society of the time period in which they were written. In the eighteenth century when these tales were first written, women were ghosts of society – unheard and unrecognized. These popular fairytales emphasize the idea of the “perfect woman” during this time through the life of the heroine – unmistakably beautiful, submissive, and passive. “Most popular fairy tales had heroines who were passive, apparently dead or sleepwalking” (Harries 122). These qualities are consistently exemplified and accentuated from paragraph to paragraph. Throughout the years, these tales have been rewritten but the same overarching idea of the role of women in society timelessly remains the same. The main characteristic of the perfect woman always emphasized in these tales is their unmistakable beauty. Beautiful heroines described in these fairytales always succeed or receive their “happily ever after.” Is beauty the source of their success? What if these heroines were not beautiful, what would be their fate then? The general prototype of women in popular fairytales enforces the idea that reward and the power a woman has comes as a result of her beauty which is clearly depicted in the fairytales Cinderella by Grimm and Sleeping Beauty by Charles Perrault.

Beauty as a Woman’s Ultimate Asset

The main characteristic of beauty defines the perfect woman in these popular fairytales. Throughout these tales this ideal is consistently reinforced. In Cinderella before the reader learns Cinderella’s name or anything about her personality, they are introduced to her beautiful appearance. “They took away her beautiful clothes, dressed her in an old gray smock, and gave her wooden shoes” (Grimm 468). Introducing the reader to Cinderella’s appearance before mentioning her intellect or good heart confirms that her beautiful appearance is the main focus. This affirms the principal idea that beauty is in fact Cinderella’s most important trait as well as the most important aspect of a woman. “The feminine beauty ideal-the socially constructed notion that physical attractiveness is one of women’s most important assets” (Baker-Sperry 711). This feminine beauty ideal is clearly present as soon as the tale begins. Presenting the beauty of her appearance right off the bat highlights the importance of feminine beauty. Although the author does not directly say “Cinderella is beautiful,” he subtly brings the reader’s attention to her appearance. Her appearance becomes the reader’s first impression of her character.

This idea presents itself again when the King conducts a three-day festival in hopes that is son may find a suitable bride. “The king had decided to sponsor a three-day festival, and all the beautiful young girls in the country were invited so that his son could chose a bride” (Grimm 469). Once again, the author’s description of these young girls as beautiful emphasizes the importance of why woman need to be beautiful. Beauty becomes a necessity to the female character rather than a simple trait. The most important trait that these women will have to offer to the king’s son is their beauty – the most important thing for a woman to have. The power of being able to find a husband and capture the heart of the prince is solely based on the beauty of the women and nothing else.

The Power of Beauty: A Tool for Success

Heroines in these fairytales are able to successfully escape their tragic lifestyles all because of the power their beauty provides them. Both tales depict the transition of heroines from their unhappy, dysfunctional situations to their happily ever after. In Cinderella, Cinderella is able to escape the plight of her stepmother and stepsisters because of her inner and inner beauty. In the fairytale, Cinderella is made beautiful enough to attend the ball that her stepmother and stepsisters attend as well. Cinderella’s humble, serving, and caring heart allow her to attend the ball. The beauty of her character gives her the power she needs to make her attendance to the ball a reality. The white pigeons dress her in “a gold and silver dress and silk slippers embroidered with silver. She looked so beautiful in her golden dress that her sisters and stepmother did not recognize her and thought that she must be a foreign princess” (Grimm 470). Cinderella’s seemingly ordinary appearance is transformed with the help of the white pigeon enhancing her existent inner and outer beauty. Without Cinderella’s inner beauty she would not have been able to attend the ball. Her inner beauty made her deserve enough to be made beautiful and attending the ball; it was the source of the power she needed. Her outer beauty caused her to be noticed by the prince which eventually led to her escape from her unhappy home. The prince is so drawn to her beauty at the ball that “whenever someone asked her to dance, he said, ‘She’s my partner’” (Grimm 471). The prince would not have noticed Cinderella if she looked like any other ordinary woman in the kingdom. Her astonishing presence and appearance were her power seeing that she was able to keep the Prince’s interest.

The Consequences of Absence of Beauty

Beauty is not the only trait which reaps consequences. In Cinderella, her stepsisters and stepmother are “rewarded” for their ugly inner appearance. Throughout the tale it is observed that her stepsisters and stepmother do not treat Cinderella as family or even as a friend. She is more like a stranger in her own home. Her stepmother and stepsisters constantly order her around. “’Comb out our hair, brush our shoes, and fasten our buckles!’ they said. ‘We’re going to the wedding at the king’s castle.’” (Grimm 469). Not only did her stepsisters order her around, her stepmother spoke to her as if she was the maid rather than family. “’You Cinderella!’ she said. ‘You’re all dusty and dirty, and yet you want to go to the wedding?’” (Grimm’s 469). This continuous mistreatment finally ends when Cinderella leaves her dreadful home to live with the prince. As royalty, she is able to choose the fate of her stepsisters and stepmother who treated her so poorly. Their ugly personality and ugly behavior towards Cinderella results in their punishment. “They were punished with blindness for the rest of their lives due to their wickedness and malice” (Grimm 473). Just as Cinderella is rewarded because of her beauty, the ugly personalities of her stepmother and stepsister results in consequences. “While beauty is often rewarded, lack of beauty is punished” (Baker-Sperry 719). The lack of respect, courtesy, and compassion Cinderella’s stepmother and stepsisters show her is a direct reflection of their absence of inner beauty. Ultimately, their lack of beauty is cause for their punishment unlike beauty which results in reward.

Cinderella is not the only fairytale where beauty is constantly emphasized. The title of the tale Sleeping Beauty is a main indicator that this characteristic is so important. Before the tale is even read, the reader knows that beauty will be one of the main themes explored in the tale. Like Cinderella, the main heroine’s reward stems from the power her beauty supplies. In Sleeping Beauty, the heroine’s ability to awaken from her deep sleep is derived from her beauty. A young prince travels to Sleeping Beauty’s castle to rescue her after he learns that “the most beautiful princess that has ever been seen is in that castle” (Perrault 691). The prince hearing that Sleeping Beauty is “the most beautiful princess,” motivates him to awaken her from her sleep. If he had heard that she was the ugliest princess, he would have not ventured to the castle to save her from her deep sleep. Even if the prince had traveled to the castle not knowing of Sleeping Beauty’s appearance, he would not want to marry her upon arriving at the castle discovering she was not beautiful. “Many tales connote goodness with industriousness, and both with beauty, and characters are ‘rewarded’ for their hard work” (Baker-Sperry 719). Both heroines in each fairytale are extremely beautiful. Their beauty motivates the princes to save them from their circumstances which results in the reward of escaping their tragic realties.

Critics on the Emphasis of Beauty in Fairytales

Critics and readers may argue that the power of the female heroine and whether or not she experiences a reward does not depend on her beauty. Some may say that a heroine’s wit, cunning attitude, and use of language are the reasons why she has the ability to be rewarded and exist in a happily ever after. But how can wit, a cunning attitude, and use of language be of any use if these heroines go unnoticed by the males aiming to save them from their misery? Without beauty, none of these traits would be beneficial to the female heroine. The source of the female heroine’s success comes from her ability to entice and catch the eye of her “male savior” which can only be done through beauty not wit, a cunning attitude, or language. In both stories neither Sleeping Beauty nor Cinderella communicated with either prince before being rewarded by being saved from their catastrophic lives. Sleeping Beauty was unable to speak since she was in such a deep sleep. Cinderella never attempted to use language to go against her stepmother’s or stepsisters’ orders. Language cannot be deemed as a source of power if it is useless. Both heroines were completely passive in the tales. From start to finish Cinderella robotically served her stepmother and stepsisters who were always demanding of her. Sleeping Beauty lay asleep helplessly for years until the prince came to save her. Their wit and cunning attitude could not have possibly influenced their success in being rewarded. The only explanation that can account for their reward is their beauty. The power of their beauty was the backbone in saving these heroines from their despair.

Conclusion: The Timeless Influence of Beauty in Feminine Roles

There is no doubt that the ultimate source of a woman’s power is her beauty. The emphasis of this radiant physical trait epitomizes its importance. The tales Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella clearly demonstrate that the power of a woman comes from her unfailing beauty which conclusively allows for reward. Incessant references to beauty contribute to this ideal countless time throughout the tales. Not only is beauty the source of power but in turn all traits of a woman can essentially be neglected. No other trait is nearly important as beauty if it does not allow for the same amount of power; beauty is necessary in being rewarded. All of the good things which occur in the lives of these heroines happen because of their beauty. Without this trait, the destiny of these heroines would have not been so prosperous. In society today, those who are beautiful are often more well off because of opportunities and rewards their attractiveness provides. The idea that beauty is power continues to present itself in today’s society. These tales became the blueprint for a feminist ideal which may surely continue for centuries to come.

The differences between “Cinderella” stories are caused by the particular historical context of when they were produced. First, a very blatant variation between the Grimm version and the Perrault version is the fate the step sisters suffer at the end of the stories. In the former’s version, “for their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished with blindness as long as they lived.” (Grimm) while in the latter’s version “[Cinderella] forgave them with all her heart, and wanted them always to love her.”(Perrault). Another difference between these stories is that a godmother is present in the Perrault story working miracles while birds are doing the same in the Grimm version. These variations in the tales can be explained as religion was way more present in the time of Perrault’s story furthermore explaining the presence of forgiveness and a godmother. When the Grimm brother wrote their story, Europe was going through tough timed which are expressed in the story through the dark ending (Aubin et al.). All of these variations show how the time in which each story was written, impacted its content.

Cinderella’s slipper is symbolic as it shows the importance of religion in the stories. In the Disney and Perrault tales, Cinderella’s slipper is in glass and in the Grimm version her slipper is silver at first, representing purity. The purity demonstrated by the slippers can be linked to chastity, which is one of the 7 Christian virtues. Later on in Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm’s Cinderella, her slippers become “of pure gold” (Grimm) symbolizing faith and loyalty (Przybyla) , most probably towards God, once again proving the impact religion had in these different versions. Although the slippers are in different materials in some of the different versions, their symbol always comes back to the same thing, religion which demonstrates the impact it had on the time of the stories.

There are different indicators as to when and where the various “Cinderella” stories take place. In the Disney version, we can interpret that the story took place around the 19th century, as the king asks the prince and Cinderella to dance to the waltz, which only became popular in that timeframe (Waltz). As for the place, it must be a kingdom in Europe, the hint is given by there being a duke which were only present in Europe. In Perrault’s version, indications such as “Mademoiselle de la Poche” (Perrault) show us that the story most probably takes place in France. Also, the strong presence of religion with the message that nothing is attainable “without the blessing of a godmother or godfather” (Perrault) leads us to think that the story was written around the 17th century during Louis XIV’s reign, who highly praised God (Louis XIV). In the Grimm version, we know the story takes place around “the king’s castle” (Grimm) but it is difficult to tell where but knowing that “a dim little oil-lamp” is in the story we can say that it took place many years back. Finally, through various historical elements in these works we can approximate the time and place in which these stories take place.

Our world today is one filled with hate, wars and individuals seeking vengeance. Although we are taught to live in peace with the world, the majority of people will always seek to even their scores with others who are giving them a hard time. When looking around, all we see are wars being answered with wars and hate being answered with hate, but if we were to be more loving and caring individuals, we would all live much happier lives, showing furthermore how everyone ends up getting what they give. In Walt Disney’s “Cinderella”, we see through Cinderella’s eventual happiness and her step-sisters bitterness that what goes around comes around and it is pointless to waste time on revenge.

Life is not only about success and failures; it is also about the adaptation of positivity and perseverance in traumatic conditions. Human nature is prone to success, failures, depressions, and traumas coming to and fro in life; the way we overcome the traumas and troubles in life with hope and determination is what really matters. It is called as “Resilience”. The term “Resilience” means “bounce back to normal”. The word ‘Resilience’ originated from the Latin word “resilire” or “to leap back”. In The Oxford dictionary of English defined resilience as “being able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions”. It has been used in various disciplines such as engineering, ecology, economics and psychology.

Resilience is a huge term in Positive Psychology. In defining resilience, there are many definitions being applied to the various fields. In Psychology, “Psychological resilience has been characterized by the ability to bounce back from negative emotional experiences and by flexible adaptations to the changing demands of stressful experiences” (320).In Literature, Resilience is defined as the ability of an entity to recover or bounce back from the traumatic effects of human threats.

In the book, “Handbook of Positive Psychology”, Seligman states that, Positive psychology aims at the change in psychology from a pre-occupational notion not only with repairing the worst things in life but also in building the best qualities in life. The field of positive psychology can be categorized in to three levels such as subjective level, individual level and group level. At the subjective level, it is about wellbeing, satisfaction, joy, sensual pleasures, happiness, optimism, hope and faith. At the individual level, it focuses on the positive personal traits such as love, courage, interpersonal skills, resilience, forgiveness, perseverance, high talent and wisdom. At the group level, it is about the responsibility, moderation, civility, tolerance that moves the individuals towards better nation. Resilience comes under the individual level which focuses on the individual who are facing a risk and the ability to getting out of it with courage and perseverance.

In the 1960’s and 1970’s, developmental psychologists turned their attention to research on how some children managed to emerge from the traumatic conditions in and around the family or society. In the year 1973, Emmy Werner, one of the early scientist conducted a study on resilience. She studied a unit of children from Kauai, Hawaii. Kauai was a poor and affected village in which most of the children grew up with alcoholic or mentally ill or unemployed parents. Werner found out that of the children who grew up in these harmful situations, two- third of the children exhibited destructive behaviours in their teen years such as chronic unemployment, substance abuse and out of wed-lock births. However, one third of these children did not exhibit any such behaviours, instead they grew up successfully in those adverse situations. So Werner called the latter group ‘resilient’. Individuals who suffer from adversity or any risk factor instead of feeling low or depressed, affected individuals, instill hope and determination overcame the stress and became successful at the end.

Resilience research focused on what led some individuals to avoid traumatic stress and aimed to identify personal qualities differentiating the other individuals who were affected in the traumas. In Literature, especially in the genre of fiction, there are characters who were suffering physically and mentally, some couldn’t able to withstand the crisis and fall prey whereas some with hope overcome the crisis and are resilient in life. Resilience research is an evolving concept in literature, in which the characters are being analyzed in the point of view of resilience.

This study aims at analyzing the main character of the autobiographical novel called Chinese Cinderella written by Adeline Yen Mah. Adeline Yen Mah is a Chinese-American author and a physician. She is born and brought up in Tianjin, China. She is known for her autobiography Falling Leaves. Her second work Chinese Cinderella talks about the life of Adeline as a fourteen year old girl who faces lot of troubles and tortures in her family, and finally she breaks out all the barriers and emerged as a resilient child.

As it is an autobiographical novel, the plot centers upon the life of a fourteen year old girl Adeline who was treated as a curse for the family because her mother died after her birth. Her only solace is her Aunt Baba, who treated Adeline like her own daughter. As soon as her mother died, her father remarries a French woman, who is called as ‘Niang’ (mother) in mandarin Chinese. Adeline was physically and mentally tortured by her step mother and her brothers. She is the only target for entertainment in her family. When the novel opens, Adeline is only four years old. Adeline loves her school and she feels that there is finally a place where she is accepted and loved by her classmates. One day she won a silver medal and a certificate for topping the class, but no one in her family appreciated her except Aunt Baba. She was proud of Adeline and stored her medal in a safe deposit box as it is a precious jewel. When no one in the family acknowledged her, Aunt Baba is the only source of her happiness.

Adeline’s father was transferred to Shanghai, so their family shifted to the new area in Shanghai. Adeline started her first grade in a new school. On the first day while returning from school, she eventually forgot the way to her home. Hours went by, her family totally forgot her existence. A shopkeeper noticed Adeline and helped her to call her father to reach home. At her seventh grade in Sacred Heart School, she befriends Wu Chun mei who is a fiery athlete. Adeline and Chun mei shares a beautiful friendship. One day Chun mei lends Adeline a book named “A Little Princess”, it was about a little girl escaping poverty by hard work which gives hope for Adeline in which she says that “If I tried hard enough to become a princess like Sara Crewe, perhaps, I, too, might one day reverse everyone’s poor opinion of me.”(77)

Her brothers’ cruelty had increased when one day Adeline won her composition in a Children’s writing competition. When she returned from school her brothers wanted her to join them. Out of blue her brothers treated her royally and asked her to drink orange juice as the weather is very hot. As she was treated royally, it leads to her suspicion at first. Her brothers said that they are giving a reward for winning the competition. At first she hesitates to drink and because of the compulsion of her brothers, she drinks the juice. When she sips the juice, she could feel the disgusting smell of urine. Her brothers had mixed their urine in the juice and they were rolling in laughter while she drank the juice. She bursted into tears and felt broken by the behavior of her brothers, but still she doesn’t lose her hope on herself.

In the class election, Adeline is elected as a class president. This made her to realize the worth of her. Adeline says that, “Though my parents tell me I’m worthless, I’ve proved them wrong! Of all the girls in my class, my classmates chose me to be their class president…..I’m not worthless”(143). In spite of being elected as president, her classmates throw a surprise party and visit her house without Adeline’s knowledge. Niang gets angry and kicks everyone out of the house and punishes Adeline badly. This incident makes Niang to send Adeline to a boarding school.

Adeline is sent to St. Joseph’s Boarding school in Tianjin and she was left to be the only student in the school. She received no letters and no visitors from her family. One day Niang’s Older Sister Aunt Reine took her to Hong Kong with the rest of her family. But Adeline’s return didn’t make Niang angry but avoided her at all costs. After the vacation, Adeline was sent back to another boarding school called Sacred Heart. She was left all alone in the school without any care or love from her family. When every girl leaves the school for summer vacation, but nobody comes to pick up Adeline, so she stays all alone in the school. Adeline had suffered with pneumonia and taken home by her father. She learned that her brothers were sent to England for further studies and she was scared that her parents will make her to marry a stranger and stop her to study further. Adeline was sent back to the boarding school and yet the holidays haven’t finished, she spent all the days in the library. Suddenly she had an idea to join the play writing competition which was open for all the students in the world. At first, she was reluctant and afraid but Mother Louisa encouraged her to take part in the competition. After the competition, she didn’t receive any information about the results. She felt disappointed.

One day Adeline was called home for Ye Ye’s funeral and she felt devastated by the death of her grandfather. As she was waiting for the result, she was called home by her father. She was very scared that her father will make her marry but to the surprise her father expressed his pride and happiness on winning the competition. As a reward, her father gave her permission to letting her study further in England. After four years, Adeline received a letter from Aunt Baba stating that she felt so proud of her and told her the story of Ye Xian who was called as ‘Chinese Cinderella’. But Aunt Baba after telling the story she called Adeline as “Chinese Cinderella”.

In the Aunt Baba’s letter, she states that, “Like Ye Xian you have defied the odds and garnered triumph through your own efforts” (255). Through school and education, Adeline gained confidence in trusting herself and she believed that she had the potential to change her life amidst all odds even though her family let her down. When the novel begins she was an unwanted daughter, but to the last she turned as a wanted daughter by proving her worth. Adeline emerged as a resilient child amidst all odds. Resilience is how an individual gets back to normal and how he overcame the stress and succeeds at the end, as it is similar with Adeline in Chinese Cinderella who broke out all the barriers which came on her way. Troubles and challenges makes life interesting and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful. The goal of resilience is to thrive not to wither.

Works Cited

1. Compton, William C. An Introduction to Positive Psychology. Thomson / Wadsworth, 2005.
2. Hand, Michael P. Psychological Resilience: the Influence of Positive and Negative Life
3. Events upon Optimism , Hope, and Perceived Locus of Control. VDM Verlag, 2008.
4. Lopez, Shane.J., and Charles R. Snyder. Handbook of Positive Psychology. Oxford Univ. Press,2011.
5. Mah, Adeline Yen. Chinese Cinderella. Puffin Books, 2015.

Cinderella is a story that many people know and love. In “America’s Cinderella” Jane Yolen argues that the American Cinderella that is loved and adored by many is wrong. Yolen explains that true Cinderella stories entail a number of themes and incidents. Yolen says that the themes are “riches recovered” (21), “rich person rescued from improper enslavement”(21) , and a “shrewd and practical person winning a share of power”(21). Her incidents include: “a scene with a radiant display” (21), “aid of a magical gift or advice from a helper” (21), “ill treated but worthy heroine in disguise, recognition through token” (21). Many movies, and books fits the criteria Yolen deems necessary for a story to truly be a Cinderella story. One of the many films that meets the criteria for a Cinderella story is titled Slumdog Millionaire. The main character Jamal is the Cinderella figure in the movie because he is rescued from improper enslavement, he is very shrewd and practical, and he has riches that are recovered.

The movie Slumdog Millionaire is about Jamal Malik, a boy from Mumbai, India. Early in the movie Jamal is seen enjoying life, playing with his brothers and friends when suddenly his town is attacked and his mother is killed. Jamal and his brother take to living on the streets where he meets a girl named Latika. They were kidnapped by a group of men who essentially kidnapped, and pimped out kids that they knew people would not miss like Jamal. Jamal loses his brother because of this, not in a physical way but he lost his brother mentally. His brother, Salim soon became involved in a life of criminal activities, women and drugs. Jamal worked odd jobs after escaping the ‘Camp,’ but he could not save the girl he loved, Latika so he was alone. Eventually Jamal made it to the show “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and surprisingly won. Shortly after his radiant display Jamal was arrested, because how could some uneducated kid from the slums of Mumbai possibly have literal million dollar answers? Jamal in the end recovers everything that he had ever lost and then an additional abundance.

One of the criteria Yolen says is necessary to be a true Cinderella story is for “the rich person to escape improper enslavement”. Jamal and his brother were kidnapped by a gangster named Maman. They were kept in a compound filled with kids. All who were forced to sing on the street and beg for money. One night Maman and his goons were making boys sing and then blinding them. Jamal was asked to sing for the men and could have possibly been blinded and so he and his brother took it upon themselves to blind one of the goons and run. Though some may argue that the boys were not in a much better situation in the streets, freedom is much better than forced work and the risk of losing one of your senses. Yolen says “She makes intelligent decisions for she knows that wishing solves nothing without the concomitant action.” (23), which Jamal also exhibits. Jamal did not sit around and simply hope that they choose not to blind him, or that for some reason if they do blind him then maybe it would only be temporary. He knows that these are dangerous people so he does what he has to do in order to escape.

Yolen also says that the character must be “shrewd and practical” in order to be a cinderella figure. Jamal proves that he is very shrewd and practical several times throughout the movie. His escaping of the prison can be seen as shrewd and practical judgement because he had to think out how to correctly execute his escape or he would have died. Another example of Jamal’s shrewdness can be seen by him going on the game show “Who Wants to be a millionaire”. Unlike most people Jamal did not go on this show because he wanted millions of dollars. He knew that because of his background it was extremely unlikely that he would actually win the show. He went on the show as a somewhat desperate attempt for the woman he loves, Latika. As he is being interrogated by the police he states “I went on because, I knew she’d be watching” (Beaufoy). Jamal knew that it would be dangerous to try to take Latika away from the dangerous criminal who was essentially holding her hostage, so he reached out to her in the only way that he knew possible. This proves that Jamal is practical because he did not risk his life. It also shows that he thinks things thoroughly out before executing anything.

Another one of Yolens criteria that Jamal meets is “riches recovered”. Jamal’s riches were not monetary. He was never rich, he was always a boy from the slums. He did however have a loving family. Early on Jamal lost his mother in a village raid. He then lost his brother to a life of crime. As if that was not enough tragedy, Jamal lost the girl that he loved over and over again to bad men who happened to have guns. Though Jamal does win the money those are not his riches. Him being able to be with Latika once again is his riches being returned to him. He once again had ‘family’ that loved him. Though all of his biological family was dead, he was no longer alone. He was able to share life with someone else once again. He had experienced so much lost that the money no longer mattered to him. He never even had money to recover because he had always been poor.The money was just an extra something that he benefited but in all actuality if he had of lost that game show he would have still been happy because he recovered the one that he loved which was all that mattered him.

The final criteria of Yolen’s that is met by Jamal is a “scene of radiant display”. Jamal’s scene of radiant display is not when he won the game show obviously because he was arrested shortly thereafter. His scene of radiant display is at the end of the movie as he and Latika perform an intricate bollywood dance number. This is his radiant display not only because he is with the woman he loves and has longed for, but this is one of the only times the viewer can see Jamal being jovial. Life had run him so into the ground that throughout much of the movie he looks sad and alone. In this part of the movie they are dressed in colorful garb, laughing, dancing, and smiling. This is his radiant display because he is finally allotted true happiness.

Yolen’s criteria narrows down what can and can not be categorized as a Cinderella movie. Slumdog Millionaire fortunately meets many of the criteria laid out by Yolen. Jamal is an unconventional ideal of Cinderella but in the end he received what was rightfully his. He was a “rich person who escapes improper enslavement”, “shrewd and practical”, and his riches were recovered. Cinderella is not the typical abused step daughter, but anyone boy or girl who meets the criteria laid out by Yolen.

Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella is the twenty-first century because it reflects feminist ideals, conveys an updated message of love, and explores the duality of human nature.

In most of the stories analyzed in class the Cinderella character was subservient and very passive. However, the 2015 Cinderella is feminist in many ways. One aspect of the movie is that she is intellectual. In most if not all of her conversations with the prince she points out the wrongness of some traditions. During the stag hunt she questions why they hunt the stag and the prince replies“It’s what’s done,” to which she proclaims, “just because it’s what’s done doesn’t mean it’s what should be done”. this makes both the prince and the audience think about what what traditions are old and need to be revitalized. Another, feminist aspect of Cinderella is that she is not afraid to speak her mind. As previously seen she has no problem speaking her mind to someone who works in the castle. Even after finding out that Kit is the prince, Cinderella has no problem reprimanding him and telling him to stand up for what he believes in even if it goes against his father. She doesn’t shy away from verbal spars. A really great aspect that this Cinderella has is that she knows who she is and she doesn’t lose herself under the cruelty of her stepmother. When she meets the prince for the first time she has already established herself as someone who doesn’t break under mistreatment, someone who loves and forgives, someone who stands up for what is right. She forgives her stepmother at the end of the movie not because she asked for forgiveness but because Cinderella is the kind of person who forgives. The 2015 Cinderella is reflective of many feminist ideals in many aspects of the movie and her personality without offending or attacking the audience.

In the twenty-first century it is often taught that you shouldn’t love somebody based solely on their looks or status. The first meeting between Kit and Cinderella is more focused on Cinderella’s caring personality and her unique perspective than her beauty. Her compassion for the stag and perspective on traditions makes the prince actually think and consider her words. The fact that they meet prior to the ball is significant and establishes that their infatuation with each other isn’t based on beauty or status. It’s significant because sparks don’t fly as soon as they meet. Their infatuation is gradual between the first, second, and third meeting between Cinderella and Kit. She gives him a breath of fresh air which he likes about her. At the ball when Kit’s identity is revealed to be the prince she only seems to care about how he lied to her about who he was and not about his status. To her all that matters is if his personality was genuine. At the end of the movie, Cinderella comes right out and ask if the prince that if the shoe does fit would he take her as she is and love her for her personality even though she has no kingdom or dowry. His response is to say yes, to put the slipper on her, and to marry her. One of the major messages of the movie is to love for personality and not for beauty of status.

In nature, specifically human nature, good and evil are always at a constant struggle but it isn’t always clear what is evil or or what is good. It has become popular in modern-day fairy tales that the villain is justified. In the movie the stepmother is justified for her treatment of Cinderella when she overhears her husband proclaim his adoration of Cinderella and how much he misses his first wife. The reason behind her cruelty is also revealed to be because she broke when her first husband died and is now trying to make the best for her own daughters. The juxtaposition between Cinderella and Lady Tremaine establishes the good versus evil aspect of the movie. However, unlike most of the Cinderella stories gone over in class where Lady Tremaine has no justification for her cruel actions, the director choses to give the audience a reason for her cruelty. A specific example of the duality of human nature that is explored by the movie is the cruelty among women. Such cruelty is explored in the relationships between the stepsisters and Cinderella as well as the stepmother and Cinderella. The stepsisters are jealous of Cinderella’s beauty and kindness no matter how mean they are. They give her a cruel name, Cinderwench, and mock her with their gowns. Though an argument can be made that their behavior is learned from their mother who turns Cinderella into a servant. Lady Tremaine, the stepmother, is envious of Cinderella because she can maintain her kind personality and childish innocence even after the death of her father and being locked in the attic. When Lady Tremaine, suffered such a tragedy she became jaded and lost her faith in love. She is such a bully due to the fact that to her Cinderella represents what she could have been. The duality of human nature and the uncertainty of good and evil is highlighted by the 2015 Cinderella movie.

The twenty-first ideas and morals of society of feminism, love, and human nature in Kenneth Branagh’s Cinderella are highly contrasted with the stories written by Basile, and Perrault.

The story commences with the introduction of four characters who live in a small village in a far-off kingdom at the edge of the woods and all of them have very important wishes. The Narrator first introduces a fair maiden called Cinderella, who really wants to go to the King’s festival but is unable to go because her evil Stepmother and Stepsisters called Florinda and Lucinda laugh and joke at even the idea of her going to a ball. The Narrator then introduces a young boy called Jack who wishes his beloved cow, which is also his best friend, would give him some milk. Milky White is no longer giving milk which leads Jack’s Mother to force him to sell the cow as they need money to buy food to survive. The narrator then introduces the Baker and the Baker’s Wife who wish to have a child, as they desire to start a family. The Narrator then introduces a little girl who is very hungry and always wears a red cape and is called ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. She goes into the Bakery and wishes for bread, pastries and pies. The Baker and his Wife give her even more treats than she asked for, before embarking on her journey to visit her ill Grandmother. Cinderella calls on the help from birds in the sky to help her clear up the lentils that her horrible Stepmother thrown on the floor as one of her chores promising she could then go to the festival. The Witch informs the Baker and his wife that it was in fact the Baker’s Father who stole the magic beans from her garden. This was when the Baker’s Mother was pregnant with his long-lost sister Rapunzel. The Witch then unveils that she has cast a spell upon the Baker’s family to always be barren as the magic beans kept the Witch looking like her beautiful past self. The Witch offered to reverse the curse if they brought her within 3 days a white cow, a red cape, some yellow hair and a slipper made of pure gold. Cinderella then makes her way into the woods. Jack also sets off for the woods to try to sell his cow and so does the Baker with six beans in his pocket that he found in his Father’s jacket.

Cinderella goes to see her Mother’s grave in the woods and repeats her wish and magically she is dressed in a ball gown ready to go to the festival. Little Red Riding hood is approached by the Wolf who takes her on a detour through the woods. The Baker sees Jack with Milky White and he buys the cow off of him for 5 beans. Rapunzel’s Prince spies on Rapunzel in her tower as she hears her sing a beautiful song and he plans to pursue her. The Baker rescues both Little Red Riding Hood and Little Red Riding Hood’s Grandmother as they had been swallowed by the Wolf. She gives him her red cape as a thank you gift. Jack’s Mother finds out that he sold the cow for some beans and she angrily throws them on the ground which then grow into a giant beanstalk. Cinderella quicky escapes the ball after the prince has pursued her as she is scared that he will not want to be with her if he finds out who she really is. The Baker’s Wife spots Cinderella in the woods so she tries to steal a golden slipper from her and ends up losing the cow. Jack gives the Baker the gold that he collected from the top of the beanstalk in order to buy back his cow. Then a mysterious man appears from nowhere and steals the gold from the Baker and the Baker’s Wife cuts off a piece of Rapunzel’s golden hair. The man then gives Milky White back to the Baker but then the cow shortly dies. The Witch cuts all of Rapunzel’s hair off and banishes her after she finds out she has been visited by a prince. Cinderella has mixed emotions about being pursued by a prince so she does not know whether to stay at the festival or leave. Her slippers are stuck in goo on the steps of the palace so she leaves the prince a golden slipper behind as a clue. She then swiftly leaves the palace once again and trades shoes with the Baker’s Wife in the woods. Jack kills the giant at the top of the beanstalk and the beanstalk falls to the ground. The Baker then finds another cow so now the Baker and his Wife have all 4 items so the Witch appears but discovers that new cow is of no use. The Witch brings Milky White back to life and instructs the Baker to feed the 4 items to the cow to produce to potion. The cow fails to produce milk as the Witch has touched Rapunzel’s hair so she instructs the Baker to feed the cow some corn silk which the Mysterious Man offers to give the Baker. Milky White then produces milk and the Witch informs the Baker that the Mysterious man who has been helping him is in fact his Father. The Witch drinks the potion and she returns back to her younger self. The Baker’s Father passes away and the curse has been lifted. Jack is now reunited with Milky White and they carry on their friendship now laden without gold and Cinderella’s prince gets married to Cinderella. Rapunzel’s Prince marries Rapunzel and the Witch’s powers are gone so she can’t control Rapunzel anymore. Cinderella’s ugly Stepsister are blinded pigeons and the Baker’s becomes nine months pregnant.

The Narrator then continues that everyone lives a happy ever after until the characters have new wishes. Jack wishes to be back at the top of the beanstalk, Cinderella wants more excitement in her life at the palace and the Baker’s Wife wants a bigger home for their son. The Giantess crushes the Baker’s house and the Witch’s garden as she has come for revenge to kill Jack as she slaughtered her husband. The Baker goes to Jack’s house to tell him what has happened, Jack’s Mother refuses to help the Baker but Jack goes out to investigate despite what his mother said. The Baker and his Wife escort Little Red Riding Hood through the woods when they find out she is moving into her Grandmother’s house as her home was destroyed. Cinderella goes to her Mother’s grave once again and Rapunzel flees to the woods as she has gone insane. The two Princes confess they are both having affairs with Snow White and Sleeping Beauty. The Giantess appears and the characters offer the Narrator as a sacrifice to the Giantess and she becomes angrier when Jack’s Mother defends Jack. Jack’s Mother accidentally gets killed by the Steward and the Giantess commences a search to kill Jack as the Steward tells the Giantess that Jack is hiding in Rapunzel’s tower. The Giantess ends up trampling on Rapunzel and killing her and the Witch mourns over her death. The Witch goes to turn Jack in to the Giantess so the Baker and his Wife give their son to Little Red Riding Hood to look after as they go into the woods to save Jack.

The Baker’s Wife has a brief affair with Cinderella’s Prince in the woods and the Baker invites Cinderella to join his group when he sees her at her Mothers grave which has now been ruined by the Giantess. The Baker’s Wife gets killed by the Giantess and Jack reports to the rest of the group that she is dead. The characters all blame one another for the death of the Baker’s Wife. To slay the Giantess the Baker, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood and Jack come up with a plan to lure her into a pit of tar where she would fall over and die. Cinderella is the with the Baker’s child and breaks up with the prince due to his unfaithfulness. Little Red Riding Hood’s Grandmother dies. The Baker and Cinderella explain to Little Red Riding Hood and Jack that they are now orphans. The Giantess lost her glasses which led her to walking into the pit and falling and dying. The four become a family together with Cinderella and the Baker becoming the responsible adults. The ghost of the Baker’s Wife motivates her grieving Husband to look after their son and to tell him their story. The musical ends with the Witch offering one last lesson.