Cinderella by Brothers Grimm [PDF]

Information: Cinderella

• Author: Brothers Grimm
• Publication Date: 1812
• Main Characters:
  • Cinderella (Aschenputtel): A kind and devoted girl who endures her stepfamily's cruelty while secretly receiving help from birds and the hazel tree on her mother's grave
  • The Stepmother: A cold woman who favors her own two daughters and forces Cinderella into servitude after marrying her father
  • The Prince: The king's son who falls for Cinderella at the festival and searches the kingdom with her golden slipper to find her
  • The Two Stepsisters: Vain and cruel sisters who mock Cinderella and mutilate their own feet trying to fit the golden slipper
• Brief Summary: After her mother dies, a young girl is mistreated by her new stepmother and two stepsisters, who force her to sleep by the hearth and do all the household work. She plants a hazel twig on her mother's grave that grows into a tree where a white bird grants her wishes. When the king holds a three-day festival for his son to find a bride, the bird provides her with golden dresses and slippers. The prince falls in love with her, but the stepsisters try to trick him by cutting off parts of their own feet to fit the slipper. The pigeons reveal each deception, and Cinderella is recognized as the true bride.
• Thematic Analysis: The tale explores themes of grief, resilience, and the belief that goodness will eventually be recognized and rewarded. It contrasts natural, earned grace with vanity and deceit. The Grimm version also carries a thread of retributive justice that later adaptations deliberately removed, making it a story as much about consequences as about transformation.
• Historical Context: The Brothers Grimm published "Cinderella" (originally "Aschenputtel") in their 1812 collection "Kinder- und Hausmärchen" (Children's and Household Tales). They gathered this version from oral storytelling traditions in the Hesse region of Germany. The tale predates their collection by centuries, with variants found in ancient Greek, Chinese, and Egyptian sources.