Wicked Love: The Role of the Fairy Tale Stepmother

The presence of stepmothers in fairy tales is quite common, as the role of stepmother is often a key, if not one of the main, characters. Unfortunately, in folk and fairy tales, this character is often referred to, or portrayed, as a wicked stepmother. Why are there so many stepmothers in these tales? And why are they so wicked? What is the purpose of the wickedness of the stepmother?

The Stepmother Trend

In earlier versions of fairy tales, such as Snow White and Hansel and Gretel, the biological mother was cast as the antagonist against her own child/children. The Brothers Grimm later revised the tales, replacing the evil birth mother with an evil stepmother, in an effort to make the stories more suitable and less horrific for children. Rejection by a non-biological parent, although detrimental, may be less traumatic than rejection by one’s biological mother, thus making the tales more acceptable among readers, both children and adults alike. “As the audience of the tales changed, the need to shift the burden of evil from a mother to a stepmother became ever more urgent” (Tatar, “The Hard Facts” 142).

Another reason for the increased trend in fairy tale stepmothers stems from historical fact. In centuries past, when many well-known fairy and folk tales were written, women were much more likely to die during childbirth than in modern times. “Complications of childbirth was one of the leading causes of death for women in the past. In one European study, 1 out of every 14 women died from childbirth, leaving a large population of motherless orphans. Other 19^th century studies in Europe showed equally high rate of motherless status children” (qtd. in “The Wicked Stepmother”).

Faced with the unexpected reality of having to raise children on their own, it was not uncommon for men remarry, thus creating what modern society refers to as a blended family. Records from the 1500’s indicate that “remarriage by widowers was more frequent than remarriage by widows, making Stepmother households relatively common” (“The Wicked Stepmother”).

Some versions of certain fairy tales, such as Disney’s Cinderella and “Mirror Mirror”, a modern motion picture version of Snow White, imply that the widowed father believes his daughter needs a mother figure to help raise his daughter, thus introducing a substitute mother for his child or children, a stepmother. “The gentleman was a kind and devoted father, and he gave Ella everything her heart desired. But he felt she needed a mother. So he married again” (Disney, Cinderella).

“Marie-Louise von Franz . . . viewed the stepmother as representing the loss or death of the child’s mother, either in reality or symbolically as the child ages” (“The Wicked Stepmother”).

Why So Wicked?

Euripides is quoted as having said, “Better a serpent than a stepmother!” (“The Wicked Stepmother”)

An article on Inter-disciplinary.Net states that according to the 1913 Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, the root word “step” in stepchild comes from Old English word “steop”, which means “bereaved”, which is derived from Old High German root word “stief”, meaning “pushed out”. Stief comes from Proto-Indo-European base “steup”, which means “to strike or push”. Thus, a stepchild is one who is bereaved of a parent and pushed away. This suggests that the stepparent rejects or pushes away a grieving orphan (“The Wicked Stepmother”).  Webster’s Third New International Dictionary (1966) lists one definition of stepmother as “one that fails to give proper care or attention” (Ashliman, Garry, and El-Shamy). Gerda-Elisabeth Wittmann states, “Fairy tales, especially those with the mother/stepmother divide, are excellent examples of illustrating the process of abjection, or casting away of the child by the mother” (3).

It is suggested that gender bias exists in fairy tales. “Women are traditionally either passive, obedient, and good in fairy tales, or downright evil” (Kristin). This assertion may seem a bit puzzling when many tales were, in fact, originally told my women. One explanation could be socialization. “In a strongly patriarchal society no one, not even in a fantasy tale, would be comfortable laying too much blame on male characters. Further, by placing other mother figures in bad light, the female storytellers could make themselves look good by comparison” (Ashliman, Garry, and El-Shamy).

Feminist fairy tale historians assert that women storytellers celebrated “active female protagonists and feminine wisdom” but that the “tales have been largely suppressed by the predominantly male compilers” (Williams 265).

Feminist analysts suggest that these tales, written from the perspective of the patriarchy, vilify the older, stronger, more dominant woman, while favoring the young, passive, innocent female. “Women are constructed in less than flattering ways: from passive objects of male desire to powerfully evil figures working from selfish motivations” (Williams 265). In their article, “Snow White and Her Wicked Stepmother”, feminists Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar suggest that it is the patriarchy that have created this rivalry between “the angel-woman and the monster-woman” (291) in which sweet, young, fair, innocent Snow White is pitted against the also fair, yet older, fiercer, queen stepmother.

Gilbert and Gubar assert that Snow White, for example, is the ideal woman, in the eyes of the patriarchy. However, when the time period during which the story was written is taken into consideration, as well as the time of the motion picture release (1937), this is no surprise. “Strengthening the chaste maiden in her passivity, they have made her into precisely the eternally beautiful, inanimate objet d’art patriarchal aesthetics want a girl to be” (294-5). 

Feminist theory refers to these tales, particularly those featuring the wicked stepmother character, “as part of the way society trains women to be submissive by showing agency as dangerous or as owned by males” (“The Wicked Stepmother”). When referring to Snow White’s life with the seven dwarfs, Gilbert and Gubar state that it provides her with lessons of service, selflessness, and domesticity. “Snow White is a housekeeping angel” which demonstrates “the story’s attitude toward ‘woman’s world and woman’s work’ . . . in which the best of women is not only a dwarf but like a dwarf’s servant” (295).

Feminist theory suggest that in fairy tales “passivity is virtuous and activity villainous . . . with their vaunting of feminine passivity and rejection of feminine activity as wicked or monstrous” (Williams, 264). Gilbert and Gubar assert that in the eyes of the patriarchy, a character such as the queen stepmother, who exerts herself as an independent, domineering woman, must be shut down or eliminated. However, the presence of an independent, strong-willed female may not necessarily be the sole cause for the queen to be shut down. The fact that she was the epitome of evil and relentless in her plot to kill young, innocent Snow White, a child, would seem to be the most obvious reason to bring her down and eliminate her.

Splitting/Separation Theories

Tatar states that Bruno Bettelheim suggests that the death of the “good” biological mother and the introduction of an evil stepmother represents the splitting of the maternal function, and that the two characters actually represent two sides, or personalities, of the same person. Bettelheim presents the following argument:

The oedipal child has a deep need to preserve a positive image of mother, one uncontaminated by the natural feelings of anger and hostility that arise as differences develop between mother and child. The wicked stepmother of fairy tales “permits anger at this bad ‘stepmother’ without endangering the goodwill of the true mother, who is viewed as a different person.” (Tatar, “Introduction: Snow White”, 75)

He further claims that “the Wicked Stepmother represents the parts of the child’s real mother who sets limits or denies the child’s demands . . . the Wicked Stepmother is the reality behind the child’s idealized mother.” In addition, Sigmund Freud, suggests that “folk and fairy tales demonstrate a type of wish fulfillment. Every child has a wish to punish or destroy the mean adults in his or her life and these tales allow it to happen” (“The Wicked Stepmother”).

Wittmann suggests that the splitting, or separation, of mother and stepmother, as in Cinderella and Snow White, helps children “make sense of reality” (8) and gives them “stability, until they have overcome their dichotomous world view of good and evil” (7). “The biological mother has to be seen, as least partly, as evil, to motivate the child to break away from her and become independent” (10).

Wittman also states that “by splitting the mother image in two, the child is able to remain loyal towards her while understanding that the abjection process is necessary and healthy . . . the stories . . . have the power to assist them in strengthening their own identity and self-image and to make sense of otherwise perplexing developments in their world” (10).

However, Marina Warner has stated that Bettelheim’s theory “has done irreparable damage to the genre and to motherhood”. She further argues that such theory makes the bad mother “an inevitable, even required ingredient in fantasy, and hatred of her a legitimate, applauded stratagem of psychic survival . . . has contributed to the continuing absence of good mothers from fairy tales in all kinds of media . . . has even helped to ratify the expectation of strife as healthy and the resulting hatred as therapeutic (qtd. in Williams 260). She further asserts that the theory reinforces negative female stereotypes. “Had Betteleheim’s theory not been so popular, perhaps the wicked stepmother would not be embraced as the fairy-tale villain” (260).

Motives of the Infamous Stepmothers

For centuries, fairy and folk tales of multiple languages and cultures have incorporated wicked stepmothers. Perhaps the most well-known stepmothers are those featured in Snow White and Cinderella, both originated and published in multiple versions, from a variety of cultures and regions, and made even more famous by Walt Disney. What makes these stepmothers so wicked? What are their motives? What drives these ornery characters to abuse, torture, and even attempt to murder their stepchildren?

A plethora of emotional and psychological issues are demonstrated among these women, such as envy, greed, or selfishness. It is actually stated within certain tales that the stepmother suffers from a lack of peace. It would probably be safe to assert that most, if not all, of these fairy tale stepmothers are psychopaths, as some plot the murder of their stepchildren. They are masters, or rather, mistresses of manipulation. Most of them are very domineering women who exert full control over their husbands and/or others in their circle. In some tales, the dominance of the stepmother and mistreatment of the stepchildren is accompanied and quite possibly fueled by the absence, disappearance, or diminished role and presence of the father. Additionally, their sinister plots and schemes against their stepchildren lead to their own demise.

Snow White’s stepmother, the wicked queen, was not only manipulative, but she was also extremely narcissistic. “She was a beautiful lady, but proud and domineering, and she could not bear the thought that anyone might be more beautiful than she was” (Grimm and Grimm, Snow White 250).

After learning that Snow White was “a thousand times more fair” (250) than she, “from that moment on, she hated Snow White, and whenever she set eyes on her, her heart turned cold like a stone. Envy and pride grew as fast as weeds in her heart. By day or night, she never had a moment’s peace” (250-1). She was so afraid of not being “the fairest in the land” that she allowed insecurity, envy, and fear to consume and drive her to order and personally and repeatedly attempt to murder her own stepdaughter, a mere innocent child. The need of an adult, particularly a queen, to compete with a child further demonstrates her insecurity and miniscule image of herself. Other theories, such as those of Bettelheim, suggest that the wicked queen and Snow White are in an oedipal struggle and competition for the attention, affection, and approval of the King, Snow White’s father. Additionally, the fact that the wicked queen stepmother had nothing better to do than to consistently inquire of her magic mirror about her looks not only further proves the existence of insecurity, but also indicates that she was lazy and unproductive.

In addition, her cannibalistic tendencies, to eat the heart and liver of Snow White after she believes the huntsman (hitman) has carried out her orders to kill her, clearly place her in the category of a psychopath.

Cinderella’s stepmother is another all-too-familiar character. “The story of a young woman who functions as her stepmother’s servant, but who through magic, ends up with the prince, is not only seen in Cinderella but also in at least 20 other languages and countries” (“The Wicked Stepmother”). This stepmother forced Cinderella, the daughter of a wealthy man, into not only her servitude, but also that of the wicked stepsisters. Cinderella is treated as a second-class citizen, forced to dress in rags, and live in substandard conditions. The stepmother uses these mistreats Cinderella, allows her daughters to bully Cinderella, and uses the aforementioned methods to destroy Cinderella’s self-image, to make her forget that she comes from a wealthy upbringing. In addition, the manipulative, selfish stepmother comes up with every excuse possible to keep Cinderella from going to the ball, where her daughters compete to win the attention of the prince. This sibling rivalry, fueled by none other than the wicked stepmother, is made even clearer at the end of the tale, as the stepsisters compete for the interest and role as the wife of the prince, by even resorting to cutting off parts of their feet (at the orders of their mother) in order to fit the coveted glass slipper.

Much of this stepmother’s mistreatment of Cinderella is supported by theories of Evolutionary Psychology stating that a stepparent “demonstrate[s] less paternal investment in non-genetic children compared to her [own] genetic children” and “in order to best ensure the survival of one’s offspring . . . one cannot waste energy or resources on someone else’s offspring. The offspring of other people are in competition with one’s own offspring for finite resources and therefore, for survival. This is called ‘Discriminative Parental Solicitude’” (“The Wicked Stepmother”). In addition, “epidemiological data from the mid-19^th century until the present demonstrates that stepchildren do have higher rates of neglect and abuse . . . than do children raised by genetic mothers, especially when raised with step-siblings” (“The Wicked Stepmother”).

Hansel and Gretel’s stepmother, motivated by selfishness and fear of starvation, convinces their father to join forces with her and lead the children into the forest and abandon them, thus leaving the children to fend for themselves, where they could possibly be killed and eaten by wild animals, or the witch, who actually held them hostage with the intent to devour them. Not only is this stepmother selfish and domineering, but she’s also verbally abusive to her husband and stepchildren.

In “Little Brother and Little Sister”, the main characters, Little Brother and Little Sister run away from home because of the poor treatment by their abusive stepmother.

Since the day that our mother died, we haven’t had a moment of peace. Our stepmother beats us every day, and when we try to talk to her, she just gives us a swift kick and drives us off. All we get to eat are crusts of hard bread. Even the dog under the table is better off than we are. At least he gets an occasional tidbit. Our mother would be turning over in her grave if she knew what was happening. It’s time for us to leave home and seek our fortune out in the world. (Grimm and Grimm, “Little Brother and Little Sister” 45)

This wicked stepmother, who was a witch, was also driven by envy after discovering that her stepchildren, who had long escaped her, were living in “peace and prosperity, envy and jealousy began to stir in her heart and gave her no peace. She was constantly trying to figure out how to turn the tide on the two, bringing misfortune on them” (Grimm and Grimm, “Little Brother and Little Sister” 50-1). Like Cinderella’s stepmother, she fueled sibling rivalry between her ugly daughter and her stepdaughter, whom she tried to murder and replace, by deceit and manipulation, with her daughter, in the king’s home as queen and mother of his child.

Driven by greed and yet another case of Discriminative Parental Solicitude, the evil stepmother in “The Juniper Tree” mistreats, abuses, and eventually murders her stepson.

Whenever she looked at the little boy, she felt sick at heart. It seemed that no matter what he did he was in the way, and the woman kept wondering how she could make sure that her daughter eventually inherited everything. The devil got hold of her so that she began to hate the little boy, and she slapped him . . . The poor child lived in terror, and when he came home from school he had no peace at all. (Grimm and Grimm, “The Juniper Tree” 217-8)

After murdering her stepson, this stepmother even demonstrates a lack of compassion for her own daughter, inflicting the blame of the murder on her daughter, who becomes consumed with guilt and grief. Eventually, the lack of peace and torment the stepmother caused her stepson and daughter ends up consuming her and leading to her own demise.

The stepmother in “The Three Little Men in the Woods”, driven by manipulation, lies, deceit, and envy, exhibits similar cruel treatment of her stepdaughter. Like other fairy tale stepmothers, demonstrates Discriminative Parental Solicitude, stirs sibling rivalry between her daughter and stepdaughter, and plots the demise of her stepdaughter by sending her in into the snow in thin clothing to accomplish an impossible tasks. Similar to the stepmother in “Little Brother and Little Sister”, after the stepdaughter becomes queen, she plots to kill her and replace her as queen and mother of the king’s child, only to be defeated and destroyed herself, along with her ugly daughter.

The stepmother in “The Six Swans”, also a witch, allows curiosity, selfishness, and jealousy (of the king’s time spent with his children) to drive her to cast a spell on and rid herself of her stepchildren. This tale also tells of a lack of peace from which she suffers because of her curiosity.

Wicked Stepmothers - Fiction or Reality?

According to Bettelheim, “the malice of the stepmother is . . . nothing more than a projection of the heroine’s imagination. Fairy tales . . . do not stage scenarios that correspond to psychological realities of family life . . . they dramatize projections of trouble brewing in the young child’s mind” (Tatar, “Introduction: Snow White”, 75). However, epidemiological data from 19^th, 20^th, and even 21^st centuries suggest otherwise.

As previously mentioned, 19^th century data stated stepchildren suffered greater neglect and abuse, particularly when raised with stepchildren. However, the data also indicated higher incidences of early death than children raised by their biological mothers, particularly when raised with step-siblings. Data from 20^th and 21^st century studies also indicate the following:

Stepmothers . . . may withhold proper nutrition . . . spend less money on milk, fruit and vegetables compared to non-stepmother homes with similar incomes, education, etc. A similar study found that children who live with Stepmothers are less likely to visit a doctor or dentist compared to children who do not live with a stepmother . . . The same study found that children living with Stepmothers are less likely to wear a seatbelt when riding in an automobile. (qtd. in “The Wicked Stepmother”)

Research shows that stepchildren under the age of five have more accidental injuries, non-fatal and fatal, than biological children, and are much more likely to die in accidental drownings (“The Wicked Stepmother”). “Rates of accidental injuries in young children are associated with direct parental supervision, which appears to be decreased in Stepmother homes” (qtd. in “The Wicked Stepmother”).

Studies on the subsequent years in the lives of stepchildren also indicate more hardships for them than biological children. Stepchildren are less likely to attend secondary education compared to biological offspring. They receive less economic aid for education than biological children, because step-mother/biological father couples save less money for education than couples consisting of both biological parents (“The Wicked Stepmother”).

One study asked both biological parents and stepparents to list their family members. Fifteen percent of the stepchildren were left off the list of family members, despite the fact that they lived in the same household as the stepparents. As previously suggested, those stepchildren were considered invisible, irrelevant, or were forgotten (“The Wicked Stepmother”).

The rate of child abuse of stepchildren far exceeds the rate of abuse of biological children. The risk of child abuse for children living with a stepparent is almost seven times greater than that of children who live with both of their biological parents. Research also indicates that stepparents who abuse their stepchildren usually do not abuse their own children. Studies in which runaway children were asked their reasons for leaving home indicate that a large percentage of them indicated violence by stepmothers as a reason for running away (“The Wicked Stepmother”). In addition, “stepchildren who had stepsiblings experience worse abuse and neglect than those without stepsiblings” (qtd. in “The Wicked Stepmother”).

“One study of nearly 200 cases of homicide by either the genetic mother or the Stepmother found homicide rate by Stepmothers was more than twice that of genetic mothers . . . stepparents beat stepchildren to death at 100 times higher rate than do genetic parents” (qtd. in “The Wicked Stepmother”). This could be one reason why custody of very young children has often been granted to biological mothers in divorces rather than to the biological fathers and stepmothers, “an unconscious move to protect the most vulnerable children from the most dangerous caregivers” (“The Wicked Stepmother”).

Overall, epidemiological evidence indicates that stepchildren have more difficult family lives than children who live with both biological parents (“The Wicked Stepmother”).

Conclusion

While no single reason can explain the abundant presence of wicked stepmothers in fairy tales, the role of this infamous character seems to be one that will remain in the forefront and very influential, as a key player in antagonistic roles and continuing to capture the interest of readers and viewers.

Works Cited

Ashliman, D. L., Jane Garry, and Hasan El-Shamy. "Step Relatives, Motif P280." Archetypes & Motifs in Folklore & Literature: A Handbook (2005): 362-370. Literary Reference Center. Web. 18 May 2015.

Disney Enterprises. Cinderella. New York: Golden Books, 2005. Kindle file.

Gilbert, Sandra M. and Susan Gubar. “Snow White and Her Wicked Stepmother.” The Classic Fairy Tales. Norton Critical Edition. Comp. Maria Tatar. New York: Norton & Company, 1999. 291-297. Print.

Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. “Cinderella.” The Annotated Brothers Grimm. Ed. And trans. Maria Tatar. New York: Norton & Company, 2012. 119-133. Print.

---. “Hansel and Gretel.” The Annotated Brothers Grimm. Ed. And trans. Maria Tatar. New York: Norton & Company, 2012. 72-85. Print.

---. “The Juniper Tree.” The Annotated Brothers Grimm. Ed. And trans. Maria Tatar. New York: Norton & Company, 2012. 214-229. Print.

---. “Little Brother and Little Sister.” The Annotated Brothers Grimm. Ed. And trans. Maria Tatar. New York: Norton & Company, 2012. 44-53. Print.

---. “The Six Swans.” The Annotated Brothers Grimm. Ed. And trans. Maria Tatar. New York: Norton & Company, 2012. 230-237. Print.

---. “Snow White.” The Annotated Brothers Grimm. Ed. And trans. Maria Tatar. New York: Norton & Company, 2012. 246-261. Print.

---. “The Three Little Men in the Woods.” The Annotated Brothers Grimm. Ed. And trans. Maria Tatar. New York: Norton & Company, 2012. 63-71. Print.

Kristin. “On Evil Stepmothers.” Tales of Faerie. Blogger, 8 July 2014.Web. 18 May 2015.

Mirror Mirror. Dir. Tarsem Singh. Perf. Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane. Relativity Media, 2012. Film.

Tatar, Maria. “The Hard Facts of the Grimms' Fairy Tales. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press, 1987. Louisiana Tech University. Web. 18 May 2015.

---. “Introduction: Snow White.” The Classic Fairy Tales. Norton Critical Edition. New York: Norton & Company, 1999. 74-80. Print.

“The Wicked Stepmother: Fairy Tales, Child Abuse and Historical Epidemiology.” Inter-Disciplinary.Net. United Kingdom: Priory House, Apr. 2012. Web. 21 May 2015.

Williams, Christy. "Who's Wicked Now? The Stepmother as Fairy-Tale Heroine." Marvels & Tales 24.2 (2010): 255-271. Literary Reference Center. Web. 18 May 2015.

Wittmann, Gerda-Elisabeth. "When Love Shows Itself As Cruelty: The Role of the Fairy Tale Stepmother in the Development of the Under-Aged Reader." Mousaion 29.3 (2011): 1-11. Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts with Full Text. Web. 18 May 2015.

Wow! What a Class!

I must say that I didn't know what to expect from a graduate class on fairy tales. My prior knowledge of fairy tales was highly influenced by Disney and that experience was many, many years ago. As a result, I had forgotten much of the content of the tales. Besides, as a young child, one doesn't really grasp much except the entertainment factor.

Reading the fairy tales as an adult has enlightened me, and to be quite honest, shocked me. I had no idea that so many fairy tales were so violent, gruesome, sexual, and dramatic, and that many of them were never originally meant for child audiences. As I stated at the beginning of the course, they are like soap operas.

It was very interesting to learn of the origins of the tales. I enjoyed reading the different versions of the stories. That, along with reading the varied analyses of the tales, although some were a bit confusing, helped give me a better understanding of fairy and folk tales, whether I agreed with the analysis or not. Taking this class has sparked in me a renewed interest in fairy tales, particularly the modern versions of the tales. It's interesting to see how modern-day "storytellers" (filmmakers) use creative license to put their own spin on the classic tales. It has also renewed my interest in watching the Disney fairy tales that I grew up watching, as well as some of the Disney tales created in recent years. I guess I could say that this grown up class has awakened the child in me!

I have to say this class has been one of my favorite graduate courses. I'm so glad I took this class! Thanks Dr. Rufleth and fellow classmates for making this a great class! I really enjoyed reading the posts, especially the revised fairy tales. All of you are so talented and creative!

The Authors' Spin on Fairy Tales

The only obvious relationship I could see between the Grimm’s “The Poor Miler’s Boy and the Cat” and Carter’s “Puss-in-Boots” was that both stories featured strong-willed cats “running the show”, coming to the aid of the male human characters, helping them attain specific goals. The Grimm’s version, I believe, could be what we, in modern western culture, would consider an actual fairy tale, whereas Carter's version would not. The inclusion of the talking cats mixed with hyper-sexualization makes it difficult to place this tale.

In ABG, Tatar references Bottigheimer’s statement that “nearly every image and metaphor in ‘The Poor Miller’s Boy and the Cat’ can be read erotically” (Tatar 346). I didn’t interpret it that way. I guess, anyone could let his/her mind “go there”, but in my opinion, the story, even if it’s just on the surface, is innocent enough for a child audience, particularly when compared to Carter’s version.

Undoubtedly, Bettelheim would select the Grimm’s version of the story to read to children. Carter’s version is very likely even a lil’ too spicy for some adults, although it is the most humorous and light-hearted of her stories that we’ve read for this class. I think what makes Carter’s tale seem so blatantly sexual and/or shocking is probably our expectation that by the title, Puss-in-Boots, we expect a cute little fairy tale. But isn’t what we see on TV and in movies, hear in music, or read in novels, just as sexually blatant, if not more so, but is accepted as “pop culture”? Despite the sexual content of the tale, Carter does a good job of playing on words, which keeps the tale from being as raw as it could’ve be.

I would not think that Carter was trying to move the tales back to their original forms. However, her statement during an interview (thanks, Stuart, for the link) that “the stories in the Bloody Chamber are very firmly grounded in the Indo-European popular tradition” (Katsavos) indicates otherwise. So, if her version of the story is close to the original tale, the Grimm’s must have made some major revisions to their story, which would actually mean that their story would be almost unrecognizable, compared to previous versions of the tale.

Review of Modern Fairy Tale - "Mirror Mirror"

 

The 2012 motion picture, Mirror Mirror, is a modern version of the fairy tale, “Snow White”. The makers of the film use quite a bit of creative license by making the film a fairy tale, comedy, and adventure film rolled in one, adding several new components to the storyline, yet also referencing elements from the traditional fairy tale.

The basic premise of the film is to present a new version of an old, well-known fairy tale. It maintains the basic theme of the original story, the ongoing rivalry between innocent Snow White and her wicked, controlling stepmother, as well as the happily-ever-after love story between Snow White and the handsome prince. At the same time, elements of comedy, action, and adventure are included. In this film, Snow White is presented as a proactive, strong-willed, independent character. In addition, a more vulnerable and desperate side of the wicked queen is revealed.

What is different about this film (from traditional versions) is that once Snow White is made aware of the queen’s tactics, a mutual and active rivalry between the two of them actually takes place for the remainder of the film. It’s interesting that the rivalry begins and ends with an interesting and powerful phrase, initially whispered in Snow White’s ear by the wicked queen, and at the end, it is whispered in the queen’s ear by Snow White: “It’s important to know when you’ve been beaten” (Singh).

Audience

The film is rated PG, which is pretty accurate. The content is toned-down/decent enough to be a family-friendly movie, at parents’ discretion, particularly suitable for older children (i.e. tweens and older). The primary benefit that the audience will gain from the film is entertainment. The film combines the old with the new, therefore making it enjoyable and entertaining for a variety of age groups and interests. This movie is not just a fairy tale. It is a comedy and action/adventure film as well.

In addition, the audience can probably relate better to the characters, who are presented in more of a human light. Their personalities are more quirky and believable than in traditional fairy tales.

Strengths and Weaknesses

A key strength of this film is that it maintains a recognizable story line. Although there is a great deal of new content, no one has to guess which fairy tale the story is based on. As in the traditional versions, the king is a widower, raising Snow White on his own and later remarries. The queen stepmother is still a wicked, domineering, narcissistic woman who seeks to kill Snow White. One of her murder plots of ordering her servant to take Snow White into the woods and kill her, which is foiled by the servant releasing Snow White into the woods, then bringing back the blood and organs of an animal, is in keeping with the traditional tale. In addition, the seven dwarfs also remain a vital part of the film’s storyline, as well as the happily-ever-after ending for Snow White and the prince.

The differences, in the form of new and original material, presented in the film, also prove to be advantageous, giving it a freshness, keeping the audience captive and wondering what will happen next. The biggest difference is Snow White. In the traditional versions, the wicked stepmother’s role overshadows Snow White. However, the makers of this film allow the audience to get to know Snow White better, to see who she really is. This is vital to the life of the film and maintaining the audience’s interest. She is by no means the Snow White of old. While her character remains sweet and compassionate, she is also full of vitality, much less gullible, courageous, strong-willed, and independent. This Snow White has a much stronger presence and influence, not only on the audience, but also on the other characters in the film. She, not her circumstances, controls her destiny in this film.

The vulnerability of the queen is a surprise element. When she is informed that she has blown through all of her money from her former husbands, and is now is practically broke, she goes to her confidante, the infamous mirror on the wall (who’s face is a demure version of the queen), humbly asking for advice. The mirror advices her to marry a rich man quickly because one day, she (the queen) will ask who’s the fairest of them all and (the mirror warns) she won’t like the answer (Singh). In desperation, the queen makes it her mission to marry the young, very rich, prince who is traveling through her kingdom. She convinces herself that by doing so, her financial problems will be over. Here, the audience sees this domineering monarch financially vulnerable, afraid that her poverty will be revealed to the public. She is also in a desperate state, dependent on men (i.e. her many husbands and any potential husband) to provide for her financially.

The addition of comedy and action/adventure is also a strength of this film. While the comedy keeps the film light-hearted, the action and adventure keep the audience “awake” and intrigued, wondering what will happen next.

There are not many obvious weaknesses of this film. Though it is made with a wider audience in mind, it probably will not appeal to everyone, particularly male audiences. Despite the comedy, action, and adventure, the story is still basically a fairy tale love story.Conclusion

Overall, the film was entertaining. Its off-the-wall humor (i.e. the prince acting like a puppy after mistakenly and unknowingly being given love potion for puppy love), action and adventure (i.e. the sword fight between Snow White and the prince, who are attracted to each other and will eventually become husband and wife) maintain the interest of the audience and make it a good family film choice.

Work Cited

Mirror Mirror. Dir. Tarsem Singh. Perf. Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane. Relativity Media, 2012. Film.

Fairy Tale Revision (Cinderella)

Cinderella – The Extended Remix

There once was a wealthy businessman who was a widower, Mr. Prosper. He had a daughter, Cynthia, or “Cindy”, as he affectionately called her. She grew to be a lovely young woman like her mother. One day, the handsome businessman met what seemed to be a very sweet divorcée, Devila. But she was actually an opportunist, looking for a well-to-do man to take care of her and her two bratty daughters, Coveta and Envya. The couple eventually married and the woman and her daughters moved into Mr. Prosper’s home, which he shared with his lovely daughter, Cindy.

Tough economic times came and Mr. Prosper’s business suffered. Because his wife and stepdaughters had spent so much of his money, living “high on the hog”, there weren’t enough cash reserves to save the company. He had to file for bankruptcy. He had to eventually let the company go and find another job paying much less money. Unfortunately, the job required him to work out of town and he was only able to come home occasionally.

When Mr. Prosper was around, Devila and her daughters put up a front, as if they were all one big, happy family. But when he was away, Devilla, Coveta, and Envya treated the shy, passive Cindy poorly. They yelled at her, made fun of her, and called her names. They said she was ugly, stupid, and dumb. On the contrary, Cindy was beautiful, talented, and smart as a whip! In fact, she was an honors student at the local university. Her evil stepsisters were actually very jealous of her. They had flunked out of college because they partied too much. The stepsisters went as far as cyberbullying, taunting her on Facebook and Twitter. They would even set her up to get in trouble and take the fall for their mischief. They would “borrow” her belongings and return them broken, damaged, or not return them at all, claiming they were “lost” or that the dog ate it.

Cindy didn’t have much of a social life. With the family’s new financial problems, she began working a full-time job, to help make ends meet and to pay for her college education.

Devila and her daughters were lazy and selfish. After Mr. Prosper had to lay off the housekeeper, Devila made Cindy do all the housework and clean up after her and her daughters…those slobs! They even made her run errands for them. Cindy’s parents had always taught her to respect her elders, so she dared not talk back to her stepmother. Besides, that woman was scary!

One day, the CEOs (a husband and wife team) of the company Mr. Prosper worked for announced that they were throwing THE red-carpet charitable event of the year, a three-night Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball! The guest list included some of the biggest names in business, sports, entertainment, and politics. Because Mr. Prosper was a good employee, he received an invitation and asked his family if they would like to go to the ball.

“Are you kidding? Of course we want to go!” Devila and her daughters shouted. “Everybody who’s anybody will be there!”

“What about you, Cindy?” Mr. Prosper asked.

“Well, I-I don’t know,” she replied hesitantly. Cindy thought, I don’t have anything to wear to something like that. Besides, the ball would be held out of town, where her father worked. They would all have to fly or drive a distance to get there. She knew her father really couldn’t afford airfare for all of them, plus pay for a hotel for them.

Devila knew that the billionaire couple sponsoring the event, Mr. and Mrs. Richman, had a very handsome and single son. Hmm...an heir to the empire, she thought. I’ve got to make sure he meets my girls so he can marry one of them and we’ll be set for life!

Devila told Coveta and Envya about the handsome bachelor. The three of them had to figure out a way to snag this eligible bachelor. They googled him to find out all they could about him, even stalking his Facebook page and following him on Twitter. How could they make sure they would outshine all of the other ladies who would be vying for his attention at the ball? Since they had some time to devise a plot before the ball, Coveta and Envya decided to get breast implants, tummy tucks, butt injections, and Botox injections to plump up their lips. “Surely, that will catch his eye! We’ll be the hottest girls at the ball!” So, they maxed out their credit cards, all in an effort to sink their hooks into the most eligible bachelor around. “One of us has got to get that man!” The desperate sisters said. “Maybe he has a brother or a rich cousin, too!”

Fortunately, the Richmans were very generous and compassionate people. They knew that hard times had fallen on Mr. Prosper and his family. So, they offered to pay for the family’s airfare and hotel stay for the ball.

Devila and her daughters were leaving home to go shopping, to buy the latest in haute couture for the ball. “To get a man of such high caliber, you’ve got to look the part,” she told them. “Not like your Plain Jane stepsister. She’ll never get married, or if she does, she’ll have to settle for some lowly fella.” They laughed and mocked her. Cindy, who had just awakened, after working and studying all night, overheard them. Although she had grown used to their mistreatment, their words were still hurtful. She cried. Then, she remembered something her mother used to tell her to think about when she was sad. “Later, it will be greater! Your day in the sunshine will come!” She often encouraged herself with her mom’s wise sayings. That’s how she managed to stay sane and strong through all of the mistreatment by those three evil females.

The day of the ball was drawing near and Cindy still didn’t have anything to wear. She had been so busy working and studying, the time just seemed to fly by. She had been saving money to buy one outfit to wear, although it was a three-night event. What she didn’t know was that her father had sent enough money for all of them to buy outfits for the ball, but Devila never told Cindy. She selfishly used the extra money that would have bought Cindy’s outfits, to buy something more expensive for herself and her daughters.  By now, they were all prancing around the house, flaunting their expensive dresses, a different one for each night of the ball. Coveta and Envya were walking around like proud peacocks, showing off their new boobs, butts, and lips, and bragging about how they were going to snag a rich man at the ball.

“Well, you can always go to Walmart and get something at the last minute. Ha! Ha! Ha!” They taunted. “You can’t possibly think you would fit in at a high-society event like that anyway! Who do you think you are? Why don’t you just stay here and do what you do best…nothing!”

Their words hurt, but as she left home to go to the mall to try to find something to wear at the last minute, Cindy encouraged herself. “Later, it will be greater! My day in the sunshine will come!” She looked everywhere, trying to find an outfit, but everything in her size was either sold out, too expensive, or too revealing. “What am I going to do?” There were three dresses she really liked that fit her perfectly, but she couldn’t afford them. Oh well, she thought, maybe I’ll just go and hang out in the hotel while everyone else is at the ball and spend some quality time with my dad afterwards. “Later, it will be greater! My day in the sunshine will come!”

The night before they were all supposed to leave to fly out to the ball, Cindy had to work late. She had also been up late the night before that studying for an exam. Fortunately, she had already packed her bags. She came home from work that night exhausted, plopped across the bed and fell asleep right away.

Early the next morning, those three evil ones were up running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to pack at the last minute and get to the airport. “Where is that sorry little stepsister of yours?” Devila asked.

“I don’t know. I guess she’s still sleeping,” one of the stepsisters answered.

“Should we go wake her up?” the other stepsister asked.

“No! Leave her there!” the wicked stepmother said. “If she doesn’t wake up and misses the flight, that’s her problem, not ours.” They laughed and mocked Cindy. When the cab arrived to pick them up, they left her there sound asleep.

Several hours later, Cindy woke up refreshed. She looked at the clock on her cell phone. “OMG! I overslept!” She ran out of her room, looking for her stepmother and stepsisters. They were nowhere to be found. “No they didn’t run out of here and leave me sleeping!” She called Coveta’s and Envya’s cell phones, but both calls went straight to voicemail. Surely, the flight has taken off by now, she thought. She called the airline to see if she could get a later flight, but everything was booked.

She began to cry. “How dare they leave me!” However, their actions were no surprise to her. She had put up with a lot of drama from those three over the years. But now, enough was enough!

She thought about the three beautiful ball gowns she tried on that fit her perfectly and made her look like a princess. “If only I had been able to buy at least one of those beautiful ball gowns. If only I could just get to the ball,” she sighed. “Oh well, later, it will be greater! My day in the sunshine will come!”

The doorbell rang. She went downstairs, looked through the peephole to see who it was. Were her eyes fooling her? She slowly opened the door and peeped around. There stood a woman who looked just like Patti LaBelle, smiling and dressed in an elegant gown and jewels. She was holding a blinged-out microphone. The woman said, “Hey Honey! Why are you just sitting around here moping? You’ve got a Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball to go to!”

“What? Huh?” Cindy looked behind the Patti look-alike and there were a stretched limo and a chauffeur in front of the house. “Hey, what’s all this? Are you Patti LaBelle?”

“I’m your Fairy Godmother, Honey, but you can call me GiGi,” the woman said. “You did say you wanted to go to the ball, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, but...”

“But what? You’ve got a flight to catch!” GiGi said, as she invited herself in through the front door. “But first, we’ve got to do something about your wardrobe. And that hair, child! That hair!” (Cindy had fallen asleep the night before without doing anything to her hair and woke up with a major case of “bedhead”.) GiGi waved her magic blinged-out microphone and sang a beautiful, high-pitched note that only a singer among the ranks of Patti LaBelle could belt out.

Cindy felt a tingle all over her body. She was startled to realize that her clothes had been transformed into one of the beautiful ball gowns she’d tried on at the mall, but couldn’t afford. “What the?” Cindy walked over to the mirror stunned. Her hair was beautifully styled, makeup perfectly applied, and accessories perfectly matched. And on her feet were the most gorgeous blinged-out stilettos. “I-I don’t know what to say.”

“No time to say anything, honey.” GiGi said. “Your limo and your flight await you. Now get goin’!”

Cindy jumped in the limo, which whisked her away to the airport, where she boarded a private jet. While on board, she received a phone call from GiGi. “I forgot to tell you, Honey, make sure you leave the ball before 2:00 a.m. so the limo can take you to your hotel,” she warned. “At 2:00, everything changes back. Okay?” Cindy promised to leave the ball before 2:00.

Meanwhile, at their hotel, when Devila and her daughters arrived, Mr. Prosper asked, “Where is Cindy?”

“Oh, she decided not to come,” Devila quickly replied. “She had other plans. You know how flaky those college kids can be. She doesn’t have time for a silly little masquerade ball.”

“Are you sure about that?” Mr. Prosper asked suspiciously. “The last time we talked, she told me she was coming. I was really looking forward to spending some quality time with my daughter.” He tried calling Cindy’s cell phone, but it went straight to voicemail.

“No need to worry about her. She’ll be fine,” said Devila. “We don’t want to be late for the ball.”

Cindy’s jet landed and another stretched limo was waiting to take her to the ball. Meanwhile, at the ball, the Richmans’ son, Richie, was becoming annoyed by all of the other women trying to throw themselves at him, including Coveta and Envya, who were flaunting in their revealing dresses and flirting with every rich single man in the place, while Devila schmoozed with the rich and famous, including Mr. and Mrs. Richman, in her desperate effort to hook one of her daughters up with their son.

When Cindy arrived, no one knew who she was, including her family. After all, they were all wearing masks, although her father thought there was something familiar about her. Everyone was in awe of her beauty, grace, and style, including the paparazzi outside. The young Richman noticed Cindy almost as soon as she walked in the door. He was so enamored by her. He immediately approached her. They danced, talked, and laughed all night. He was all smiles and didn’t notice anyone else the remainder of the night. Coveta and Envya weren’t too pleased with being ignored, but they couldn’t help but wonder who this lovely young lady was and what her secret was in holding Richie’s attention all night.

When Cindy noticed that it was 1:30 a.m. she told Richie that she was tired and ready to leave. He escorted her to her limo. He later realized that in all of their fun together he forgot to ask for her name and phone number.

As soon as Cindy returned to her hotel room, her beautiful ball gown turned back to jeans and a pink hoodie. She could barely sleep, thinking about the evening’s events. When she awoke the next day, she found herself back at home in her own bed. Soon after, her dad called to check on her. “Good morning, Cindy. Are you okay?” He asked. “I thought you were flying here for the ball. What happened?”

“Hi Dad,” she replied sleepily. “Everything’s ok. I’ve been working and studying a lot. No need to worry about me.” After their phone call ended, she thought about the evening and how she wished she could go back to the ball again.

A little while later, the doorbell rang. It was GiGi, all smiles, dressed as elegantly as the day before, carrying the blinged-out microphone.

“GiGi! What are you doing here?”

“You do wanna go back to the ball, don’t you?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“But nothin’!” GiGi waived her blinged-out microphone and sang a beautiful, high-pitched note.

Cindy felt a tingle all over her body and her clothes had been transformed into a different and more beautiful, expensive gown she had tried on at the mall. Again her hair, makeup, and accessories were perfect. And those gorgeous blinged-out stilettos reappeared on her feet. She was stunned.

“Your limo and flight await,” GiGi smiled. “Toodles! And remember…2:00 a.m.”

Cindy nodded and smiled as she entered the limo. Like the night before, when she arrived, the paparazzi and everyone else was captivated by her beauty, grace, and style. After another night of desperate women, including Coveta and Envya, flaunting and flirting with him, Richie was thrilled to see the mysterious beauty again. They danced, talked, and laughed all night. Cindy’s stepsisters and stepmother were still trying to figure out what her secret was in keeping Richie’s attention, while her father tried to figure out why this young woman looked so familiar. She reminds me so much of Cindy, he thought.

At 1:30 a.m., she told Richie that she was tired and ready to leave. He escorted her to her limo. He again realized that in all of their fun, he’d forgotten to ask for her name and phone number. He hoped she’d come back the next night. He would definitely get her name and number then.

When Cindy returned to her hotel room, her beautiful ball gown turned back to jeans and a pink hoodie. She could barely sleep, thinking about the evening’s events. When she awoke the next day, she found herself back at home in her own bed. Soon after, her dad called to check on her. “Good morning, Cindy. Is everything okay?” He asked.

“Yeah, Dad,” she replied sleepily. “Everything’s fine.” After their phone call ended, she thought about the evening and how she wished she could go back to the ball for the last and final night.

Later, the doorbell rang. There was GiGi, all smiles, elegant, with her magic blinged-out microphone.

“GiGi! You’re back!”

“Well, yes, child,” she replied. “If we’re gonna do this thing, we’re gonna do it right!”

“Well, alrighty then!” Cindy exclaimed. “Let’s do this!”

GiGi waived her blinged-out microphone and sang a beautiful, high-pitched note. Cindy felt a tingle all over her body and her clothes were transformed into the third beautiful gown she had tried on at the mall. Her hair, makeup, accessories were all in place, along with the gorgeous blinged-out stilettos.

“Your limo and flight await,” GiGi smiled and off they went. Cindy was so excited as she boarded the jet for the final night of the ball, she had butterflies in her stomach. She had never been so happy as she had been the last two nights.

As she walked the red carpet, the paparazzi was all over her, asking who she was. Her father thought, if I hadn’t talked to her earlier today, I’d swear that was Cindy. Again annoyed with the aggressive, desperate women throwing themselves at him, Richie waited near the door for Cindy to arrive. By now, Coveta and Enyva realized they weren’t getting anywhere with Richie, so they decided to target the other rich bachelors at the ball.

Richie was ecstatic to see Cindy. They both had the time of their lives, dancing, talking, and laughing all night. So much so that Cindy lost track of the time. Now, 2:00 a.m. was only a few minutes away. Richie had stepped away to get some water for both of them. When he returned, Cindy was gone and he couldn’t find her anywhere in the building. He ran outside to see if her limo was still there, but all he saw was an old, rusty, noisy hooptie speeding off. Nobody he asked had seen her. All they saw was a girl in a pink hoodie and jeans speed off in an old, noisy, rusty hooptie.

Richie was devastated. As he made his way back inside, he saw a sparkly shoe on the red carpet. It was one of the blinged-out stilettos that his mysterious beauty had worn. There’s hope yet, he thought, realizing that in the bliss of the evening, he still hadn’t asked for her name and phone number.

Meanwhile, Cindy’s stretched limo had turned into an old, noisy, rusty hooptie and she once again found herself in jeans and a pink hoodie. Her five-star hotel was no longer in the location the limo had taken her before. All that was there now was a run-down motel. She realized that she would have to drive the noisy, rusty hooptie all the way home.

By the time she arrived at home, her dad called. She assured him that everything was fine. She also texted GiGi to thank her for making such an awesome weekend possible.

A few days later, the media buzz was over a video posted by Richie Richman pleading the owner of the blinged-out stiletto to come forward and that the woman whose foot fit the shoe would become his wife. The video had gone viral. Women all over the world were calling, emailing, and tweeting and posting all over social media that they were the owner of the shoe.

Cindy had been working and studying so much that she didn’t even know about Richie’s video, until she overheard her stepmother and stepsisters talking about it. “Some kind of way, I’m going to make that shoe fit my foot! One of us is going to snag that fine, rich man!” Cindy hadn’t given it much thought, but she remembered that one blinged-out stiletto was her only memento from the ball. She had hidden it under her bed.

By process of elimination, the search was narrowed down to a handful of finalists to try to shoe. Representatives from the Richman’s corporation were sent out to find the one whose foot would fit the shoe. Some kind of way, Coveta and Envya had managed to convince the reps to come to their house to let them try the shoe on. Their stepfather, Mr. Prosper, was there to witness the fitting. Despite how much buttering, filing, wrapping they did to their feet, they could not manage to cram them into the shoe. “Are there any other females here?” the reps asked.

“Nobody!” the stepmother and her daughters said in frustrated unison.

“Wait!” Mr. Prosper said, “My daughter Cindy is here. Why not let her try it on since you’re here.” He thought of how much the young lady at the ball reminded him of his daughter.

“Why would you waste these fine gentlemen’s time with such nonsense?” Devila asked. Mr. Prosper didn’t like her tone and attitude, which he had been taking mental note of for a while.

“Let her try it on!” He demanded. “Just humor me.” He called Cindy downstairs. She came down with the other stiletto hidden behind her back. When she sat down, without saying a word, she whipped out the matching stiletto and slipped it on her foot. She slipped the other stiletto on and it fit perfectly. “I knew it!” Mr. Prosper said with the grin of a proud father.

Devila, Coveta, and Envya were dumbfounded! “What the? You weren’t even at the ball. How could you possibly fit the shoe and have the other one, too? You must have stolen it!”

“I was there,” Cindy said confidently. “And I saw you flaunting around and flirting and throwing yourselves at those rich men all night.” The stepmother and stepsisters were flabbergasted.

The representatives called Richie on Skype to give him the good news, so he could see for himself who the mystery lady was. Despite seeing her in jeans and a pink hoodie, he recognized Cindy immediately. He was beyond thrilled! This time, he made sure he asked her for her name and phone number.

Not only did Richie vow to marry Cindy, but his parents also promised to pay for the remainder of Cindy’s college education. Because her father, was such a good and upstanding man, in addition to being a great employee, they gave him the money to buy back his business and he became wealthy again.

The money-grubbing stepmother and stepsisters were punished for their wicked deeds. The stepsisters were charged with cyberbullying for all the years they had taunted Cindy.  Mr. Prosper had suspected for some time that Devila had only married him for his money (good thing he made her sign a pre-nup before they were married) and that she had been mistreating Cindy. She was charged with larceny, for stealing the money Mr. Prosper sent to Cindy but never received it, and imprisoned for fraud and embezzlement, for stealing money from Mr. Prosper’s business.

Richie and Cindy eventually married and lived happily ever after; and Cindy was finally able to say, “Now everything is greater! My day in the sunshine has finally come!”

The End