A fun, playful modern fairy tale reinterpretation exploring the oft-ignored father in the Cinderella story and how he might have felt suddenly living with so many ladyfolk!
For Want of a Bathroom
The sun filtering in through dusty blinds confirms what the dogs next door were already telling the entire neighborhood: the day is officially beginning. Ugh! Every morning with those dogs and their barking. From beneath my heavy wooden desk, Max looks up at me with wide-eyed disapproval.
“I know – They’re not good boys like you, are they?”
Sighing, I gently place my lukewarm cup of coffee on the wooden desk, trying to savor my last precious moments of calm before the storm. Soon, the house will erupt with clamor and clatter and racket as the girls spill down the stairs, each vying for attention, and, of course, highly coveted bathroom time.
If I hear just one more complaint about somebody stealing somebody else’s makeup or using up all the hot water, – I swear I’m going to shower first, then purposefully let the hot water run down the drain. The make-up can all go in the trash. They don’t need it anyway.
With a grimace, I close my eyes and massage my temples. One bathroom was plenty when it was just the two of us! I should have considered more closely the practicalities of adding three additional females to the family. There are bras everywhere! Each time I turn around, there’s another bra! It’s as if they’re multiplying! Just how many bras does a girl even need!?
Well, an adjustment period is natural for all of us, I suppose. But this house is simply overflowing with femininity.
Remembering the events of last night, my somber frown turns to a grin, and an appreciative snort. It really wasn’t funny, but the looks on my stepdaughters’ faces when Ella bluntly informed them of the purpose of a plunger – I tried to keep a straight face – I really did!
I guess today will include plunging lessons for Payton and Sloane. We should probably all sit down together to discuss bathroom-related chores and scheduling. I wonder if a chore chart would help? We probably still have those gold star stickers stuck in a drawer somewhere. But how to divvy up the responsibilities and duties? I can already hear the whines of “It’s not faaaaaaair!” sung in ringing discordance.
Even my beautiful new wife is not immune from the discontent – every morning, she laments not only the lack of an ‘appropriate’ master bathroom, but also the lack of space in our closet for her expensive designer clothes and her ever-expanding shoe collection. Every time I pull her into me, nuzzling her neck with, “Vivvy – you don’t need all that – you’re beautiful to me whatever you wear!” she just laughs and pushes me away “It’s Vivienne – you know I hate that silly nickname!”
This modest home is full to bursting! But today I’ve a surprise for my girls. All my girls. Each so precious and special in such different ways. I’ve been hard at work planning some additions to the house, and today is the day construction begins. I can’t wait to see their faces! Maybe today will be the first day of no bickering, no snark, and no eye-rolling! Okay that’s probably not that realistic. They are teenage girls. Honestly, even half the current amount of drama would be a miracle.
Expanding the second floor over the garage will not only allow for the addition of a private bathroom and larger closets in the master bedroom, but also – not one, but TWO extra bathrooms! Sure, one will be little more than the size of a closet, but each of my girls shall have a bathroom of her own!
I hear an increase in grumblings and irritable stomping from upstairs, and I gently roll up the blueprints, and prepare myself for the looming hurricane that is living with four women.
At my feet, Max perks up his ears at the crescendo of bickering voices that tumble and bounce down the stairs.
“At least you’re on my side, right buddy?” I ask, scratching his ears affectionately. “We fellas have to stick together.”
As the footsteps cascade into a thunder, and the tempest approaches, Max eyes me dubiously. With a stretch, and twitch of his tale, he scampers toward the door, and I am left alone to face the squall.
The typical fairy tale uses limiting and oppressive sex-role stereotyping.
Fairy tales are often restricted to fulfilling the role of
“fictive conduct manuals for girls, teaching normative values. ”
– Jacqueline Reid-Walsh
When fairy tales portray females in ways that are reflective of the cultural-societal interpretations of women as weak, inferior, or lacking agency, they perpetrate that flawed and damaging perspective.
Females should be portrayed as they are: diverse individuals whose worthiness and value is not defined by masculinity or the lack thereof. Because traditional fairy tales often reflect the values and perspectives of the patriarchy, they are a frequent target of critique and reinterpretation.
Fortunately, literature has the ability to reclaim these fairy tales by developing female characters into unique figures with their own agency and worth, while promoting feminist perspectives and values. Through acts of rereading, reclaiming, and redirection, a retold fairy tale can have a substantially positive influence on a reader’s experiences and perspectives regarding feminism.
Gail Carson Levine’s retelling of the Cinderella story, Ella Enchanted is an excellent example of this.
In this re-imagining, Ella struggles with the fact that she was forced into obedience by a fairy’s curse at birth. Literary portrayals of girls, girlhood, and femininity are frequently consistent with promoting patriarchal and traditional gender roles, and obedience is a large part of that. Historically, viewpoints on obedience and adherence to tradition encourage these values, but in this retelling, strict obedience is depicted as an undesirable and horrifically restrictive trap.
Through Ella’s consistent questioning and creative rebellions, she dispels the assumption that women should be always obedient. She develops her own unique identity, one that asserts her right to be included, and through which she is able to supply valuable contributions to develop and enrich her world. The tale of Cinderella is a common and familiar one, but this retelling provides more depth and detail about the protagonist as she forges her own path to discover herself and break free of her curse through the use of her own intelligence, power, and creativity.
Oppression is not always familiar, recognizable, or visible, but we can give ourselves the power of the freedom to make our own choices. Like Ella.
Ella Enchanted is easy to relate to because it provides a universe that is similar to one we have already experienced, and shares many patterns and connections to the traditional Cinderella story.
However, it refreshingly includes a great deal more in the way of explanations, possibilities and self-driven opportunity. It is a great example of a way to challenge a reader to see beyond more simplistic explanations and search for new perspectives and explanations.
Because the concrete universe has already been established, by telling the same tale from a new perspective, new questions can be unearthed, alternate mindsets discovered, and previously unconsidered horizons can be expanded. The author and the reader can construct the structure and meaning together, and Levine seamlessly incorporates her structural detail into each aspect of the story:
“We don’t dig the foundation after the house is built.”
-Lloyd Alexander
This structure and interconnectivity encourages imaginative exploration as well as addresses very real concepts, dilemmas, and threats.
Levine’s reassuring attention to detail grounds the story and characters in reality. I mean, was there really only one girl in the entire kingdom whose feet could fit the glass slippers?! Seems unlikely! Thankfully, n Ella Enchanted, Ella’s rare fairy ancestry (in Levine’s mythology, fairies have significantly smaller-than-average sized feet) is responsible for the fact that the slippers fit only her. Thank goodness for this solid structural attention to detail that made the story infinitely more believable! Each explanation was logical within the framework Levine created and expanded upon. And each supportive and believable detail just drives home the believability and truth of the positive feminist ideas and messages.
This conceptual transference into the real world is inspiring and congruent with the idea that
“children’s literature can provide sources of comfort and pleasure, models for behavior, and identity, reflections of self and reality, and visions of better or less painful possibilities.”
– Eric Tribunella
If someone as seemingly average and insignificant as Ella can create such a vast and positive impact, surely this will inspire those who read about her to feel hope and optimism that they, too, can overcome significant challenges and obstacles to create a positive impact on themselves and the world around them.
This structural integrity is also applied to the characters within Levine’s constructed world. While female characters may often seem to be portrayed as developed individuals in many books, they still often accept (succumb to) traditional gender roles. Ella’s character is so refined and developed that this is specifically addressed in the final chapter. While she does marry the prince, becoming a wife and a mother, she refuses to let those terms alone define or restrict her:
“I refused to become a princess, but adopted the titles of Court Linguist and Cook’s Helper. I also refused to stay at home while Char traveled, and learned every language and dialect that came our way.”
-Ella (Gail Carson Levine)
Ella retains her unique identity and refuses to be bound by limiting conventionalities while ALSO acknowledging that this does not necessarily require the rejection of her own values and desires that happen to be consistent with traditional female roles. She has the power to choose. She doesn’t reject traditional female roles just out of spite, she keeps the aspects, ideas, and roles that she values.
Ella is an ordinary hero and her defining battle, like many of ours, is fought internally. Conflict and change are dynamic elements of any story, and the primary conflict in a fantasy or fairy tale is often a large-scale, complicated, cosmic quest or physical battle
But, as in this case, the conflict-response behavior of a single person is just as meaningful and has just as much of an impact.
While internal conflicts such as the one found in Ella Enchanted may seem to lack cosmic significance, the mental and emotional adventures and battles still have consequences that are cosmically momentous to the characters experiencing them. And this consequential impact, while it may seem small-scale, has the potential to have a much larger-reaching affect on the world in many ways.
Ella is a self-rescuing hero whose outwardly small triumph affects the entire kingdom, ultimately saving many more – monumental results stemming from seemingly insignificant beginnings. You don’t need a confrontational ninja battle or an evil uncle with a talking snake and a devious plan to depose the prince, (***LOOKING AT YOU ELLA ENCHANTED MOVIE***) for the story to be meaningful, relatable, or enjoyable.
Literature and all forms of storytelling have an immense impact on society and the assumptions about a woman’s characteristics, roles, and overall place in the world. Literature seems to frequently struggle with how to portray feminism and equality. Even when a protagonist is female, the story itself may not be in line with feminist ideas.
To determine whether or not a work of children’s literature can be deemed feminist in nature, there are a variety of aspects to observe and analyze. A close reading of the text and illustrations is necessary. Does the way the character is depicted take advantage of or conform to unhealthy gender stereotypes? Do the things the character says reaffirm typical gender roles and inequalities or do they support female worthiness, value, and empowerment?
Movies have a way to evaluate gender bias and positive female representation – it’s called the Bechdel test. To pass this test, a movie has to meet these three requirements:
Why is the original Cinderella story acceptable, but if genders were switched, it would be deemed unacceptable, as in the below version of Cinderella, CinderFELLA?
Even though Ella is the main character in her own Cinderella story, she is limited severely by a number of barriers and restrictions. She fulfills both powerful and powerless roles, sometimes simultaneously. She both speaks, and is silenced, she acts, and is acted upon, she fights for honor, but also suffers.
In the end, through her journey, she becomes someone who does indeed have the freedom to act as she chooses and make her own decisions. However, this culmination is a difficult one full of strife and struggle in many forms. Through her struggle towards understanding of her own role as a female, a reader can gain insight into reciprocal and familiar struggles in their own life, especially those regarding gender and gender roles.
“gender has historically (whether overtly or covertly) been a tool of negotiation between our understandings of bodies, and meanings derived from and attributed to them.”
– Erica Hately
We have access to the the power to use this tool to shape and promote certain viewpoints and perspectives. Literature often reflects and shapes peoples’ understandings of themselves and others and the associated gendered identities, usually in adherence with the
“specific binary logic of gender relations, which historically subordinated the feminine to the masculine.”
-Erica Hately
Like traditional binary gender roles, fairy tales have been around for a long time. And like interpretations of acceptable gender roles, fairy tales continue to change and grow over time. Ella Enchanted is a distinctive example of a retold fairy tale, still attached to a familiar and long-standing framework, that promotes changing perspectives on both of these ideas.
This story is valuable in so many ways, especially because it addresses the real-life issues of the importance of being strong by making your own decisions, standing up for what you believe in, and the worth of sacrifice in relation to love and the protection of those you love.
I’ve said it before, but I would tell everyone I know to read this book, and if they were Ella at the beginning of her story, they would be forced to obey.
As it is, both she and everyone else, has the freedom to choose:
“Decisions were a delight after the curse. I loved having the power to say yes or no, and refusing anything was a special pleasure.”
-Ella (Gail Carson Levine)
References/For further reading!
Alexander, Lloyd. (1981). The grammar of story. In Betsy Hearne and Marilyn Kaye (Eds), Celebrating children’s books: Essays on children’s literature in honor of Zena Sutherland. (pp. 3-13). New York: Lothrop, Lee, and Shepard Books.
Hately, Erica. (2011). Gender. In P. Nel & L. Paul (Authors), Keywords for children’s literature (pp. 86-92). New York: New York University Press.
Meek Spencer, Margaret. (2003). What more needs saying about imagination? In Reading research quarterly (Vol. 38, pp. 546-551).
Reid-Walsh, Jacqueline. (2011). Girlhood. In P. Nel & L. Paul (Authors), Keywords for children’s literature (pp. 92-95). New York: New York University Press.
Tribunella, Eric L. (2011). Boyhood. In P. Nel & L. Paul (Authors), Keywords for children’s literature (pp. 21-25). New York: New York University Press.
Whitley, D. (2000). Fantasy narratives and growing up. In Eve Bearne and Victor Watson (Eds), Where texts and children meet. (pp. 172-182.) New York: Routledge Press.
Zipes, Jack. (1999). Hans Christian Andersen and the discourse of the dominated. In When dreams came true: Classical fairy tales and their tradition (pp. 80-110). New York: Routledge.
Also… this picture, created by ImEevee in Spain, is amazing.
You know what’s annoying about most traditional fairy tales? Well… lots… but mostly the lack of details and character development, especially in female characters. Even when the female character is the protagonist, she rarely has any depth, power, or agency of her own. Booooooo.
One of my favorite literary fairy tales is “The Twelve Dancing Princesses,” and my favorite version (so far) is Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier.
This retelling deviates from the original quite a bit. There were many alterations I enjoyed and understood the reasoning behind. I appreciated the choice to reduce the number of sisters to five – it made a lot of sense. It would be difficult to delve completely into the character of each sister if there were so numerous. With twelve, there is less of an opportunity for each to have a unique character, and they devolve into more simple cardboard cutout representations of some unique interest, trait or feature. With fewer sisters, the reader can more easily connect to and distinguish between the sisters as they each have their own unique characteristics. The characters of the sisters were not the only things given more detail and development.
Relationships in general had more depth and believability. I specifically always enjoy when a romance is fleshed out and seems more natural and realistic. In this version of the story, the heroine knows her romantic prospect very well (even if she knows him mostly as her loyal pet frog.) The relationships between the family were also more detailed and depicted well. I also enjoyed that the story was more about the sisters discovering their own agency rather than about being caught by a male power. The book had a strong feminist message, and I enjoyed that, as it is a rarity in most classic fairy tales.
This version is also exciting because of the backdrop – the story is set in a specific historical place and time (albeit with a bit of magic thrown in). It takes place in Transylvania, and because the setting is so authentic, it adds to the realism of the characters and their entire story. The fanciful tale of fairies, vampires, magic lands and frog ‘princes’ has a stronger message because of its underlying structure and the very solid foundation on which it was based. Marillier was able to utilize the elements of historical fact to shape and impact the fantasy elements, making them more believable. I love the idea that a fairy tale, like a Shakespeare play, can often transcend any specific time and place for its setting.
My favorite update to this classic was Marillier’s choice to have the second sister be the protagonist. In such fairy tales, it is invariably the oldest or the youngest sister who receives the primary narrative attention. I thought this was a great break from tradition! It was unexpected and gratifying to see an oft overlooked character get to be the heroine in the spotlight for once. Second daughters everywhere, rejoice!
ALSO, the Faerie Tale Theatre version of this is SUCH FUN.
OMG whut this is on YOUTUBE now!!?!?!?
Or you can buy it online:
WOW this is the one I have, but I did NOT spend $150 on it!!!
One of my ultimate favorite fantasy books as a child, and still today, is the reworked fairy tale, “Ella Enchanted” by Gail Carson Levine. It retells the classic literary fairy tale of Cinderella with some new twists: Ella is, in fact, under a fairy’s gift (curse) to always be obedient. The tale is a familiar one, but provides more depth and detail about the protagonist and her own journey to discover herself and break the curse herself. In addition, it answers that question that was always infuriating to me about the size of Cinderella’s feet – surely there was more than one girl in the kingdom whose feet could fit the glass slipper! Well, in this story, Ella has fairy ancestry, and fairies have significantly smaller-than-average sized feet, so THERE! Levine’s attention to details such as these really grounded the story and made it more believable to me – it was definitely logical and made sense within the framework she created and expanded upon. While it certainly shares many patterns and characteristics with both more traditional fairy tales as well as reworked fairy tales, this is by far my favorite retelling of Cinderella. I like that it addresses the real-life issues of the importance of being strong by making your own decisions, standing up for what you believe in, and the worth of sacrifice in relation to love and the protection of those you love.
“Ella Enchanted” provides a universe that is similar to one children have already experienced, but includes a great deal more in the way of explanations, possibilities and self-driven opportunity. It is a great example of a way to challenge a reader to see beyond more simplistic explanations and search for new perspectives and explanations. A retold fairy tale is a great example of this, because the concrete universe has already been established, and by telling the same tale from a new perspective, new questions can be unearthed, alternate mindsets discovered, and previously unconsidered horizons can be expanded. This particular retelling is also consistent with the idea of concepts carrying over from the fantastical worlds to the real ones. In “Ella Enchanted,” Ella is a real girl with a flaw that she has to work to overcome. This is certainly a concept that is applicable to many people. While Ella may not fit the traditional archetype of ‘hero,’ she is still heroic. She becomes, through her own strength of will, her own knight in shining armor – in the process, saving herself, her prince, and the entire kingdom. If someone as seemingly average and insignificant as Ella can create such a vast and positive impact, surely this will inspire those who read about her to feel hope and optimism that they, too, can overcome significant challenges and obstacles to create a positive impact on themselves and the world around them.
Fairy tales have been around for a long time. And with each retelling, they have continued to change and grow ever since their inception. “Ella Enchanted” is a distinctive example of 21st century fantasy with an alternate world that is still attached to a familiar and long-standing one. While it may lack the grandeur of Tolkien, or the epic tragedy of Rowling, it is accessible in its realism and its message – one that, while not political or catastrophic, speaks to the more personal internal battles that still must be fought and are no less important than those larger-than-life clashes between good and evil. “Ella Enchanted” has no evil villain to be abolished or grand quest to be completed. There are good characters and bad characters, but the main struggle is simply one between a girl and the unwarranted chance restrictions and conditions to which she finds herself bound. Ella is ordinary, but she is strong. And it is that kind of inner strength and conviction that is an amazing resource in struggling through such challenges as anxiety, depression, and insomnia.
Read it. Or else.
(If you were Ella, you’d HAVE to obey me, but as it is, you have the freedom of choosing.)
I’ve had this copy for NINETEEN YEARS! I think it looks pretty good considering how many times I’ve read it!
Music can be a great source of comfort and inspiration when you’re feeling down.
Today’s song is: “No One Is Alone” by Stephen Sondheim, from Into The Woods.
Listen to the song here:
Lyrics:
“CINDERELLA
Mother cannot guide you.
Now you’re on your own.
Only me beside you.
Still, you’re not alone.
No one is alone, truly.
No one is alone.
Sometimes people leave you
halfway through the wood.
Others may deceive you.
You decide what’s good.
You decide alone.
But no one is alone.
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD
I wish…
CINDERELLA(To Little Red)
I know…
Mother isn’t here now. BAKER(to Jack)
Wrong things, right things…
Who knows what she’d say?
Who can say what’s true?
Nothing’s quite so clear now-
Do things, fight things…
Feel you’ve lost your way?
You decide, but
You are not alone, You are not alone.
Believe me.
No one is alone.
No one is alone,
Believe me.
Truly…
BOTH
You move just a finger,
Say the slightest word,
Something’s bound to linger,
Be heard.
No one acts alone.
Careful, no one is alone.
CINDERELLA
People make mistakes. People make mistakes.
Fathers,
Mothers,
BOTH
People make mistakes,
Holding their own,
Thinking they’re alone.
CINDERELLA
Honor their mistakes…
Fight for their mistakes-
Everybody makes-
BOTH
One another’s
Terrible mistakes.
Witches can be right,
Giants can be good.
You decide what’s right,
You decide what’s good.
CINDERELLA
Just remember:
BAKER
Just remember:
BOTH
Someone is on your side.
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD & JACK
Our side.
CINDERELLA & BAKER
Our side-
Someone else is not.
While we’re seeing our side-
LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD & JACK
Our side….
CINDERELLA & BAKER
Our side-
ALL
Maybe we forgot:
They are not alone.
No one is alone.
CINDERELLA
Hard to see the light now.
BAKER
Just don’t let it go.
BOTH
Things will come out right now.
We can make it so.
Someone is on you side,
No one is alone.”
Why this song’s so cool: uhhhh… because it IS.
Why this song’s helpful: Not everyone will understand what you are going through, but you’re not alone. No one is alone.
