Grief In The Film Cinderella

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Most fairy tales contain magical, fantastic or wonderful episodes, characters, events, or symbols. It is easy to become entranced by fairy godmothers, enchanted household items, talking animals, and happy endings, but perhaps there is more to these stories. In the Disney movie, Cinderella, viewers meet a young and seemingly cheerful girl named Cinderella. Early in the movie, observers learn her mother died when she was very young. As a result, Cinderella’s father remarries, but soon passes away, leaving Cinderella in the care of her step-mother along with two step-sisters. Though Cinderella appears happy, she is stricken with grief after the loss of both of her parents. Grief is described as “a natural, necessary and therapeutic reaction to loss. A powerful and personal emotion… [that] makes ordinary life impossible” (Berger 12-13). People who suffer from grief often experience several stages of emotion. Some of the signs associated with grief include numbness, loss of self-esteem, dissociative experiences, neglect, poor personal hygiene, feelings of being alone in the world, and guilt (Zerbe). Cinderella’s grief is so…show more content…
After the death of Cinderella’s mother, her father remarried in order to provide a complete family for Cinderella. Initially, Cinderella’s step-mother was caring and loving. Upon the death of her husband, Cinderella’s step-mother morphed into a cold, merciless woman who refused to treat Cinderella as a member of the family. The step-mother and step-sisters treated Cinderella as lower class and an outcast. The step-mother was primarily concerned with ensuring that her own “daughters have a better life than she” (Schectman 602). The step-mother felt that Cinderella was “a mere distraction to her overall campaign” (Schectman 602), and that is why Cinderella was unable to form a functional relationship with
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