Essay | "Fairy Tale" Desires to Rise Into a Higher Class

The similarities between Charles Perrault's "Cinderella, or The Little Glass Slipper" and Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm's "Aschenputtel" are many. Certainly both tales provide an inside view as to how pre 20th century folk viewed their chances of rising to a new social class. Many viewed this ascension as virtually impossible and in need of magic to ascend the trans-social barriers. These well known fairy tales have been told in many countries around the world with many variables; and they have been transmuted throughout the years to suit various audiences. Most notably, the primary connecting threads between these tales is how the lower socioeconomic and social classes view themselves as being virtually "stuck" with little or no way to raise themselves to higher social classes.

Both stories provide an inside view of what can be perceived as the values needed to ascend the social ladder. But, even with the natural beauty,...
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