How the Story of Cinderella Has Developed over Time - Essay Example

Lecturer: Topic: How the story of Cinderella has developed over time Introduction The fairy tales that are handed down through anumber of cultures and numerous generations possess a huge cultural significance and as long as this is the case, fairy tales will be continually transmitted to provide relative stability to different cultures. They are more than a product of culture since they act as a source of constancy for the cultures they are associated with and they therefore stick as a result of the desire for stability. Transmission of ideas assists in passing on cultures and literature is at the centre of the transmission. Like all other literary tales, Cinderella came from an earlier oral tradition of stories that were recurring in different cultures around the world and they still show a lot of similarity even though the total known variants are more than seven hundred. There are different versions that have been made in to film at various points in time, and they include A Cinderella Story, which was a film that was directed Mark Rosman in 2004, Another Cinderella Story that was produced by Damon Santostefano in 2008 and Ever After: A Cinderella Story that was directed by Andy Tennant in 1999. Some versions that are in the form of books are The Rough Face Girl that was written by Rafe Martin and came out in 1992 as well as The Egyptian Cinderella, which was written by Shirley Climo. Strength of the Cinderella character In all the versions of the Cinderella stories, the heroines are portrayed to be living in the middle to upper class societies and having loving fathers that are proper to their characters, birth as well as other traits but who ultimately leave or are forced out in one way or another. The heroines therefore, must prove themselves and participate in adventures or engage in work that will enable them to go back to the class and environment that they are familiar with. In the contemporary versions of the fairy tale the actresses that play the part are with no doubt beautiful, the attention is mainly drawn to the strength they possess, their knowledge as well as integrity as characters who are in charge of their own fates. The main difference that exists between the Cinderella tales that exist in the contemporary times and the cultural Cinderella is that they are set in varying times but the similarities in the tales outweigh the differences. All the central characters have a distinct visual appeal to her that makes her unique and stand out. For instance in Another Cinderella Story, Mary has hair that is dark brown in color while the others have hair of a lighter shade. The Rough-Faced Girl on the other hand depicts a girl that is covered with scars all over the body who is mended by an invisible being who is a prince. Even through all the dissimilarities that these women have from the rest of the characters in the movies and books that their tales are depicted in, they still remain strong and fight for what they believe in. none of the women compromises on their objectives and they do not settle for anything less than want they want since they always have something to strive for. A Cinderella Story demonstrates that education is important and is displayed as something that has a lot of significance in Sam’s life. In this contemporary version, Sam is displayed as someone who is an aspiring student who wishes to be enrolled at the Princeton University. In this account, the prince that is always depicted in the Cinderella stories is replaced by the notion of having a good education, which generates a sense of identity in the character. Every Cinderella has her own brave journey that is taken in order to succeed but in most of the cases they are not alone since they have helpers who are as strong as the princesses themselves that encourage them. As the Cinderella tale continues to be modernized, the helpers that are in the tales go through their own evolution and transformation from being depicted as animals to becoming friends. The Cinderella characters appear to go from rags to riches the same way that the older versions of the fairy tale were depicted and in the end of all the versions, the character is able to be reconnected with their parents. All accounts of the Cinderella end when the character is able to discover the truth about their stepmother and they go on to reclaim their identity and hope with their loving parents. A Cinderella Story, shows how the Cinderella character is able to emerge successful even after going through the nasty experiences that are orchestrated by the stepmother. It is a comical modernization of the traditional princess fairy tale where a high school senior known as Samantha Montgomery lives in Los Angeles with her stepmother who is self-obsessed. Fiona tells Sam that she has something to share with her now that she is old enough and goes on to state “youre not very pretty and youre not very bright” and after this she states that she is happy that they were able to have that conversation (A Cinderella Story, 2004). Since she is hired to work at the family diner so that they can be able to save money, her stepmother and her daughters torment her but she has the dream to go and study in Princeton University. This shows what the Cinderella characters go through at the hands of their stepmothers and other people who do not want their success. On the other hand, Another Cinderella story depicts Cinderella as a person who is determined to be successful in life through securing a place in the Princeton University. The Cinderella character called Mary Santiago who has been living with a woman who is trying to be a singer known as Dominique together with her two daughters who treat Mary as the slave of the house. This makes her fail to participate in many of their extravagant lifestyles while remaining focused on her passion that is dancing. In this film, determination towards a particular goal can be identified the same way it is seen in A Cinderella Story where Samantha is determined to go to Princeton University. Upon getting information that there will be a competition, which will give the winner the opportunity to appear in a new music video, she enrolls for the competition. Bree tells Mary “You may live in the 90210 but youre still just, a zero” in her attempts to separate her from Joey who is a one of the people who will star in the new music video that is coming out (Another Cinderella story, 2008). The stepsisters that Mary has try to keep her from achieving her dream even though she clearly has what it takes to go all the way. Conversely Ever After: A Cinderella Story is a refreshing take on the traditional Cinderella fairy tale that is set in the sixteenth century in France where Danielle leads a difficult life as a servant to her stepmother and her daughters. Unlike Another Cinderella story, the Cinderella character is not after a college education since her main achievement in life is getting married to the prince. At some point in the film, the stepmother states “some people read because they cannot think for themselves” referring to Danielle and she makes sure that Danielle who had caught the eye of the prince stops meeting the prince (Ever After: A Cinderella Story). The stepmother and the stepsisters try their best to stop her from achieving her dream but she is always determined reach her goals and is able to rescue herself because of the strength that she possesses. The bravery that she has is the main reason why she comes out successful in the end. The Rough-Faced Girl is a book that is set in a village that is on the shores of Lake Ontario where a tribe of Native Americans has settled and there is an invisible being staying in the largest Wigwam who is known to be rich and powerful as well as handsome. All the young women that are in the village have shown an interest in wanting to marry him but it is revealed the only person who can truly see him is the one that will get the opportunity. The Rough-Faced girl lives in the same village with her father and two evil sisters who are always cruel to her and even though she does not possess any good clothes and her hair is messed up, she still goes after the invisible being that rejected her sisters. The sisters had been rejected since when they were asked if they could see the invisible being they replied “certainly” and about the shoulder strap their response was “A piece of raw hide” which was a lie (Rafe 1992). In the end, through her persistence and even though the sisters did not want it, the rough-faced girl was able to see the invisible being with the help of the help of the beings sister. In the end, the scars were that the girl had healed and the girl was able to marry her true love conquering all the challenges. The Egyptian Cinderella depicts Rhodopis who is a slave from Greece who works for her Egyptian master and it clearly shows that one’s efforts can pay off with persistence. She is easy target for the other slaves to tease since her complexion is relatively fairer, she is from a foreign country and when her master sees her dancing by herself, he gives her a pair of slippers. This generates more abuses from fellow servants and at one time as she is washing by the river and the slippers get wet, she places them on the side but one is carried by a bird and drops it on the Pharaohs lap. He thinks that this is a sign from the gods and embarks on an endeavor to find the owner of the slipper (climo 1989). His search leads her to the girl and after he asks her to try it on and it fits her, he declares his love for Rhodopis and makes the decision to marry her. This tale also demonstrates how the character is able to rise above the challenges that she has with determination to achieve her dreams even though the people around her do not wish her success. Conclusion The Cinderella characters have always been depicted as women and girls who had a determination in life even though there were barriers that stopped them from achieving their dreams. They always emerge victorious in achieving the objectives that they have that may range from getting a good education to being married by the prince depending on the setting of the tales. Works cited A Cinderella Story. Dir. Mark Rosman. Perf. Hilary Duff, Chad Michael Murray, and Jennifer Coolidge. 2004. Warner Bros, 2004. DVD. Another Cinderella Story. Dir. Damon Santostefano. Perf. Selena Gomez, Drew Seely, and Jane Lynch. 2008. Warner Premiere, 2008. DVD Climo, Shirley. The Egyptian Cinderella. New York: Harper Collins Publishers, 1989. Print. Ever After: A Cinderella Story. Dir. Andy Tennant. Perf. Drew Barrymore, Anjelica Huston, and Andy Tennant. 1998. Twentieth Century Fox Film, 1999. DVD. Martin, Rafe. The Rough-Face Girl. New York:Puffin Books, 1992. Print. Read More