Dahlia Michilena

Professor Hoehne

Fairy Tales and Rewritings

3 October 2019

Some Wear Ball Gowns

What comes to mind when you see or hear the word “hero” or “heroine”? A person with abnormal abilities and an uncommonly strong grip on their moral compass trying to save the world may cross your mind, or your train of thought would immediately veer onto your favorite superhero. Over the years, writers and reporters have used this very word to describe characters that we may find a little less than heroic – fairy tale princesses. How could someone that can barely save herself from harm’s way fit into our definition of a heroine? According to many different writers, the word “heroine” contains significantly more meaning than we originally presume. Although her passivity and dependency on magical factors may imply that Cinderella is not a heroine, do the miniscule details within the fairy tale and society’s reaction to Charles Perrault’s “Cinderella” and its many versions allow this princess fit into the definition of a heroine?

One general claim against Cinderella’s heroinism includes her characteristic passivity. However, on many occasions throughout Disney’s movie and the story itself, she exhibits sarcastic and self-assertive behavior. In both the movie and the story Cinderella asks to try on the slipper: “Cinderella was watching, and recognizing her slipper she laughed and said: ‘Let me see if it fits me!’” (Perrault 138). In this line, Cinderella does not ask to try on the slipper – she demands it. Perrault could have written her line in many ways, however, he chose to use the words “let me”, essentially having Cinderella command to have the slipper be tried on her. Also, the entirety of her line, “Let me see if it fits me!” expresses a sense of mockery and sarcasm considering she knew that it was her slipper. In the Disney movie, Cinderella, Cinderella was not as passive as people make her seem. At times, in Cinderella, she conveyed sarcasm when she suggested to the mice that she might have to “interrupt the music lesson” (00:28:11- 00:28:19), referring to her stepsisters’ terrible singing practice. Rather than asking, she also insists to her stepmother that she should be able to go to the ball after her stepsisters ridicule her for suggesting the idea (00:28:54 – 00:29:54). Through small, yet significant details within the movie and story, Disney and Perrault reveal a less passive form of Cinderella than is widely acknowledged.

Many writers focus on certain details within Perrault’s writing and the definition of heroinism in order to prove Cinderella is a heroine herself.  Christine Jones begins her article with the perception of what a heroine is when she writes, “hero-in-ism [is] broadly conceived as the way female characters assert themselves, even within terrifically constraining circumstances” (17). Cinderella fits this definition such that her entire story is based on her rising from the “terrifically constraining circumstance” that she was placed into. As previously explained, Cinderella does present herself as assertive especially in the Disney movie version of Perrault’s fairy tale. Jones backs up her argument by continuing with, “Even the famously passive heroines in the French corpus – including the likes of Cinderella… – have a witty, often ironic, command of language” (18). Although Jones admits Cinderella is passive – an irrefutable fact – she includes that, along with her passivity, she has internal qualities that enable her to be heroine. In addition, Cinderella’s small remarks and decision to take charge led this writer to believe that, “…the implication here is that he would never have noticed Cinderella if she had not spoken up. Is it the shoe then, or Cinderella’s new wry sense of humor that changes her life” (Jones 20)? Jones suggests that Cinderella’s decision in speaking up led to her own success, and agrees with the idea that Cinderella does exhibit a sense of sarcasm by calling it her “new wry sense of humor”. Through Cinderella’s wit and “ironic command of language”, she creates the implication that the characteristics of a heroine are not limited to the physical actions that one can take.

The heroinism of Cinderella can also be defined by the literal definition of the word “heroine”. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the word “heroine” in many parts, the first being: “a woman admired and emulated for her achievements and qualities” (“heroine”). This definition can be used to define Cinderella as a heroine because it is no secret that this fairy tale story has weaved it way into our culture.  Cinderella’s heroinism can also be shown through how society views her: “Cinderella is among the most cherished figures of the Western fairy-tale canon and ‘no other tale has so many early, independent, and widely scattered versions’” (Maggi 150). Maggi opens his chapter with this line, implying the significance of Cinderella in our culture. This description of the fairy tale princess correlates with the definition given by the Merriam Webster Dictionary such that the admiration for Cinderella expanded into “many widely scattered versions”. Also, she is described as a “cherished figure”, undeniably similar to the dictionary’s description of “a woman admired”. In the Kay Stone article, Cinderella is described as one of the overwhelming favorites of the many docile heroines (43). Although she is recognized as passive, Cinderella is still considered a heroine in literal terms due to her “overwhelming” admiration. It is made clearer how admired the princess is further into the article: “Some had openly admired the lovely princesses and hoped to imitate them…” (Stone 48). These women’s desire to “imitate them [princesses]” stems from their deeper desire to strive to equal princesses such as Cinderella, essentially emulating her.

Although it is undeniable that Cinderella is a passive and docile figure that relied heavily on magical factors to propel her into an easier life, she still maintains qualities that deem her a heroine. As illustrated through the writings of Christine Jones, being a heroine involves more than being an excessively active person. She highlighted the inner qualities that Cinderella possessed which ultimately made her one. Through Kay Stone’s research and Armando Maggi’s credible observations, Cinderella is technically able to meet the literal definition of a heroine. Princesses still may not come to mind when our community thinks of heroes, however, as we all know: Not all heroes wear capes, but some do wear ball gowns.

Works Cited

Cinderella. Dir. Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske. Perf. Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, and Verna Felton. RKO Pictures, 1950. Film.

“Heroine.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2019. Web. 28 Sept. 2019.

Jones, Christine A. “Thoughts on ‘Heroinism’ in French Fairy Tales.” Marvels & Tales, vol. 27, no.1 EBSCO Industries, May 2013, pp.17–20. EBSCOhost, doi:10.13110/marvelstales.27.1.0015. Web. 28 Sept. 2019.

Perrault, Charles, and C. J. Betts. The Complete Fairy Tales. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=302377&site=ehost-live. Web. 28 Sept. 2019.

Stone, Kay. “Things Walt Disney Never Told Us.” The Journal of American Folklore, vol. 88,     no. 347, 1975, pp. 42–50. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/539184. Print.

Tatar, Maria. “The Creation of Cinderella from Basile to the Brothers Grimm.” Cambridge Companion to Fairy Tales. By Armando Maggi. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. Print.