Black Cow

The female duties of raising children and taking care of the household also applies to the female Black Cow rather than the Brahmin boy. Black Cow fosters the Brahmin boy as her own child and protects him from harm: "Do not weep, my child, but get up on my back, and I will carry you to a place of safety where we can still be together" (“The Story of the Black Cow”, 126). The reassurance and security that Black Cow provides to the Brahmin boy signifies how the maternal responsibilities are placed on the Black Cow. She also supplies milk for the snake in order to appease the snake, which is also part of her household duties. Being a caretaker is more expected of the black cow rather than the son because the cow is female. By having a maternal …show more content…
In “The Donkey Skin Folktale Cycle (AT 510B)”, Christine Goldberg mentions the contrast between disguise and dresses: “Because together they make a perfect contrast, the ugliness of the skin disguise attracted the motif of the splendid dresses” (Goldberg, 41). The contrast between both motifs proves Perrault’s purpose in criticizing how beauty takes precedence over other qualities such as wealth when it comes to men’s standards. When the princess undergoes the drudgery-in-disguise with donkey skin, people have a bad impression of her because she looks so hideous and dirty: “But these vulgar and unfortunate people saw someone so disagreeable and unkempt that they were not inclined to pay attention to her, let alone to take in a creature so dirty” (Perrault, 112). Perrault calls the people as “vulgar and unfortunate” as their perception is skewed by society itself and are deceived by what they see. Beneath the facade is the hidden beauty that people fail to …show more content…
Thanks to the Black Cow, the Brahmin boy was able to transform his appearance effortlessly without changing himself. He never encountered any ordeals because the black cow has taken on the challenges for him. However, men are not under held under the same beauty standards because they have everything. In this sense, beauty is not necessary for men as their class background is assessed more by women. In “The Story of the Black Cow”, the princess was attracted to the gold hair that she found in the fish: “When they cut it open all present admired the lovely golden hair, and when the Princess saw it, she said she would never be happy again until she met the owner” (“The Story of the Black Cow”, 126). Even though she never seen the son in real life until later on, her attraction started from “gold hair”, which appeals to her more as wealth rather than beauty due to the fact that the hair is gold itself. In this instance, she wants to keep her reputation as princess rather than be looked down upon by others. Furthermore, the fact that women cut their fingers on their own accord in “Donkeyskin” suggests that having status is more important to women. Women seek men through class background in order to be appreciated by others despite their