At the beginning of the story, the protagonist (princess) thought that having true happiness meant finding a man/prince to sweep her off of her feet/ to instantly fall in love , and take her away from her castle/home. Throughout the story, the protagonist (princess) begins to realise that living up to society's expectations of her meant that she would be giving up her own dreams. At the end of the story she (the princess) turns away from love and marriage to choose not to give up her dreams to please others. The protagonist (princess) embarks on 'journey' in the narrative "the pumpkin Eater" by Isobel Carmody in a spiritual, physical and literal way. In 'the pumpkin eater' the protagonist goes on a spiritual journey through the story , to find that love a marriage and marriage entraps women, and that she was really swapping one prison for another.
(Hawthorne 237)” Mistress Hibbins is a lonely, widower that misses her husband and wants to be with him. For that reason she doesn’t try to appeal the charges laid against her for being a witch. She allows them to speculate about her and even plays it up a bit by referring to the Blackman. Like when she invites Hester to come and perform a ceremony with her, “Wilt thou go with us tonight? There will be a merry company in the forest; and I well-nigh promised the Black Man that comely Hester Prynne should make one (Hawthorne Rubio 2 113).” She plays up this label usually applied to her so she can end her life soon and thus be with her Lord and beloved husband.
Her mother also told her this advice because she has to get married but she is rejecting every guy and is always complaining about it. She only sees whats bad in people and doesn't see the positive things about a person. What is she supposed to learn from this advice? On the 22nd of February Madame Johanna told Birdy, “ I am a women and a cousin to the king. Do you truly think I could be a horse trainer or a puppeteer or even be friends with a goat boy?
In this story Panttaja says it is both mothers that are wicked. Panttaja states the real mother “plots and schemes, and she wins” (Panttaja 660) when it comes to fulfilling the wishes of Ashputtle. But actually the two mothers have the same goal in mind; to have their daughters married off and have a joyful life. To be able to do this, the real mother puts a charm on the prince to make him fall in love with Ashputtle instead of anyone else. The prince did not dance with anyone else all night and would always say “she is my partner” (Grimm 630).
But according to the article, "Cinderella: Not So Morally Superior" by Elisabeth Panttaja, the author tells us that the sweet-tempered, motherless young woman that we read about as children was an imposter. Panttaja opens her article with Cinderella's mother on her death-bed, advising her that if she is "good and pious"1, that she, the mother; "shall look down from heaven and take care of you"1. She explains that this opening scene in Cinderella sets forth the central problem that she must overcome; which is that her mother is absent. The arrival of a strong stepmother and stepsisters', and their unification to subjugate her, makes Cinderella appear weak. And the stepsisters' power is manifested because the stepmother is present.
Hippolyta is the Queen of the Amazons also, the soon to be wife of Theseus – the Duke of Athens. Hippolyta wasn’t too excited to marry Theseus in the beginning but later on grew to be happier due to his blessing upon four lovers. These four women reveal that their friendship between each other is more than powerful than the love for men. Titania: powerful, graceful, yet sassy. In the beginning of Act 2, Scene 1, lines 18-27, Puck – Oberon’s attendant – tells a fairy that works for the Queen, “The King doth keep his revels here tonight.
Then the dear Lord shall always assist you, and I shall look down from heaven and take care of you.” (Panttaja 659). In most of the Cinderella stories we know Cinderella’s mother is thought to be completely absent. The question Panttaja is asking is “is Cinderella really motherless?” (659). The answer is no, she has her mother taking care of her through the hazel tree. The mother takes care of Cinderella through many forms, through the tree that provides her with the dresses she needs to attend the ball and through the pigeons that point out the incorrect brides to the prince.
Miss Schwartz only thinks about making other people happy, because she is afraid of them becoming angry, or leaving. The first line of the story says, “For fifteen years Miss Schwartz had waited for Sam Hilton to get a job so they could get married. “ Lena wanted to get married before, but she would not rush Sam into finding a job. She wasted away her youth waiting for her fiancé to stop being lazy , and now Miss Schwartz is viewed as an old maid at the age of thirty-two. Even with complete strangers Miss Schwartz is being taken advantage of.
Cinderella succeeds through her mother’s magic, deceit, lies, and disguises. In terms of the prince, it is Cinderella’s mother who ultimately decides which girl in the kingdom he should choose. He does not marry Cinderella out of love, her pity or her true beauty; for he never experiences these things. The prince only witnessed what Cinderella’s mother had made her; love plays no part in his choice. Panttaja believes that marriages in fairy tales are based more on power, and the ability to manipulate others by disguise, than on the actual love and affection one has toward other
Just like Alexander the Great, the kingdom in Snow White may fall due to the King’s absence to rule it. Because the queen’s death manipulates the King from overseeing his kingdom, it demonstrates how dangerous a woman may be, to the point that an entire kingdom could fall because of her. Another example of danger is when Snow White introduces harm to herself. Before the dwarfs leave off digging gold in the mountains, they remind Snow White to “take care and not let anybody in” (96). Later Snow White’s stepmother disguises herself as an old woman and offers silken laces to Snow White.