Happy After

Living “Happily Ever After”

by Lisa Cantoni

The knowledge of what defines a “classic” fairy tale is instilled in many from a very young age. Children around the world know stories of damsels in distress and charming princes to the rescue, of cruel stepmothers and fairy godmothers. The story of a classic fairy tale often includes the mysterious element of a magical kingdom far-far away as well as the guaranteed wedding that will one day take place there. These age-old tales nearly always depict a story of good versus evil, with love conquering all. As time progresses, however, and as adults gain a greater understanding of equality and fairness, they must wonder if these narratives have a negative impact on those who read and watch them. Can these stories instill values and beliefs into children who only see a mythical world, and are these values parallel to the ideas of acceptance and equality that many fought so hard for? According to author Julia Craft; “Children’s literature…has an effect on the socialization of children. Socialization refers to the process by which a person develops a set of values and attitudes, goals and purposes, patterns of response and concept of self” (8). A little girl who sees or reads the timeless classic Cinderella may later create ideals of the way life is “supposed” to play out; and these morals are biased and demeaning to women. Many today are even creating alternate stories to read, hoping to change the imbalanced outlook the current fairy tales give. The short story “There was Once” by Margaret Atwood attempts to demolish the typical fairy tale and prove it to be damaging and insulting to the vulnerable minds of young girls. Furthermore, in comparison to the Walt Disney version of Cinderella, Atwood extends her ideas of the harm fairy tales create for people who may be stereotyped in this “classic narrative.”

The short story that Atwood wrote begins with the description of a girl, who is “as beautiful as she was good” (537). The pairing of the words “beautiful” and “good” speaks of a union that has existed for hundreds of years within fairy tales. Although Atwood is mocking the power of these words throughout her story, in Cinderella, the influence that exists from these words is very sincere. According to Dr. J. Kevin Thompson, there are “messages emphasizing the importance of physical appearance and portraying body stereotypes within children’s videos…one that exhibited the most body image-related messages was Cinderella” (21). Seeing this movie, young girls quickly learn that beauty is a trait of goodness, and the more attractive one is, the more “good” one is. This idea also works in reverse; therefore, the more unattractive one is, the more “bad” one is. Unfortunately, “repeated exposure to children’s media [that exhibits] unrealistic body ideals may lead young viewers and readers to overestimate the actual prevalence of such body figures and feel pressured to conform to the perceptions of what the body should look like” (Thompson 30). This is likely to be especially true for girls, and in time they may develop firm beliefs that physical beauty is associated with positive traits. Therefore, in Cinderella, beauty is a feature possessed by the good, virtuous heroine, and unsightliness is bestowed upon those who are cruel and malevolent. Atwood took note of this cycle and expresses it within her story, when the main character says: “I think we can cut the beautiful, don’t you? Women these days have to deal with too many intimidating physical role models as it is…Can’t you make her, well, more average?” (538). It is clear in Atwood’s story that fairy tales place too much emphasis on physical features and that this prominence may strongly influence a young girl’s thoughts and lead her astray from the importance of inner beauty.

Separating the idea that goodness comes from beauty removes only one “lentil from the ashes,” of this Cinderella story. Within a fairy tale, the ideals of “goodness” and “evil” are not only embodied by physical beauty or lack thereof, but also by other surface characteristics. The archetypal heroine of a fairy tale is of course beautiful, in addition to being described as obedient, polite, passive, et cetera. In “There was Once” the unidentified, feminist character urges the storyteller to “skip the description. Description oppresses” (538). Atwood’s short story desires to eliminate the obvious external attributes of a character that children may associate with. According to Professor Robert Baum, it is the nature of children’s literature, such as Cinderella, to condition us to distinguish bad and good, and to make a number of other associations with these terms; that which is considered good is that which is beautiful, smart, nice, polite, fair or even white, obedient, tall, slim, quiet, and so forth. In fairy tales, the basis of what we now call children’s literature, a person’s inner qualities are instantly discernable from external attributes. The visible qualities that Cinderella possesses may become the targeted hopes of young girls. After all, Cinderella is dutiful, passive, obedient, and gorgeous, and she marries Prince Charming. The famous heroine has no need for independence; not when her Prince is there, offering her the world.

Girls who idolize this romantic tale may believe that having a prince is all that one can aspire to. It is the concern of many that Cinderella, as well as other tales, fails to identify the importance of independence, assertion, and individualism. Dr. Kathleen W. Bordelon affirms that “the female characters have often been attributed with negative characteristics. Often they are seen as incapable of problem solving and dependent on male initiative” (qtd. in Craft 7). Accordingly, girls see Prince Charming with a magical kingdom at his fingertips and decide they want to be “happily ever after.” Thoughts of marriage and love soon occupy many playtime hours as young girls hope to one day snag the heart of their very own prince. They imagine their lives playing out in the same fashion as Cinderella’s did: a lost love being discovered, and being lifted up and placed on a horse or in a carriage, whisked off to a world of wealth and happiness. Atwood, like many others, are able to predict how most classic fairy tales end; therefore, when a main character in her story asks, “This ends with a marriage, right?” (539), there is suggestion that these “classic” tales have no real adventure or true independence because they all end in the same manner. While having the desire to one day get married is a respectable notion, thoughts of being rescued, pampered, and utterly dependant upon a man is objectionable. Author Andrea Dworkin pities Cinderella and sees the eternally youthful girl as “characterized by passivity, beauty, innocence and victimization… an archetypal good woman – victim by definition. She never thinks, acts, initiates, confronts, resists, challenges, feels, cares or questions.” In other words, did the creation of Cinderella set the stage for future submissive and culturally degrading narratives such as The Stepford Wives? This movie portrays women as mindless beings who want to do nothing more than cook and clean, without ever possessing a single, independent thought. To revert back to the voiceless, subservient times of women would be to lose everything women ever worked for; yet, this is what one of history’s most beloved tales is teaching young girls. In today’s society, “it is imperative for children to understand that we have equal opportunities…There are no longer any set rules as to who should do what and whether or not it is considered appropriate” (Craft, 7). In this light, it is evident that Atwood has thrown all “set rules” out the window with her piece. Appreciation of the progress made by women is encouraged throughout her short story: “I am so tired of negative female images! ...you can scratch the condescending paternalistic terminology. It’s woman, pal. Woman” (538). It is important for young girls to know that they can do whatever they want with their lives; they are not prohibited or forbidden from going against the grain of Cinderella.

This enchanted story does claim to offer an alternative to those women who are present in the tale, but want to break away from traditional passivity. According to the classical tales, if a woman does not wish to be obedient, subservient, and “good,” then she can be rebellious, assertive and “evil.” Atwood’s story remarks upon the overuse of good and bad, saying, “Good and wicked. Don’t you think you should transcend those puritanical judgmental moralistic epithets?” (538). The use of these two words in constant repetition can create an effect on children, possibly causing them to think in black and white terms; they are either “good” or “bad” people. In regard to women’s roles in fairy tales, Dworkin states that “there are two definitions….There is the good woman. She is a victim. There is the bad woman. She must be destroyed, killed, or punished.” In Cinderella, the persona who plays opposite of the goodly heroine is the legendary “evil stepmother.” The strong images that young girls create regarding this horrifying woman are powerful enough to leave lasting impressions in regard to real stepmothers. Consequently, a stepmother is often forced into a “wicked woman” stereotype, and may be subject to intense fear and/or hatred by the child, until he or she grows out of it. Therefore, the danger this character provides is two-fold; she reinforces the idea that a passive, beautiful woman is a good woman while an aggressive, ugly woman is evil, and she offers a real fear to young girls regarding second mothers. The bad reputation these “substitute” mothers receive because of Cinderella is tiresome and aggravating to Atwood’s speaker: “And stepmothers – they always get it in the neck!” (Atwood 539). The feminist character in Atwood’s short story argues to abandon the stereotyped image of the step mom in constant effort to destroy this hurtful typecast.

While stepmothers receive a heavy burden regarding stereotypes, many overlook the stereotype of Prince Charming himself, and how his character may reflect on young men who see “his” story. The responsibilities that a young boy may take upon himself in light of Cinderella are drastically unnoticed; so much so that Atwood’s story has no mention of it. Yet, the absence of a remark makes a strong statement in itself; when focusing on a story such as Cinderella, young girls are singled out, while the boys are given little attention. However, classic fairy tales can have an equally disturbing impact on young boys. Prince Charming is their role model, as Cinderella is to the girls. When boys look at him, they see that

He is handsome and heroic. He is a prince, that is, he is powerful, noble, and good. He rides a horse. He travels far and wide. He has a mission, a purpose. Inevitably he fulfills it. He is a person of worth and a worthwhile person. He is strong and true. Of course, he is not real, and men do suffer trying to become him. (Dworkin)

Boys may look up to and compare themselves to a man like Prince Charming. Whereas young girls hope a prince will one day rescue them, the boys think that they actually have to live up to that. A burden is placed upon their shoulders if and when they start to contemplate expectations. It is an excessive burden, but when boys are expected to one day be “manly men” they may see it as necessary and anticipated. Julia Craft asserts that, “It is the man who is the bread winner, protector and problem solver. Boys are encouraged to picture things as their job, not just something anyone can do” (6). In addition to the responsibility of being a “knight in shining armor,” young men may also start to contemplate the treatment of women, in comparison to fairy tales they have seen or read, such as Cinderella. A concern that may rise is the fact that while the effort is made to divert a young girl from being subservient in order to be “good” and to please others, there is little effort directed toward how the boys view the young women. Not only may they start looking at people based on physical appearance, but they may fall into the belief that it is “natural” for women to cook and clean and to be obedient. A joint effort should be focused on young boys to help them understand that they don’t have to be a prince or live up to one, as well as understand how fairy tales are demeaning to young girls.

A greater trouble, however, than the inner turmoil experienced by a boy or girl when comparing themselves to Cinderella and her Prince is one in which they are compared to another boy or girl. This problem, although greater among women, should not be necessarily ignored by men. Catastrophic sibling rivalry occurs throughout many fairy tales, including Cinderella. Even throughout Atwood’s short story, there is constant bickering between the storyteller, the feminist, and the man. At one point in the narrative, the storyteller becomes exasperated with the feminist, exclaiming, “But this isn’t about me! It’s about this girl --” whereas the feminist retorts, “Everything is about you” (538). The last sentence has great significance in regard to sibling rivalry. Everything is a fight in order to gain something for personal advantage, and Cinderella is no exception;

What we see in Cinderella is a tale of perfidy and female treachery… Female hatred, sabotage, jealousy. These are all shown repeatedly. We discover that the way to win a prince is over the ugly bodies of our competitors, who are similarly trying to cut our throats. Beauty on its own is not enough: you have to be seen by the right people. You must triumph over those who would hide your beauty. You must outdo them. No wonder female friendships are so problematic, when this is how we are trained to see our relationships with other women. (Baum)

Learning behavior such as sibling rivalry from timeless stories like Cinderella is distressful and unsettling. An example of a powerful and unforgettable scene in Disney’s Cinderella portrays the ugly stepsisters, Drusilla and Anastasia, ripping apart Cinderella’s gown, forcing her into tears. Atwood’s story asks if “so much of that is conditioning?” (538). Yes, it can be. Displaying open hostility toward siblings in fairy tales could acclimatize real family toward rivalry. However, young boys and girls can watch an argumentative scene if they understand that the movie is only pretend, and does not correlate with reality.

Atwood’s short story “There was Once” mocks the standard framework of what outlines a “classic” fairy tale. The narrative predominantly breaks down the timeless story of Cinderella and attempts to create a less judgmental view of the story’s biases. The immortal story of Walt Disney’s Cinderella is an example of the infamous portrayals made by fairy tales. Atwood’s story endeavors to overcome each depiction, including the views upon good, beautiful, and passive versus evil, ugly, and assertive; stereotypes against stepmothers and the boys who look up to Prince Charming; as well as the problem of sibling rivalry. Atwood’s story perhaps makes the greatest point when a character exclaims, “What’s this was, once? Enough of the dead past. Tell me about now” (539). Fairy tales with old ideals and beliefs are in fact, a thing of the past, and they should bear no reflection on life today. Reading or viewing a fairy tale classic should not give way to believing in or acting upon the story as if it were a reality. Living “happily ever after” is best done in today’s world, where “happily” is not a constant and valued all the more because of its rarity.

Works Cited

Atwood, Margaret. “There was Once.” The Bedford Introduction to

Literature. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martins,

2002. 537-539.

Baum, Robert. “After the Ball Is Over: Bringing Cinderella Home.”

Cultural Analysis 1.5 (2000): 55-73. 14 Apr. 2005 <http://

socrates.berkeley.edu/~caforum/volume1/Vol1_article5.html>.

Craft, Julia. “Sex Stereotypes in Children’s Literature.” Child

Development Jan. 1993. 20-30. Child Development Online. 11

Apr. 2005 <http://www.personal.kent.edu/~edalton/cinderella/

bibliography.htm>.

Dworkin, Andrea. “The Fairy Tales.” York University. 1974. York