The most well-known fairy tale, Cinderella. |
Summary
The fairy tale of Cinderella is one of the most prominent fairy tales in history. The tale follows a young woman, Cinderella, who finds herself battling disadvantageous circumstances, her evil stepmother, and time. The tale starts off with Cinderella being thrown into the position of the house servant by her evil stepmother and two step-sisters. They treat her poorly but Cinderella remains positive. The tale goes onto Cinderella attending the Prince Charming’s ball thanks to her fairy godmother and catching the attention of the young prince. Cinderella leaves her life of being pushed around by her evil stepmother and sisters and gets married to the prince and lives happily ever after.
Reinterpretations for A Modern Audience
The tale of Cinderella is commonly known to be countlessly reinterpreted through the big screen. This is due to its relevancy in today’s world. The idea of one facing countless hardships in his/her life and being able to move past those hardships in the end by remaining true to oneself is a theme quite appealing the younger audiences, mainly teens. This is due to the fact that teens face related problems at this stage in their lives and identify with Cinderella’s story. The most recent reinterpretation is found to be the most recent and have the highest degree of accuracy to its original. This reinterpretation is known as Cinderella, a 2017 live-action film based on the famous tale. Countless more reinterpretations of the tale can be found in film, TV, and books.
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Overall Lesson
Among the many important lessons and universal truths found in Cinderella, the overall lesson of the tale is to believe in yourself and persevere. This tale demonstrates many hardships coming one’s way and the importance of believing in yourself. The elements of fantasy and fairy tale that can be found contributing to teach this lesson include poverty, royalty, evil characters, magic, enchantment, and good beginnings/endings. Cinderella, being the central focus of the tale, is seen as the incredibly kind, gentle and naïve protagonist. Cinderella’s stepmother portrays the evil character— the one responsible for the many hardships coming Cinderella’s way. Cinderella’s fairy godmother can be seen as the magical and enchanting aspect of the story, as she offers Cinderella the proper attire to help her attend Prince Charmings’s ball. The royalty can be found in the King and Prince Charming. Poverty is exemplified in the way Cinderella is forced to serve as a house servant and undertake menial tasks. Cinderella constantly deals with such negativity but perseveres and maintains her good-willed spirit—proving the moral of the story to be true. |