Many fairy tales have similar and different storylines and themes. Analyzing Brothers Grimm’s Cinderella and Joseph Jacobs’ Catskin with the Propp’s Thirty-One Functions, the Cinderella and Catskin tales are versions of the same tale for they have similar story attributes and themes even though they do not share every function on the Propp’s list.
In both tales, a female hero who has a father works as a kitchen maid and is constantly harassed and ridiculed by a maternal figure. In Cinderella, Cinderella is harassed by her stepmother who makes her pick “bowls of lentils out of the ashes only” only to tell her that she cannot go to the festival with them. In Catskin, Catskin is harassed by Mrs. Cook who verbally and physically abuse her when she states how much she will like to go to the ball.
Despite not being allowed to go, they find a way to go to the festival/ball all three nights. In both tales, the hero is given a new appearance (transfiguration). Cinderella asks the hazel tree planted near her mother’s grave for a gold and silver dress and slippers and looks so beautiful in her new attire that her stepmother and stepsisters believe she’s a “foreign princess” when they see her at the festival (Grimm). Catskin wears the fine coats she asked for from the “nasty …show more content…
One common theme between the two tales is the rags to riches theme, or more appropriately, riches to rags to riches again. At the beginning of each tale, the female hero live a wealthy life with their family. Then an incident happens that causes them to go from being rich to being poor. In Cinderella, the father remarries to a woman who has two daughters, and the stepfamily forces Cinderella to earn her bread by working as their kitchen maid. In Catskin, the female hero runs away from home in order to avoid a marriage to a “nasty rough old man” and finds work as a scullion at the
In both tales, a female hero who has a father works as a kitchen maid and is constantly harassed and ridiculed by a maternal figure. In Cinderella, Cinderella is harassed by her stepmother who makes her pick “bowls of lentils out of the ashes only” only to tell her that she cannot go to the festival with them. In Catskin, Catskin is harassed by Mrs. Cook who verbally and physically abuse her when she states how much she will like to go to the ball.
Despite not being allowed to go, they find a way to go to the festival/ball all three nights. In both tales, the hero is given a new appearance (transfiguration). Cinderella asks the hazel tree planted near her mother’s grave for a gold and silver dress and slippers and looks so beautiful in her new attire that her stepmother and stepsisters believe she’s a “foreign princess” when they see her at the festival (Grimm). Catskin wears the fine coats she asked for from the “nasty …show more content…
One common theme between the two tales is the rags to riches theme, or more appropriately, riches to rags to riches again. At the beginning of each tale, the female hero live a wealthy life with their family. Then an incident happens that causes them to go from being rich to being poor. In Cinderella, the father remarries to a woman who has two daughters, and the stepfamily forces Cinderella to earn her bread by working as their kitchen maid. In Catskin, the female hero runs away from home in order to avoid a marriage to a “nasty rough old man” and finds work as a scullion at the