Masculinity In Cinderella

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II. Women's Dependency on Men in a Patriarchal Society Introduction A first major theme the fairy tales of Cinderella and Snow White readily support for the female archetype is that of their dependency on men. Although the main character of these tales is a woman, it is clear that the men always appear as the hero. In Brothers Grimm there is simply a scarcity of heroine. Maureen Thum articulates this deficiency well by stating: "The active heroine who sets out alone, and who depends on her intelligence, persistence and courage to make her way in life is not simply an exception, a strange occurrence in the midst of the more ‘conventionally’ depicted heroines that we have come to expect from fairy tales" (Maureen). Cinderella…show more content…
This is a pathetic fallacy as the mood is reflected in her poor living conditions. In comparison, Anne Sexton states that she “walked around looking like Al Jolson” (Sexton 54). This allusion to Al Jolson, a 1900’s comedian who would often utilized blackface in his comedic sketches, shows how Cinderella, although through her appearance looked like she was lower class and incapable of marrying a wealthy husband, was indeed just putting on a disguise that masked her true identity as a wealthy man’s daughter, thus essentially acting unwarrantedly as a damsel in distress. The original “rags to riches” story commemorates her decision to live modestly, only requesting a hazel branch from her father, while her sisters receive “beautiful dresses” and “pearls and jewels” (Grimm 122). In the original the authors write how Cinderella respectfully requested this item from her father and depended on him for its retrieval. However, Anne Sexton takes her own interpretation where the father simply gives Cinderella the stick, and she did not make this request. This shows how men in society are determining for the women what they need without consulting
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