Anne Sexton's Poem, Cinderella

We are all socialized from early on through fairy tales, mythical stories that more often than not end "happily ever after." One such fairy tale, "Cinderella," has characterized expectations and assumptions of romance, particularly the notion of a put upon female being rescued by her "Prince Charming." In Anne Sexton's poem "Cinderella," the poet mocks the traditional version of "Cinderella," adding her own perspective that includes contemporary references in order to make her point. Her point is that such fairy tales engender a number of assumptions and expectations of gender roles and gender relations that are invalid in the face of reality.

At the beginning of her poem, Sexton uses four stanzas that depict myths wherein someone who is put upon, a "plumber," a "nursemaid," etc., suddenly has their life transformed into one of bliss (Sexton 1). However, the poet uses a number of phrases that show she is mocking the traditional use of such myths. The speaker feels such myths are invalid in reality and are repeated so often they have a brainwashing effect on individuals that makes them believe they are truth. We see this when the speaker intones, "That story" four times (3 in the opening four stanzas and once in the final stanza) and when she uses other phrases like "That's the way with stepmothers," "Which is no surprise," and "As you all know" (Sexton 1-2). By including such phrases, Sexton is commenting on the worn-out appeal of such oft

Related Essays

Starry Night by Sexton and The Great Wave by Hokusai .... in theme, the first The Starry Night, by Anne Sexton (1961), and .... The Great Wave: Hokusai." Sexton, A. (1961). .... "The True Story of Snow White." Cisneros, S. (1987 .... (2975 12 )

Women Poets of the Late 20th Century .... people is gradually displaced in Rich;s poetry .... In a collective poem entitled "Six Narratives" (1994) Rich .... own experience, the anxiety that Anne Sexton felt over .... (6095 24 )

Gendered Speech in 20th Century Poems .... One Day," Ruth Fainlight's "Flower Feet," and Anne Sexton's "Her Kind .... hierarchical terms; Kennedy's woman does so s well .... and since 1961, when the poem was written .... (2975 12 )

venth stanza when the bird drops Cinderella a dress and a pair of slippers. Sexton's (1) speaker's sarcastic response is, "Rather a large package for a simple bird." In this manner, Sexton is not only mocking the ludicrous notion of the promises and expectations offered by such mythical nonsense, she is also equating the bird to a male who bestows gifts upon the woman she is too helpless to obtain for herself. In stanza eight, the hunt for the woman whose feet fit the slippers occurs. In this stanza we see a number of criticisms of the patriarchy and its self-destructive impact on women who try to conform or fit into the narrow or demeaning roles defined for them by society, primarily male society. We see this when the speaker tells us, "Now he would find whom the shoe fit / and find his strange dancing girl for keeps" (Sexton 2). In this line we see that only those women who "fit" into a certain mold, in this case shoe size, are fit for a "prince." We also see that in the notion of union, Sexton's speaker appears to see confinement or imprisonment. For this Prince wants his dancing girl for "keeps" (Sexton 2). Sexton goes further to mock this notion of fitting into a mold. When she ends the stanza her description of Cind

Category: Literature - A