Without the Fairy Godmother
Abstract
Once upon a paradox . . . an opening more appropriate for the tale of Cinderella
considering the difficult position she is in. Time and time again, Cinderella's
transformational journey from maid to princess has been adapted to an ever-changing
audience. In 1812, the Brothers Grimm published a collection of fairy tales, titled
Children's Household Tales, for a nineteenth-century German audience. The story of
Aschenputtel depicts a beautiful young woman as she magically fulfills her dream of
becoming a princess. Erica Silverman put a Jewish twist on this classic in her 1999
picture book titled Raisel's Riddle. The similar stories of Raisel and Aschenputtel
reinforce ideas of womanhood through their significant roles in the home and driving
desire to marry a wealthy prince. At first, both must obey a strong female character and
become responsible for running households on their own. Despite their pure hearts and
beautiful faces, neither Raisel nor Aschenputtel can capture the love of a prince without
magical intervention. Their domestic duties create an unattractiveness that leaves them
only dreaming for marriage. Ironically, they must inhabit this stained social position
to fulfill one area of womanhood: the domestic queen. However, this domestic work
negates any efforts to fulfill the criteria for women to be beautiful and poised enough
for marriage. All that is womanly remains tied to marriage for Raisel and Aschenputtel.
They become undesirable through their physical labor as women but must leave their
true identities behind to earn their happily ever afters.
Subject
Cinderella
Fairy tales
Children's literature
The Brothers Grimm
Permanent Link
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1793/70977Citation
Volume VII, December 2012, pp. 12 - 20