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Cinderella

Fairy tales remain a popular tool of entertainment and education not only for children but also adults. Many fairy tales such as ‘Cinderella’ were written many years ago, but they still remain very relevant today. Disney has turned these tales into popular movies beloved by audiences all over the world. Most fairy tales are meant to be entertaining, but in the end, children should learn a moral story from them. The story of Cinderella has many variants depending on culture, but many of the themes remain similar. The main message in the film is that people should persevere in difficult situations as they will eventually triumph, a lesson that remains relevant to people of all ages to date.

Cinderella is a young lady living with her stepmother and sisters who mistreat her. She is confined to working in the kitchen, always decked out in rags. Her sisters, on the other hand, wore the most elegant clothes and they never have to do any work around the house. They, along with their mother, treat Cinderella like a servant and she is not allowed to go anywhere with them (Campbell 12). Cinderella lost her mother at a young age before her father remarried but later dies, leaving her with her stepmother. After her father’s death, the stepmother and her daughters mistreat Cinderella as they please as she has no one to defend her. One reason for this mistreatment is that Cinderella is much prettier than her stepsisters, and this is a cause of their jealousy. They will not allow her to go to any balls as she has no proper clothes. However, one night a fairy godmother appears and grants Cinderella her wish to go a ball thrown by the prince. The prince falls in love with her and looks for her all over the kingdom. They get married and live happily ever after.

The moral of the story is that no matter how unfairly and cruelly a person is treated, they will eventually overcome their challenges. It also teaches people to believe even when things seem impossible. In the film, Cinderella suffers a lot, and she has no hope for a better future. She thinks she will always be a housemaid for her stepmother and stepsister as there is no one to help her after the death of her parents. In writing the story, the author thinks that Cinderella’s situation is quite unfair, and this is why she gets a happy ending. She gets to attend a ball although her stepmother would not allow her to, and she ends up marrying the prince. Cinderella thinks very little of herself, and this is because her stepmother and sisters have always made her feel inferior. She feels this way because no one has ever paid any attention to her; she does not realize how beautiful she is. Stepmothers are stereotypically believed to be wicked and cruel, and this is why Cinderella suffers under her stepmother (Whiting et al. 102). The overall themes of the story are patience, kindness, and good versus evil. It is important to persevere in the most difficult challenges as good will always against evil. Those who mistreat and belittle others will end up ashamed.

The message in ‘Cinderella’ is quite relevant even to today’s audiences. When it was first written, the story was to teach young children about the evil that exists in the world, and how good overcomes all evil. Cinderella is an innocent girl who is mistreated by her stepmother and stepsisters, even though she has done them no wrong (Mentari & Wennyta 67). The story was also a lesson for young women to wait patiently for their princes to find them, marry them and make life better. In those days, all young ladies looked forward to marrying a rich, handsome young man, and the story of Cinderella reflects those wishes. The evil stepmother hoped that the prince would marry one of her daughters, but he married Cinderella instead.

People can relate to such unfair situations today as often in life; we are bound to meet with people who mistreat others for no reason. Cinderella is also relevant today because it teaches people to keep up their spirits even in desperate times, as miracles do happen. Cinderella had no hope of ever attending a ball, but her fairy godmother appeared out of nowhere and gave Cinderella all she needed. Another lesson that audiences can take away from the story of Cinderella is that even those in the humblest positions can be lifted higher than they could imagine. Working in a grimy kitchen, Cinderella probably never thoughts that a prince would ever take notice of a servant like her. To her shock, the prince looked for her and never cared how poor she was; he fell in love and married her. The fairy tale is a story of hope and triumph meant to encourage those going through tough times.

In conclusion, ‘Cinderella’ remains a popular fairy tale for people of different ages. Different versions of the story exist all over the world, but the main themes remain the same. Cinderella suffered from her stepmother’s unfair cruelty, but she ended up marrying a prince. The moral of the story is that even those in the direst situations will triumph just as Cinderella did. The story remains relevant today as audiences benefit from lessons such as hope, humility and perseverance shown by the story’s main character.

Works Cited

Campbell, Hayley C. “Cinderella: The Significance and Timeless Nature of a Folkloric Costume Narrative.” (2016).

Mentari, Okania, and Wennyta Wennyta. “PERSONALITY TRAITS: ANALYSIS OF MAIN CHARACTER IN CINDERELLA MOVIE 2015 BY DISNEY.” JELT: Journal of English Language Teaching 3.1 (2019): 61-72.

Whiting, Jason B., et al. “Overcoming the Cinderella myth: A mixed methods study of successful stepmothers.” Journal of Divorce & Remarriage 47.1-2 (2007): 95-109.