Maternal Affection
Fairytales have indeed stood the test of time. From oral narrations to written materials, folktales have been used to teach morals. Most fairy tales have a moral lesson towards the end. The end may be used to warn against greed, teach the essence of love, or to motivate people to believe in their ability. Snow White is a classic fairytale that shows the agony of a young girl whose mother dies at birth. Snow white faces adverse hatred from her, who even tries to kill her severally. Similarly, Cinderella is a fairytale that narrates how a young lady suffered at the hands of her evil stepmother and stepsisters. Both stories portray how the lack of maternal love may affect the well-being of a child. The fairytales, Snow White and Cinderella, use evil stepmothers to show the importance of motherly love to a child.
Snow White
In line with Tartar, the evil queen is jealous of the beauty, and she devises ways of getting rid of her (77). Maternal affection is an essential aspect of the life of a child. When the queen and the mother of Snow White dies, her father, the king, marries another woman to provide his infant daughter with the maternal affection she needs. However, the new queen sees the young princess as a threat, and she devises ways of eliminating her. Whereas a biological mother would dot the beauty of her daughter and take care of her, the evil stepmother treats Snow white like a rival. Although the new queen was beautiful, she was arrogant, and she could not bear to become the second on in beauty. Therefore, when her magical mirror revealed that Snow White was more beautiful than her, she was filled with rage and envy. The queen secretly ordered a huntsman to kill Snow White, but instead, he saved her life. “She started running and raced over sharp stones and through thorn bushes” (Tartar 84). Because the stepmother lacked maternal affection, Snow White had to flee her home and live as a fugitive.
In another attempt, the evil queen disguised herself as an old woman and attempted to kill Snow White. The evil queen became furious when her third attempt to kill Snow White failed. The evil queen made it her mission to eliminate Snow White, and at one point, she said, “Snow White must die; even if it costs me my life” (Tartar 87).
A mother is supposed to love and care for her child. Also, mothers are known for protecting their children from any danger. However, Snow White did not enjoy motherly affection since her mother died during, and she was left in the hands of an evil stepmother. Motherly love would be a matter of public critique because many children suffer because they lack maternal affection. When children are orphaned or living with irresponsible parents, social service strives to search for foster homes where the children will get the love they need. Most countries have social welfare systems that seek and provide alternative care for children who cannot get the care they need in their biological homes. Such systems go to show the importance of maternal care for children who are still in developmental age.
Just like modern social welfare systems, Snow White has people who come to the aid of the motherless girl. The seven dwarfs offer Snow White a place to live and as such keep her safe from her evil stepmother. Apart from showing how a lack of maternal care affects a child, the story also shows how society can shield such children from societal evils. Such methods include placing the children in foster care or orphanages where they can get the love and affection they require.
Cinderella
Cinderella is another classic fairytale with an evil stepmother who makes life unbearable for her step-daughter. The biological mother loved and cared for her daughter, but soon after she passed away, life took a new turn. “His new wife brought a new wife with her daughters whose features were beautiful and white but whose hearts were foul and black; this meant the beginning of a hard time for the poor stepchild” (Tartar 117). A girl that previously lived a good life with her mother and father was turned into a maid in her father’s house.
The evil stepmother and her evil daughters took away Cinderella’s beautiful clothes and dressed her in dirty rags. Turned into a slave, Cinderella worked from morning to evening while persevering harsh treatment from her stepmother and stepsisters. To add to her agony, Cinderella did not have a bed; instead, every night she lay next to the hearth in ashes. The poor stepchild used to weep and cry by the grave of her mother when she recalled how beautiful life was when she was still alive (Tartar 118).
The evil stepmother barred Cinderella from attending the king’s festival. Although the king had extended his invitation to all beautiful girls in the kingdom, the wicked stepmother forbade Cinderella from attending the festival. “Cinderella did as she was told, but she wept, for she too would have liked to go to the ball, and she begged her stepmother to let her go” (Tartar 118). Instead of letting her go, the evil stepmother gave her a tedious task that would take her long to complete.
Cinderella goes to prove how orphaned or neglected children suffer because of the lack of maternal care. Even though her father was rich, Cinderella lived a slave-like life, and she lacked love and affection. Just like in the folklore, many children suffer when their parents die or neglect them. Similar to Snow White, Cinderella suffered due to lack of maternal affection.
Just like Snow White, Cinderella found refuge from her harsh reality. The hazel tree she had planted on her mother’s grave hosted some doves which granted her all her wishes. Even when her stepmother poured a bowlful of lentils in the ashes to prevent her from attending the king’s festival, the birds from the tree rescued her by picking all the lentils. The birds also granted her a beautiful dress and glass shoes for her to attend the dance. In the end, with the help from the birds, Cinderella escaped her miserable life.
The Cinderella story also encourages society to love and protect orphaned children. Just like in the fairytale, the community should care for children who lack maternal affection from their homes. All children deserve equal chances at the available opportunities.
Conclusion
Folklores are used to pass valuable moral lessons. Snow White and Cinderella are two stories that have stood the test of time. Although the two stories have many moral lessons, one specific theme that comes from the stories is the importance of maternal affection. Both Snow White and Cinderella face rejection and cruelty from stepmothers when their biological mothers pass on. However, fate provides the two girls with guardians who shield them from danger. In the same way, society should shield orphans from societal evils. Since orphaned and neglected children still need to be cared for, it is the duty of society to fill in the gap and raise the children in love and care.
Work Cited
Tatar, Maria. The Classic Fairy Tales (Second International Student Edition)(Norton Critical Editions). WW Norton & Company, 2017.