Discover the theme and morals of ''Cinderella'' by Charles Perrault. Understand the ''Cinderella'' story meaning and explore the lesson and themes in the fairytale.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Cinderella by Charles Perrault | Overview, Themes & Morals
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the story of Cinderella in short?
In short, the story of Cinderella is about a kind young woman in unfortunate circumstances, who is ultimately rewarded for her kindness with a happy ending. Cinderella's stepsisters bully her and make her do all the chores, but she stays kind and good. She is rewarded when her fairy godmother gives her what she needs to attend the prince's ball, where she meets the prince and falls in love. He finds her later and marries her, saving her from the cruel home she grew up in. Cinderella wins the prince's love with her kindness, so the story's meaning is the importance of kindness and the triumph of good over evil.
What is the moral of the Cinderella story?
The moral, lesson, or theme of the story "Cinderella" is that kindness will be rewarded, whereas selfishness will not. Throughout the story, Cinderella is bullied by her stepsisters, yet she remains kind and good despite hardships. She is rewarded when her fairy godmother appears, giving her the tools she needs to attend the ball, meet the prince, fall in love, and get married (therefore rescued from the cruel home of her childhood). Even at the end of the story, Cinderella remains kind and forgives her sisters, saying she hopes they will always love her.
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Show"Cinderella" is a fairy tale by French author Charles Perrault, originally published in his 1697 collection "Tales of Mother Goose." Although Perrault's version of "Cinderella" (or "Cendrillon" in French) is one of the most popular, this is not the only version of "Cinderella," nor is it the original version. The story was told as an oral folktale with versions in several cultures for centuries before Perrault's version was published (and his was not the first published version, either). However, Perrault's version added three iconic elements to the story: glass slippers, a pumpkin carriage, and a fairy godmother.
The story's protagonist is Cinderella, a girl who lives with her father, stepmother, and stepsisters (her own mother has died). After her mother's death, Cinderella's father remarried a woman who at first seemed kind, but turned out to be nasty once the marriage was complete. The stepmother and stepsisters treat Cinderella poorly and make her do all the chores (Cinderella is a rude nickname her sisters came up with, based on the cinders from the fireplace, where she would go to rest after she finishing cleaning). Conversely, Cinderella treats others with kindness. The prince of their kingdom invites all maidens to a ball, but the stepmother and stepsisters forbid Cinderella from attending. A fairy godmother appears and provides Cinderella with a carriage, horses, a ball gown, and glass slippers, so that she can attend in a disguise her family will not recognize. However, the magic will end at midnight (except the glass slippers), so she must leave by then. The prince dances with Cinderella and falls in love with her, but she runs away at midnight before he can learn how to find her again, leaving one glass slipper behind.
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The prince searches the kingdom for the woman whose foot would fit inside the slipper (it is very small, so no one else fits). He visits Cinderella's home last, and discovers that the slipper is hers, much to the horror of her stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella, being kind, forgives her stepsisters when they apologize, and says she hopes they will always love her. Cinderella then marries the prince and is rescued from the cruel home of her childhood.
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What is the moral of "Cinderella"? There are several morals, or lessons, that help explain the meaning of the story "Cinderella." A moral is a lesson the story teaches about how to behave in the world. Fairy tales often have clear morals about how to live a good life, and Charles Perrault would even include his own at the end of each story to make his intended message clear to readers.
Kindness in "Cinderella"
In fairy tales, kindness toward all is often rewarded in the end, whereas selfishness is ultimately punished, or at least not rewarded. Throughout the story, Cinderella remains a kind person, despite being treated cruelly by those closest to her. The fairy godmother comes to Cinderella's aid because Cinderella is kind and she deserves to go to the ball. Likewise, the prince falls in love with Cinderella and takes her away from her heartless stepmother and stepsisters, because she is kind. The stepsisters are always trying to advance their own agendas, and believe they will succeed at finding a rich and powerful husband because of how pushy and self-interested they (and their mother) are. However, this behavior is ultimately not rewarded, and the stepsisters do not get to marry the prince at the end of the story.
In the Grimm Brothers' version of "Cinderella", the sisters even get their eyes pecked out by birds for additional punishment. In fairy tales like this one, the world is a moral place where, in the end, people get what they deserve, with kindness being rewarded with happiness. In Perrault's own morals, which he spelled out at the end of the story, he says that kindness is more important than beauty in attracting a husband.
Forgiveness in "Cinderella"
Because Cinderella is so good and kind, she forgives her stepsisters at the end of the story. Rather than carry resentment for all the pain they caused her, Cinderella lifts her sisters up off the ground while they are crying, forgives them, and says she wishes they will always love her. Even though the stepsisters' selfish behavior was not rewarded like Cinderella's kindness was, Perrault's ending teaches that we should forgive those who have wronged us in the past, rather than trying to seek revenge and continue a negative relationship.
Perseverance in "Cinderella"
In order to survive through tough times and eventually reach the reward of happiness, Cinderella must practice perseverance, continuing to complete her chores and practice kindness towards others, even toward her wicked stepmother and stepsisters. This way, after enduring, Cinderella can be rewarded with the fairy godmother's assistance and the prince's love. However, the story suggests that perseverance alone is not enough to earn the reward of happiness. Cinderella's sisters are persistent in trying to win the prince's love, but they fail because their hearts are not in the right place and they are wicked, even though they are trying hard to achieve a goal.
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What is the theme of "Cinderella"? A theme is the central idea, subject, topic, or underlying meaning of a piece of writing. There are several themes in "Cinderella."
Good versus Evil in "Cinderella"
Fairy tales tend to take place in a morally just universe where good deeds are rewarded in the end, and bad behavior is ultimately punished. Even against all odds, good triumphs against evil in fairy tales, often with the help of supernatural interventions such as the fairy godmother in "Cinderella." At first, it seems Cinderella has no hope of going to the ball, since her stepmother and stepsisters forbade her, and she had no transportation, no money, and no ball gown. However, the fairy godmother miraculously appears to help Cinderella, because Cinderella is a good person and deserves happiness more than her wicked stepsisters. Although bad things do happen to good people in fairy tales, in the end, the good live happily ever after, like Cinderella.
Luck in "Cinderella"
Because fairy tales tend to take place in a morally just universe where good people are rewarded at the end and bad people are punished, luck often needs to play a role in order to get the good people what they deserve. The good characters in fairy tales, like Cinderella, triumph against all odds. Even though Cinderella has no money and is controlled by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters, the fairy godmother appears to magically provide everything she lacks so that she can get the happiness she deserves. It is also lucky that the prince is able to locate Cinderella based on a shoe--in all likelihood, the shoe would have fit at least more than one woman in an entire kingdom. The theme of luck in "Cinderella" is related to the story's focus on the importance of kindness and the triumph of good over evil: characters get lucky so that they can get the rewards they deserve. In the story, an instance of luck can change one's life forever.
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Gender Roles in "Cinderella"
"Cinderella" has been the subject of feminist criticism because of its limiting portrayal of feminine gender roles. Cinderella is rewarded for her kindness with a happy ending, but, because she is a woman, this happiness consists only of marriage to a man. This runs the risk of suggesting that the best adventure available to women is heterosexual romance, and that they should not strive for anything else in life. Although Cinderella is repeatedly described as beautiful during the scenes at the ball, Perrault included a moral at the end explaining that kindness is more important than beauty, and that Cinderella won the prince's affections because of her good spirit. Even though the story presents marriage as the way toward happiness for women, it also clarifies that a woman's role should not be centered around physical beauty.
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"Cinderella" (or "Cendrillon" in French) is a fairy tale by Charles Perrault, published in his 1697 collection "Tales of Mother Goose." Although Perrault's tale is not the original version of "Cinderella," he added some key details to the story, including the glass slippers, the pumpkin carriage, and the fairy godmother.
When Cinderella's mother dies, her father remarries a woman who at first seems kind, but turns out to treat Cinderella cruelly, and Cinderella's stepsisters mimic this behavior. When the prince throws a ball and invites all maidens in the kingdom, Cinderella cannot attend, but her fairy godmother appears and magically fashions her a carriage, horses, and ball gown that will all disappear at midnight (except for the glass slippers, which will remain after midnight). Cinderella attends the ball as a mystery woman, and she and the prince fall in love, but she runs away when the clock strikes midnight before he can figure out who she is and how to find her again. She leaves one glass slipper behind, though, so the prince uses the shoe to track down Cinderella (and it doesn't shatter, like in the 1950 Disney film version). After her stepsisters realize Cinderella was the mystery woman from the ball, they apologize and she forgives them, saying she hopes they will always love her. Then she marries the prince and they live happily ever after.
The main moral or lesson that "Cinderella" teaches about how to behave in the world, is that kindness will be rewarded, whereas selfishness will not. This is shown through Cinderella receiving help from the fairy godmother, and living happily ever after with the prince (no longer confined to the cruel house of her childhood). The main themes, or subjects, topics, or underlying meanings, of "Cinderella" include good versus evil, luck, and gender roles. "Cinderella" has been the object of feminist criticism because it seems to equate happiness for women with heterosexual romance and marriage.
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Video Transcript
What Can We Learn from Cinderella?
One of the most well-known fairy tales ever written is Cinderella. The original title of the story by Charles Perrault is Cinderella: or, The Little Glass Slipper. He published the story in 1697 in French as Cendrillon in his Tales of Mother Goose. The story is based on a folktale present in a number of cultures throughout the world. The tale is about a young woman who is treated poorly and saved from her dismal existence. Let's take a look at some of the important morals and themes we can learn from this popular story.
Morals in Cinderella
Cinderella was first considered to be a folktale because it was a story originating in popular culture, typically passed on by word of mouth. These stories are commonly known for passing down beliefs and sharing morals with younger generations. A moral is a lesson, especially concerning what is right or prudent, that can be derived from a story. Here are a few of these important lessons from Cinderella.
The first is 'kindness towards all matters.' Even though Cinderella was seen as less than by others, she was good in her heart. Perrault says of Cinderella, 'A young daughter, but of unparalleled goodness and sweetness of temper.' She maintained her good temper throughout all of life's hardships and being treated as a servant. In fact, Cinderella 'bore it all patiently, and dared not tell her father.' No matter how much she was worn down or belittled, Cinderella showed kindness towards all. At the end of the story, Cinderella ends up with the prince, due to her lovely heart. He liked her even when she wasn't wearing her beautiful ball gown. Cinderella teaches us kindness is a form of beauty, which will eventually be recognized.
The second is 'forgive others for doing you wrong.' In the story, Cinderella's stepmother and stepsisters treat her horribly. They called her names like 'Cinderwench' and 'nasty. In addition, her stepmother 'employed her in the meanest work of the house. She scoured the dishes, tables, etc. . ., and cleaned madam's chamber, and those of misses, her daughters.' Even though the stepsisters and her stepmother treated her poorly, Cinderella kept a full heart. When her stepsisters realized she was actually the beautiful woman from the ball and apologize to her, Cinderella 'said that she forgave them with all her heart, and wanted them always to love her.'
The third is 'don't let the bad things ruin your heart.' Cinderella's mother died and her father remarried. This loss could have made her bitter and sad, but she still remained positive. In fact, she learned it from her mother 'who was the best creature in the world.' Her heart was true, even as life got difficult. In fact, 'Cinderella. . . was no less good than beautiful. . .'
Themes in Cinderella
Some of the themes brought forth by the text Cinderella are now known as the most common themes in literature. A theme is defined as a central idea in a piece of writing or other work of art. From the idea of good prevailing over evil or the impact wealth has on life, the themes of this folktale are essential in both life and literature.
The first is 'good versus evil.' It's standard in fairy tales for characters to go through the experience of good versus evil. Cinderella is presented as a good, kind-hearted character. She is almost too good! For example, 'Arriving home, she ran to seek out her godmother. . .' to thank her for the ball. Cinderella never once felt as though she deserved a godmother, she was simply thankful. To juxtapose goodness in the story, Cinderella's stepsisters didn't recognize her at the ball and after the event her sister Charlotte said, 'Lend my clothes to such a dirty Cinderwench as you are! I should be such a fool.' Instead of being thankful after the biggest event in town, she is selfish and self-centered.
Another central idea in Cinderella is the idea of luck being ever-present in the way it may change your life. Cinderella didn't wish for a change, she accepted her lot in life. One day, without prompting, a fairy godmother showed up to transform Cinderella's life. 'They went to court, and Cinderella followed them with her eyes as long as she could. When she lost sight of them, she started to cry.' Even after a godmother showed up, Cinderella didn't believe her luck would possibly change. After her chance to go to the ball, Cinderella's luck continues to hold. She spends the night dancing with the prince, loses her glass slipper, and finds the man of her dreams because of the missing shoe. The theme of luck being able to change your life at any moment is present throughout Cinderella.
Lesson Summary
The tale of Cinderella: or, The Little Glass Slipper by Charles Perrault is defined by morals and themes presented in the story. It was written as a folktale because it was a story originating in popular culture, typically passed on by word of mouth. Cinderella presents morals, or lessons, especially concerning what is right, or prudent, that can be derived from a story. It centers around many themes, or central ideas in a piece of writing. Cinderella teaches the morals of kindness towards all, forgiving others for doing wrong, and never letting bad things ruin your heart. The themes of the story are good versus evil and luck changing your life.
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Cinderella by Charles Perrault | Overview, Themes & Morals
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