Cinderella by Brothers Grimm

A review

Cinderella – a valuable lesson, a gruesome conclusion, and a love story.

Sometimes, Disney tales are not what they seem to be. The folk tale by Brothers Grimm
takes a darker tone than what society has gotten used to. There are no fairy godmothers
nor pumpkin coaches here. The story, that millions of children have grown to love, is a 4
out of 5 as it takes a thematic turn that revolves around kindness, love, and karma. This
adaptation is clearly less magical, however, the valuable lessons and messages it sends
are equally clearer.

The story begins with the wife of a rich man who left him and their daughter,
Cinderella, leading the father to marry another woman with two daughters. Cinderella’s
stepmother and stepsisters treated her like a slave, but she still exhibited kindness through
obedience to their commands. As her father went to the fair, he gave Cinderella’s
request of a twig that first brushes off his hat on the way home. Her love made her plant
the twig on her mother’s grave in which it grew into a beautiful tree.

The king proclaimed a three-day festival for his son to choose a bride. Cinderella’s
stepsisters were invited, but her stepmother forbade her to come. As they left,
Cinderella’s wish was granted when the bird provided her magnificent dress and slippers.
At the festival, all of the gazes were on her, even without the recognition of her family,
and she solely got the chance to dance with the prince. As she wanted to go home, she
disappeared without a trace. This went on for two days until Cinderella lost one of her
slippers on the way home.

Upon the discovery of the slipper, the prince declared that whoever fits it perfectly
is his bride. The two stepsisters took drastic measures to fit the shoe in, but the birds warned
the prince until Cinderella tried to wear the slipper. Good karma came upon her as the
shoe fits her perfectly, making Cinderella the true bride. Her stepsisters, on the other hand,
received karma in a blind surprise.

“Cinderella” is more than a dusty and dirty-looking woman covered in cinders. She
is a perfect, fair epitome who values kindness above all. The story embodies three things
– love, kindness, and karma. The most underrated and touching part of the entire story is
the never-ending love between Cinderella and her late mother. Despite the unfortunate
event, Cinderella still wept in her mother’s grave and remained true to her word as
written, “Every day the maiden went out to her mother's grave and wept, and she
remained pious and good” (Grimm & Grimm, 1812/1884, para. 1). Because of this, the
protagonist prevailed her kindness by being obedient to her rude stepmother and
stepsisters despite their mistreatment to the passive, innocent maiden. It is evident in the
passage, “There she had to do hard work from morning till night, get up before daybreak,
carry water, light fires, cook and wash” (Grimm & Grimm, 1812/1884, para. 2).

Hence, the protagonist teaches us that our actions can result to either good or
bad karma. Cinderella’s love and kindness bore a good fruit as she was helped by the
bird from the hazelnut tree with picking up the lentils from the ashes as well as the
fascinating dresses she wore. This led to a “happy ever after” with the prince. On the
other hand, the stepsisters’ rude actions led to their lifetime blindness as written, “And
thus, for their wickedness and falsehood, they were punished with blindness as long as
they lived” (Grimm & Grimm, 1812/1884, para. 25). Overall, the author forms a
consequential link between these three themes. It emphasizes the importance of love
and kindness in receiving a good karma in the end.

The version of Brothers Grimm is a fascinating blend of two adaptations from “The
Little Glass Slipper” by Charles Perrault and “Little Saddleslut” by Edmund Geldart. In
Perrault’s version, the bird was replaced by a fairy godmother, and the stepsisters were
not given bad karma for their wicked deeds. Instead, “Cinderella, who was no less good
than beautiful, gave her two sisters lodgings in the palace, and that very same day
matched them with two great lords of the court” (Lang, 1889, para. 48). On the other
hand, Geldart, in his “Little Saddleslut”, added a little violence similar to Brothers Grimm.
However, instead of the stepsisters cutting off their toe and heel, they ate their mother at
the cost of her spindle falling multiple times. Cinderella, or “Little Saddleslut” as her sisters
called, found her magnificent attire, garments, and coins as she moved the rock from
the grave of her mother’s incensed bones. She captured the gazes of many people,
including the king’s son in which she diverted them by showering coins. In the end,
instead of the birds plucking both of the stepsisters’ eyes out, the prince ordered the sisters
to be brought and cut in pieces after putting Cinderella in a chest to be thrown in the
river (Geldart, 1889).

Even though the story is written in the 18th century, it is a worth read because the
message is still easy to comprehend and understand. It is most suitable for audiences who
are teenagers and adults alike. Children, however, needs to read it with parental
guidance due to its minor violence. Lastly, it is not a read for people whose childhood
consists of Disney’s movie adaptation of the story. As some would regard it, the Brothers
Grimm’s version is a dark version of Disney’s “Cinderella”. Overall, it is a fascinating fairy
tale tailored for every reader especially to those who wishes to reminisce their childhood
fantasies.

This shows that “Cinderella” by the Grimm brothers applies to the reality of what
our society is today. It may seem gruesome than the original version, but it leads people
to new lessons in life such as kindness, love, and karma. Cinderella, despite for
experiencing unfortunate events, held her chin up high and continued to be kind for the
greater good which resulted to positive karma. It conveys that any miserable event
cannot comprehend the kindness that you show to other people. Indeed, you have
experienced things, but that doesn't mean you have to let others experience the same
thing. Give others kindness, and kindness will give unto you.

References
Geldart, E. (1884). Little saddleslut. Retrieved from https://fairytalez.com/little-saddleslut-
greek-version-cinderella/

Grimm, J. & Grimm, W. (1884). Cinderella (M. Hunter, Trans.). Retrieved from
https://www.worldoftales.com/fairy_tales/Brothers_Grimm/Margaret_Hunt/Cinde
rella.html (Original work published 1812)
Lang, A. (1889). The blue fairy book (pp. 64 – 71). New York: Longmans, Green and Co.

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