The Better Cinderella Story
Many of the fairy tales share some elements. They open with “Once upon a time” and there is always “Good and evil” in the stories. There are beautiful princesses and princes. Magic is often used in the stories. Then they end with “and they lived happily ever after.” When I was a little, whenever I came in contact with the world of fairy tales, I believed that someday a prince would come to propose marriage to me and I would be able to live happily forever, though this sounds totally unrealistic. I don’t think they are the bedside stories to give dreams to little innocent children because fairy tales cover up many aspects of reality. I propose a better “fairy tale” based on Cinderella, which would be helpful for children to know reality and to plan for their future.
There was a widower who married a selfish and haughty woman for his second wife. She had two daughters, who were haughty like their mother. One of the daughters was roly-poly and ugly. However, she was really smart. She graduated the graduate school of Harvard University and got a PhD there. By his first wife, the widower had a very beautiful young daughter of remarkable goodness and sweet temper. She could dance better than anybody else in the kingdom. The Stepmother employed the young beautiful daughter in all the housework. When the girl had done her work, she sat in the cinders, which caused her to be called "Cinderella". The poor girl put up with it patiently, but did not tell her father because he would have scolded her. Her father couldn’t disobey his wife at all.
One day, the King invited all the maidens in the land to a dance party to choose a girl who would be good for his son to get married. Since those two Stepsisters were invited, they gleefully choose their party dresses. Cinderella assisted their changing, but they still mocked her and said that a maid could never attend any parties. After her stepmother and sisters left the house, a girl who was in brilliant dress visited her to go to the ball with her. She was Cinderella’s childhood friend, and she was the only person who really understood Cinderella. The best friend was not so beautiful but very rich because her father was the president of the biggest company in the country. She lent Cinderella her elaborate dress and a delicate pair of glass shoes. She rode in a shiny black Mercedes-Benz and there were many attendants and security guards around it. Cinderella and her best friend went to the ball together.
At the ball, the entire court was entranced by Cinderella’s best friend, especially the shiny black Mercedes-Benz, which attracted even the King. Those days in the kingdom, bureaucrats’ scandals and failed economic policies were very big problems. The kingdom was under financial strain. To find a lady who was very rich, the king held the ball even though his son couldn’t dance well. So, the king added Cinderella’s best friend’s name on the top of his list.
Moreover, the prince was not smart, so the King worried about the future of the kingdom. He also wanted to find a lady who was much smarter than the prince and who knew all there is to know about politics. Cinderella’s smart stepsister talked with the King about the financial situation of the kingdom. She gave some ways out to the king. Her plan seemed to be really useful. He was moved by her intelligence even though he thought that she was very ugly at first. So he also added her name to the list.
However, the prince's heart was taken by Cinderella because she was young and beautiful. Once he saw her excellent dance, he fell in love her. The king also thought that Cinderella was much more beautiful than any other ladies at the party. However, once he knew that she was poor and had never been to school, he gave the prince an order not to propose marriage to her. He said “You would get used to an ugly face within three days, but you would get bored of a beautiful face within three days.”
After that, the prince and Cinderella’s rich best friend got married. Her father made a lot of investments in the kingdom. Moreover, Cinderella’s smart stepsister became the Minister of Finance. Because she was very ugly and mean, many co-workers didn’t like her personally. However, her economic policy was very effective. So, everyone knew that her ability was necessary for the kingdom. Thanks to them, the kingdom was reconstructed and it flourished. So, people in the kingdom were able to lead better life. As for Cinderella, she became a retained dancer in the kingdom. So, the prince was satisfied because he was able to watch her dance whenever he wanted. Cinderella was also happy because she didn’t have to be teased by her stepmother and stepsisters anymore. Also, she was relieved that she didn’t have to marry the prince because the prince was not her type anyway. Thus, all the people in the story became happy.
In reality, love can’t bring happiness to everyone. People would consult their own interests. So, compromise and concessions would be necessary. The Cinderella Story that I proposed is very helpful for children because they can know what the reality is like and prepare for their future.
