If the Shoe Fits: Cinderella

(Image via Wikipedia.org, with thanks)

            The second leading lady to appear on the silver screen courtesy Disney’s animators was Cinderella, appearing in theaters in 1950. Unlike Snow White, she did not have to share her movie’s title with her co-stars. She was the lead character and protagonist, though she did share the screen with friends. In some ways she was rather reminiscent of Snow White; but in others she was her own personality.

            Again I shall begin my analysis with Cinderella’s situation. The narration actually reveals she had a kind-hearted father, but he was a widower and feared what a lack of mother would do to his daughter. Unfortunately after remarrying Cinderella’s stepmother, he met an untimely end. Something about the tone echoed as though she might have killed him. This meant on top of Cinderella being a child, her stepmother was potentially a killer. It was this wicked woman who served as the movie’s primary Antagonist, and Cinderella’s enemy. Later she is virtually displayed as envy incarnate, the screen darkening to jealous green eyes when she realizes Cinderella was at the ball, even locking her away in the vain hope that the duke might pick one of her daughters to ‘fit’ the shoe if the correct maiden was not found. She and her own children managed to waste the entire family fortune and their chateau fell into disarray, and like Snow White, Cinderella became a servant in her own home. That was the situation Cinderella began in: orphaned, alone and surrounded by enemies, trapped in her own home. While it was no evil queen who could keep her under close watch, where could she go?

(Image via Disney.wikia.com with thanks)

Cinderella is kind hearted and sincere. Despite their abuses, she goes out of her way to ask how her stepfamily is feeling. Like Snow White, she befriends animals, but she goes above and beyond the call, respecting the sanctity of life. She goes out of her way not only to feed and clothe the mice and birds she befriends, she rescues Gus out of a trap that’s primary purpose is to ensnare him or other critters. Given the nature of the household they’d most likely then be fed to the horrid cat-horrid enough to be named Lucifer. And even though this cat is wicked (see: named Lucifer), Cinderella wants to give him a chance. She proves a little naïve through, expecting the cat not to chase the mice and that the dog won’t dislike the cat.

She demonstrates patience, making the best of her situation. Even when she tries to speak up and her stepmother speaks over her, she keeps her calm. When opportunity rises, she is ready to meet it, prepared to work on a dress for the ball. She is practical, for when she hasn’t had time to make it, she tries to reason to herself that the ball won’t be all that. She’s even a little cynical about the initial appearance of her fairy godmother. And later she is very realistic: she notes that while she had a wonderful time at the ball, it’s concluded and she must now return to her normal life. She does not mourn the time, she does not regret going, she simply enjoys that it occurred.

However, while she is realistic, when Cinderella realizes there is at last an escape from her life, she changes. She stops doing everything for her stepfamily, instead going to tend to what she needs to do in order to take the opportunity. In this respect she proves herself clever; when Lucifer the cat is being difficult and stopping her mice friends from freeing her, she remembers Bruno the dog would love to chase him off, and sends her bird friends to fetch him. Perhaps predicting her stepmother would try one last act of spite, she brings her own glass slipper-as the one she left behind at the ball is shattered, and this is how she proves her identity.

Once again the primary flaw in Cinderella’s character development is her romance. On screen all we see is the Prince seeing her from across the room, and moving to dance with her. They share a duet, and I suppose we should assume they talked some. She seems to be in love with him at that, and I can’t deny such a thing is a romantic gesture; but is it a marriageable prospect? Then again, she didn’t realize he was the prince, and didn’t hope for it long term until he found out he was looking for her. It wasn’t until she learned that he was looking to find and marry the young woman who’d left behind her glass slipper that she realized there was really a chance at a better life for her. In retrospect, while their romance could be questioned, it does have more of a basis then Snow White’s, where her Prince Charming was a trespasser and stumbled upon her in the wood at the end of the movie. It’s also worth noting that while Cinderella’s father had been some form of nobility, she was not herself a princess until she married her prince. This could be seen in two ways, one good, and one bad. The bad perspective would be that the only reason she was able to progress was by marrying a man of higher birth. The good point of view is that it’s not a crime to hope for better, and social class should not define love.

Fundamentally Cinderella is actually a rather good role model. She keeps her wits about her; she’s practical, but not cynical. She has hope despite a dreadful situation, and her kind-hearted ways benefit her in the end. Despite what some might say, she does not let her stepfamily treat her like a carpet; she just doesn’t like to stir trouble when it’s not going to do any good. These are all traits little girls could learn from; even if Cinderella’s love life is questionable.