Essay On Cinderella Sexton

The happily ever after story of Cinderella and her prince has taken a rather sardonic turn in this last passage. Sexton clearly conveys a disapproval of happily ever after endings in previous stanzas, but in the second line of this stanza, it becomes even more evident. With words such as “Cinderella and the prince lived, they say, happily ever after”, the reader gains an understanding of Sexton’s skepticism. Sexton then relates Cinderella and her prince to dolls in a display case. By doing this, Sexton sets the stage for the rest of the stanza to show how Cinderella and her prince will supposedly live the life of two dolls. In this stanza, Sexton chooses to discuss matters of child rearing, relationship woes, daily dulls, and the aging body as counters to the “life of two dolls” narrative the story has created up until this …show more content…
The comparison of Bobbsey Twins further illustrates her imagination of Cinderella and her prince being like “two dolls in a museum case” The Bobbsey Twins are superficial and unachievable to Sexton, something that she felt explained the portrayal of Cinderella and her prince. The ending of this retelling of Cinderella with “that story” is a highlight of the text. This phrase also appears multiple in the prologue. Sexton uses “that story” to exhibit her distaste of fairytales. By using this phrase, she calls out that the reader should not desire such fantasy and should instead focus on matters that are more practical. In the prologue, Sexton tells a variety of “rags to riches” stories. Following her depiction of these stories, she ends the stanza with “that story”. By ending this stanza in the same manner, Sexton expresses her skeptical view on fairytales. The decision to end Cinderella with the statement of “that story” further shows Sexton’s disillusionment with the typical “Cinderella