Cinderella and Ashputtle - Essay Example

This is a comparison and contrast between Cinderella and Ashputtle. Both stories are very similar with only minor differences which will be discussed below. Both the stories essentially follow the same storyline but there are some changes.

Charles Perrault focuses on the simplicity and kindheartedness of Cinderella who never wishes badly for anyone. Her father is described as a weak individual and is not a prominent character in the story (Perrault). More focus is kept on Cinderella and her fairy Godmother. The Fairy Godmother keeps on telling Cinderella to be a good girl and Cinderella listens to her. Cinderella is shown as a very kind-hearted and innocent girl who always does good to others. Hence in the end Cinderella is rewarded for all her good deeds in the shape of true love from a prince who eventually marries her and marks an end to her miserable life. At the end of the story, the stepsisters who were so mean and unkind to Cinderella realize their mistakes and beg Cinderella for forgiveness. And even after everything that they had put Cinderella through Cinderella does not take revenge but instead forgives them.

Jakob and Wilhelm’s Ashputtle continues on a more emotional track. The last words of Ashputtle’s mother are that tells Ashputtle to be good. Ashputtle listens to her advice. Ashputtle also goes and prays and cries on her mother’s grave three times every day. In this story, the fairy Godmother is replaced by a little white bird who grants Ashputtle her wishes. In Ashputtle there is no lesson of forgiveness instead, the stepsisters are avenged by two turtle doves, who peck out their eyes and blind the stepsisters.

Charles Perrault’s Cinderella which was the original and earliest written Cinderella story starts with an introduction through the use of very noble words such as “nobleman, proudest, and haughtiest” (Perrault). These words give a very royal feel intended for the French court. This start clearly shows that it is not aimed to capture the readers emotionally as the readers don’t feel any emotional attachment to this royal introduction. While in contrast to Jakob and Wilhelm’s Ashputtle, the beginning is much more captivating and the reader feels an emotional attachment to the story almost suddenly. Here Ashputtle is introduced as a young girl at the bedside of her dying mother. A division of classes is shown here too as the story starts with a sentence like “A Rich man’s wife...” and again later in the story, Ashputtle is teased by her sisters about her old gray dress (Jakob and Wilhelm 1).

In short, both stories focus on a similar character and environment. Both Cinderella and Ashputtle are innocent young girls who suffer the loss of their mother and are exposed to the harshness of the world in the form of their mean and evil stepsisters, but in the end, Cinderella is rewarded through her fairy godmother while Ashputtle through the white bird. Cinderella ends with the lesson of forgiveness, while in Ashputtle, there is also a happy ending but the slight difference is that Ashputtle’s hardships are avenged and her stepsisters blinded.