Cinderella is perhaps the quintessential princess fairy tale. It is the story of a young woman (girl?) who is oppressed by her malevolent step mother, but through virtue and fantastical aid escapes her dismal existence and marries the prince. In contrast, the “Donkeyskin” tale variations tell the story of a father who lusts after his daughter and the daughter’s escape, servitude, and eventual redemption and marriage. However, although both Cinderella and Donkeyskin overcome hardship and are rewarded for their virtue and beauty, their significant difference lies in the nature of the oppressive relationships in the stories. Cinderella is forced into the role of a servant by her domineering step-mother, whereas Donkeyskin is forced into hiding due to the vile lust of her biological father. Nonetheless, Maria Tatar argues that these two tales should be studied together due to their similar structures and morals, placing much less importance on the implications of the natures of the oppressive relationships.
Although the two stories are very similar, the differences of the oppressive parental relationships cannot be dismissed. Even stories from other literary traditions, such as “The Story of Tam and Cam” from Vietnam, are more similar to Cinderella than the Donkeyskin tales. Cinderella, as in “Tam and Cam,” presents the oppressor as the evil step-mother, who commands the household and oppresses Cinderella in order to promote her own biological children. Donkeyskin, however, presents an incestuous, lustful father who desires his own biological daughter. The main conflict in the story is one of unnatural incest rather than a mother supporting her biological offspring over an adopted daughter. The intended lessons these relationships present are therefore vastly different. The step-mother is evil and suppresses Cinderella, who is virtuous, out of jealousy for her daughters. The father in Donkeyskin, however, lusts after his own daughter, a sin which is not only unnatural, but wholly against the morals of the readership. Whereas readers can on some level understand that the step-mother loves her own offspring more than Cinderella, the Donkeyskin father’s incestuous lust is utterly abhorrent.
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I agree with this interpretation of the tales. I think that the relationship and motives of the characters are far more important in determining which catagory a tale belongs in. Although it is true that in GENERAL the form of the second half of Donkeyskin matches that of Cinderella, that is only the second half. While this plot then follows the Cinderella story closely, there is absent the main point of conflict: the stepmother. The rationale behind the primary characters actions is totally different in Donkeyskin and Cinderella, which in my opinion justifies a new tale type.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of the tales is good and I agree that there are significant differences in the tales, however, I still think that the end themes are similar enough to warrant the stories being studied together. In both the girls overcome their negative situations to marry princes.
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