The Little Glass Slipper

“When she had done her work, she used to go into the chimney-corner, and sit down among cinders and ashes, which made her commonly be called Cinder-breech […]”

The image of Cinderilla sitting among cinders and ashes creates a stark contrast between her dirty and neglected state and the stepsisters’ superficial elegance. The derogatory nickname "Cinder-breech,” which roughly means "cinder-bottom,” emphasizes Cinderilla's lowly position.

“‘For my part,’ said the eldest, ‘I will wear my red velvet suit, with French trimming.’ ‘And I,’ said the youngest, ‘shall only have my usual petticoat; but then, to make amends for that, I will put on my gold-flowered manteau, and my diamond stomacher, which is far from being the most ordinary one in the world.’”

This quote exemplifies the story’s exploration of social class and materialism. Cinderilla's stepsisters, representing the privileged elite, prioritize their appearance and expensive attire. Their obsession with outward beauty and status reveals their shallow nature and their belief that external wealth defines their worth.

“‘Cinderilla, would you not be glad to go to the ball?’

“‘Ah!’ said she, ‘you only jeer at me; it is not for such as I am to go thither.’

“‘Thou art in the right of it,’ replied they, ‘it would make the people laugh to see a Cinder-breech at a ball.’”

These lines underscore Perrault’s exploration of social exclusion and the effects of class hierarchy. Cinderilla's stepsisters malign her and reinforce her lowly position, mocking her and dismissing her worthiness to attend the ball. The dialogue highlights the oppressive nature of societal norms and marginalization of individuals based on their social standing.

“At last the happy day came; they went to Court, and Cinderilla followed them with her eyes as long as she could, and when she had lost sight of them she fell a-crying.”

The quote emphasizes Cinderilla ostracized status, and how she is unwelcome to attend events such as the ball to which her family was invited. Cinderilla watches her stepsisters go to the Court and follows them with her eyes, creating an emotional scene that reveals her longing, attachment to her family, and a desire to be recognized as an equal.

“They were almost two days without eating, so much they were transported with joy; they broke above a dozen of laces in trying to be laced up close, that they might have a fine slender shape, and they were continually at their looking-glass.”

This quote underscores the stepsisters' intense excitement and preoccupation with outward appearances, providing commentary on vanity and superficiality. The sisters go through exaggerated lengths to achieve perfection—not eating for two days, breaking “above a dozen of laces”—highlighting the contrast between Cinderilla's genuine character and the sisters' vain and self-centered behavior.

“‘Thou wishest thou couldest go to the ball, is it not so?’

“‘Y—es,’ cried Cinderilla, with a great sigh.

“‘Well,’ said her godmother, ‘be but a good girl, and I will contrive that thou shalt go.’”

These lines introduce the fairy godmother as a symbol of hope and agency. The godmother recognizes Cinderilla's desire and promises her the opportunity to attend the ball. Through the fairy godmother, Perrault explores Transformation and the power of a benevolent force, one that challenges the rigid social hierarchy and provides Cinderilla with a chance to transcend her circumstances. Perrault also implies that goodness and virtue are rewarded, and The Triumph of Good Over Evil.

“‘Well, you see here an equipage fit to go to the ball with; are you not pleased with it?’

‘O yes,' cried she, ‘but must I go thither as I am, in these poison nasty rags?’”

These lines reveal Cinderilla's internal struggle with perception and societal expectations. While she is grateful for the opportunity to attend the ball, she questions her worthiness to attend in her ragged clothing. This moment encapsulates the conflict between Cinderilla's true identity and her outward appearance. It highlights her lowly hierarchical status against the ostentatious aesthetic of the aristocracy.

“[...] her godmother, above all things, commanded her not to stay till after midnight, telling her, at the same time, that if she stayed at the ball one moment longer, her coach would be a pumpkin again, her horses mice, her coachman a rat, her footmen lizards […]”

The godmother's explicit instructions create a sense of impending danger and establish the temporal limit for Cinderilla's magical transformation. The mention of how objects and animals will revert to their original forms plants the seeds for the climactic moment when the spell is broken, sharpening suspense.

“There was immediately a profound silence, they left off dancing, and the violins ceased to play, so attentive was every one to contemplate the singular beauty of this unknown new comer.”

The story creates a dramatic shift in the atmosphere, drawing attention to the significance of Cinderilla as a mysterious figure to all in attendance at the ball. Perrault uses imagery to emphasize the extraordinary beauty of the newcomer, using the phrase “singular beauty” to convey her striking and exceptional appearance.

“All the ladies were busied in considering her clothes and head-dress, that they might have some made next day after the same pattern, provided they could meet with such fine materials, and as able hands to make them.”

Perrault emphasizes the envy of the female French aristocracy, or gentry, as they examine the newcomer's attire and hairstyle with the intent to replicate it for themselves. This highlights the desire for status and the tendency to imitate the privileged or fashionable.

“‘Ay, to be sure!’ cried Miss Charlotte, ‘lend my cloaths to such a dirty Cinder-breech as thou art; who's the fool then?’ Cinderilla, indeed, expected some such answer, and was very glad of the refusal; for she would have been sadly put to it, if her sister had lent her what she asked for jestingly.”

This shows a minor breach in the kindly, timid characterization of Cinderilla. Cinderilla is glad to have been refused the gown, thinking it would have been unfortunate to have to wear hand-me-down attire when an enchanted, uniquely luxurious gown would be gifted to her by her fairy godmother.

“She left behind one of her glass slippers, which the Prince took up most carefully. She got home, but quite out of breath, without coach or footmen, and in her nasty old cloaths, having nothing left her of all her finery, but one of the little slippers, fellow to that she dropped.”

The slipper represents her identity and connects her to the Prince, as he takes the shoe up carefully, signifying their eventual reunion. The description of her returning home out of breath, without her luxurious carriage or fine attire, emphasizes her humble circumstances and the drastic difference between her life at the ball and her everyday reality. This heightens the impact of her journey and the significance of the glass slipper as a symbol of hope and change.

“What they said was very true; for a few days after, the King's son caused it to be proclaimed by sound of trumpet, that he would marry her whose foot this slipper would just fit.”

Perrault uses dramatic irony: Readers are already aware of Cinderilla's true identity and how she is the perfect fit of the slipper, while the other characters remain unsuspecting. This intensifies the anticipation and suspense; readers may eagerly await the moment when the truth will be unveiled and Cinderilla's remarkable transformation will be acknowledged.