Evil Stepmothers In Fairy Tales

A common fairytale motif is that of the evil stepmother, in such tales as Aschenputtel, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, and The Almond Tree. A character whose main purpose is to oppose the hero/ heroine at all costs, the polar opposite of our main character. This polarization is essential for us to understand the goodness of the hero, to want them to succeed, and to see how good triumphs over evil. The most thought of evil-stepmother is that of the Queen in Snow White. This character is introduced to readers as “proud and haughty” and only emphasizes these traits the more the story goes on. She has pride in her beauty, which turns to envy when Snow becomes more beautiful then she. The Queen wants what Snow has and will do anything in her …show more content…
In Aschenputtel, the stepmother is not seen so much as the one causing the pain that befalls Cinderella, but rather as the influence behind everything. She has raised her daughters to be cruel to their stepsister, she has turned Cinderella’s father against her, and is the reason Cinderella goes to the ball in secret. This version of the stepmother is interesting in the fact that her “evil” intentions are not as clearly laid out as in the other stories. Just as in Hansel and Gretel, her polarization from Cinderella is not very clearly stated, but rather understood through her actions. It can also be seen when we look at the idea of the magic bird in the story being Cinderella’s real mother, and the difference behind their kindness and cruelty. Another aspect of Aschenputtel, is the fact that this stepmother is not punished for her crimes but rather her daughters are. This almost seems to suggest the daughters are at fault even when it is clear the mother was in …show more content…
This story also focuses on the mother wanting something from the child, this being the money of her husband if he were to die. She wants it for her child and believes her stepson a threat. This story is different, however, in the fact that after she kills the boy, she feels guilt and wishes to place the blame elsewhere. This is interesting, for most stepmother characters feel no remorse for the crimes they commit, and seem to be rather fond of their “evilness”. This stepmother instead is consumed by guilt and it eats her up inside. When the bird is singing outside their home she is panicky and scared saying, “I feel very low, just as if a great storm were coming” . She knows what she did was wrong and knows she will be punished for her crime. This guilt is even what leads her to her death, as she says, “Even if the world is coming to an end, I must go out for a little relief”. After that she steps outside and is killed by the millstone dropped on her head. Her remorse within the story muddles the polarization of our hero and this stepmother, but it is clear in the beginning of the story she will be our source of evil, as “whenever she looked at the boy, evil thoughts came into her