Cinderella Binary

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Cinderella Binary

The movie “Cinderella” is a 1950 film that seeks to show that good eventually triumphs over evil. The movie is about a young girl who suffers under the hands of her stepmother and stepsisters after her father’s death. She changes from being a beloved daughter who had everything to being a servant in her own home. The movie has inspired the production of several other movies due to its inspiring message. Though it was written many years ago, people still watch it today because of its relevance and the fact it instills hope in people. Subjugation is still a common evil in today’s society and the film reminds individuals in such situations to keep on dreaming and never lose hope (Cinderella, 1950). Though the film is based on a folk story, there is no denying that it is applicable in real-life situations by according the message that altruism will be positively rewarded; this is achieved through the selfishness vs. selflessness binary evidenced in the film, although towards the end it becomes compromised.

Her stepmother and stepsisters treat Cinderella unfairly or cruelly. She does all the chores in the house and still attends to their personal errands without complaining. Her kindness even extends to the house animals, and she befriends the birds, mice and dog. Her selfless acts go unnoticed by her family, and they increasingly take advantage of her (Cinderella, 1950). The stepmother and her two biological daughters even prevent her from going to the ball when they tear the gown that she had made with so much effort. Despite being mistreated like this, Cinderella does not hold any grudge towards her family. Perhaps from her good upbringing, accorded by her biological parents, Cinderella faces each day with renewed hope, believing that things will get better as a way of recompensing her selfless acts. Cinderella’s acts of selflessness are very significant in the film as they act as the foundation of the whole narrative. Consider her friendship to her animal friends and the godmother are largely based on the positive reward factor for her altruistic character that is held in sharp contrast to that exhibited by her stepmother and stepsisters. The latter are regarded as evil and thereby accorded negative rewards, which Cinderella would have been accorded had she exhibited the same selfish character, altering the whole storyline.

Cinderella’s reward begins when things do take a positive turn, and she is presented with an opportunity to go to a ball. The king and his officials have organized a ball for their son, and they have invited all the eligible women. They hope that one of them will catch the eye of the prince, and he will fall in love with her. Unlike Cinderella, who chooses to see the good in people, her sisters are very selfish and jealous of her. Cinderella surpasses them in looks and skills. She is a beautiful girl, who has a beautiful voice, but her sisters are average looking, and they have to practice for them to sing properly (Cinderella, 1950). They are selfish because they do not want her to attend the ball because they undoubtedly know that they cannot compete with such a character. They question the mother when she tells Cinderella that she can go to the ball and asks is she realizes what she has done. Cinderella’s stepsisters and her stepmother are aware of her beauty, and they do not want her to have such an opportunity. They give her many chores to do that day, and they eventually tear her dress when they realize that Cinderella could actually go to the ball and hence limit the chances of dancing with the prince.

Despite all these challenges and frustrations however, Cinderella’s selflessness is still rewarded echoing the view that a good turn results into a reciprocation of the same. The animals work tirelessly besides Cinderella towards the fulfillment of her desires; and where the physical efforts are limited, the magical realm that is more superior mediates the situation by according its assistance. The magical realm as used in the film is reflective of a higher order, perhaps God, who although invisible to many individuals also works towards the reward of both the selfless (virtue) and the selfish (vice). The stepmother and stepsisters vice is used to amplify the fact that Cinderella is a young innocent lady who is mistreated because her mother died when she was young, and this was the reason why her father married another wife who was the mother of the two stepsisters. This contrast is used to evidence the binary exhibited by the characters with regard to ideals and their just rewards. The King made an invitation to all the maidens in the kingdom to attend a ball, which was organized specifically for the prince in his homecoming celebrations (Cinderella, 1950). In the ball, the prince was supposed to pick one of the maidens who would be his bride.

Cinderella desires to attend the ball, but this is denied by the stepmother and the daughters who say this is mot an event for maids; she weeps so much but gets some help at last to attend the ball. Her fairy godmother reveals herself to her and performs some magic developing a horse, its carriage and footmen from a pumpkin and mice, and these are meant to facilitate the beautiful lady to attend the ball, which she does (Cinderella, 1950). Her tattered clothes are transformed into one of the best ball gowns that ever existed, and this becomes the center of interest when she attends the ball and dances with the prince all night long. However, the godmother has warned her that she has to flee the party before midnight, the time when the spell is supposed to expire. As a result, she flees before the prince is able to get her name but the prince had already made the decision that indeed this was the lady that he was looking for. As Cinderella left the ballroom she left one glass slipper behind and this is the one that the prince sends with his servants throughout the kingdom for trials on all the maidens so as to bring to the prince the one that it fits in to marry her.

Even in this instance, the three evil women exude their selfish nature when they initially lock up Cinderella from the trials and later accord into sabotaging the mission by destroying the slipper before Cinderella has the opportunity to try it on. However, in both situations, Cinderella emerges victorious amplifying that selflessness cannot be rewarded with evil no matter the circumstances. At the end, the Prince Charming and Cinderella end up being in love and their wedding follows shortly evidencing a positive reward for her selflessness. The stepsisters became very ashamed and very sorry; they begged her for forgiveness, which was granted by Cinderella (Cinderella, 1950). This shameful act is the only recompense justly accorded to the selfish sisters. When she got married to the prince, the lords also married the two sisters. Cinderella’s selflessness is thereby indicative of the unconditional treatment she gives to all that she interacts with, despite their character and actions. This enhances the binary between selflessness and selfishness, with the latter being conditional in nature as shown through the stepmother and her daughters; they are only good to those who align to their evil plans.

Additionally, Cinderella’s stepmother openly reveals her selfish attitude upon hearing the grand duke is looking all over town for the owner of the glass slipper. It is not clear from the movie how the mother knows that Cinderella attended the ball (Cinderella, 1950). The movie does not also show or explain why the glass slippers are the only things that did not change after the clock struck twelve. Everything else changed to its original form but the glass slippers remained. Cinderella’s stepmother breaks the glass slipper, which the grand duke has in the hope of ruining any chances that Cinderella has. She does not however imagine that there could be a second glass slipper and she is not bale to break this one. Selfishness as indicated in this scene is described as being myopic and thereby bound toward failure. The former acts of selfishness seem to have a higher or longer success period because the three evil women offered consultation with each other, leading to idea merging, which is the basis of group work. Cinderella’s actions are also successful due to the same concept. However, individuality even in evil situations accords a significant inhibitor to the success of the desired plans.

Selfishness and selflessness are also seen in the animals and pets in the house. The family cat behaves in much the same way as Cinderella’s mother and stepsisters (Cinderella, 1950). It seems to be aware that the family hates Cinderella and does not want anything good to happen to her. When the grand duke comes looking for the lost maiden, who lost a glass sandal, the cat takes the keys away from the mice and prevents Cinderella from coming out of the room where her stepmother has locked her. The other animals are selfless and they are sympathetic to Cinderella. They keep her company when she is left alone in the house and they encourage her when she is feeling down. When Cinderella gets the go-ahead from her stepmother that she can attend the ball, the mice and the birds assist her in making her gown. They also assist her to escape when her stepmother locks her in a room.
The binary of selfishness and selflessness is contradicted by the fact that the ugly sisters and their mother do not get the full punishment they deserve for their actions. They live off Cinderella and they get all they want (Cinderella, 1950). They have someone running their errands and meeting all their demands. They get to the ball and dance with the prince even after ruining Cinderella’s dress. Thus, though the movie has been keen to show the importance of acting in a selfless manner, it has failed to show the consequences of selfishness and cruelty. It has downplayed this role and not sent a conclusive message to the intended audience. The intricacy infused by this contradiction thereby weakens the theme of selflessness in the narrative, as individuals may desire to pursue the selfish nature of the stepsisters and the stepmother, since it has less suffering as that accorded to the Cinderella case. Inferentially, this viewpoint would ultimately lead to the heightening of selfishness instead of the desired reduction of the same.

The Cinderella story has been told many times and using many versions depending on the place where it is being told. In this version, we have clearly identified the selfishness and selflessness binary evidenced in the film through the stepmother and her daughters, and Cinderella respectively. The initial part of the story as the rising action is created, maintains a strong grip on the condemnation of selfishness due to the cruelties afforded to Cinderella while at the same time encouraging the practice of a selfless nature as a desirable character that makes Cinderella have a higher sense of harmony (Cinderella, 1950). This is noted with her relationship and favor from other people, notably the prince; also with nature and animals. The message is clearly brought out even in the climax as Cinderella’s selflessness is awarded but a contradiction occurs with the lack of punishment for the stepsisters and the stepmother. Despite the however, the narrative still maintains a sharp distinction between selfishness and selflessness, yet necessitating a revision to overcome the contradiction infused in the tale for a conclusive stand against selfishness.

Works Cited

Cinderella. Dir. Clyde Geronimi, Hamilton Luske, and Wilfred Jackson. Walt Disney, 1950. Film.