The Role of Purity in Cinderella and The Princess on The Glass Hill

The Princess on the Glass Hill and Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper, discuss strong ideas of purity that are portrayed by two characters, Cinderella and Cinderlad. Cinderella and Cinderlad face similar challenges and lifestyles. Purity in its simplest form is: a soul free of any contamination, something that as human beings we have easily lost. These fairy tales display purity and all its wonderful essence through both characters, despite the poor treatment they receive from what is considered their family, they are able to hold an innocence that the people surrounding them, have simply lost. The Princess on the Glass Hill is a story that can easily be compared to the story of Cinderella however; some components of the story shift and put the role onto a male character who in the end wants to gain the love of a Princess waiting for someone worthy enough for her. Cinderlad favored easily in the Princess’ heart because just like her, he contains the same purity she holds, and is not be seen as a prisoner on the Glass Hill, but instead waiting for someone she knows will not contaminate a purity that she also contain. “The Princess was very beautiful, and all who saw her fell violently in love with her, even in spite of themselves. So it is needless to say that all the princes and knights were eager to win her…”. Her unjustifiable beauty made everyone fall in love, meaning that those throwing themselves at her, would create a hard time for the princess to fall truly in love.

This fairytale suggests that those who are impure, desperately want to reach out to those good, and demand their riches. “...The brothers went to the glass hill, and all the princes and knights began to ride again, and this time they had taken care to roughen the shoes of their horses; but that did not help them: they rode and they slipped as they had done the day before, and not one of them could get even so far as a yard up the hill. When they had tired out their horses, so that they could do no more.” By the individuals trying to reach the top of the mountain knowing there is no way they could ever make it to the top they feel as if it’s a sense of duty to gain the wealth that she has maintained, because they want to gain back the sense of innocence that they have lost. Cinderella; or The Little Glass Slipper is the closest story when thinking about the original idea of Cinderella, but contains more details when talking about innocence. Cinderella contains a lot of empathy making her completely pure. For instance, when the King hosted a two day ball, Cinderella attended through the help of a fairy godmother. Her empathy helped the fairy godmother to find a coachman which the fairy godmother could not find.

At the beginning Cinderella and Cinderlad are seen as worthless. Cinderella’s stepsisters and her stepmother have nasty attitudes and personalities towards her and they dressed expensively to please the prince but to no avail had him even bat an eye at them. Thus, many people believe that dressing expensively can gain respect but those humbled and have a pure heart makes one more intriguing. Cinderlad’s humbleness made everyone jealous; his brothers, and father both included. While Cinder’s brothers dressed expensively in order to gain favor in the eyes of the princess and hurtfully denied Cinder a chance to go and see who rides the horse up the hill, and told him that he was ugly and dirty therefore not fit to go to the king’s place. Cinderlad however; is not afraid of anything and decided to go by himself, and unlike his brothers and father who were afraid made them jealous that they could not be like him. Cinderlad dresses in a way that reflects his humbleness and finds favor to marry the King’s daughter. Therefore, dressing expensively does not portray purity or wealth but instead reflects pride. The two stories represents purity and humbleness of Cinderlad and Cinderella. The prince saw purity in Cinderella through her humble gown unlike her arrogant stepsisters who dressed to please others. Thus many people have lost the grace and favor of achieving their goals due to looking down upon other people.

Glass is symbolically used in both stories. It symbolizes the true identity and purity, for instance, as the glass is see through, it reflects how transparent their beauty is, and reveals that both characters contain no flaws or desire to be corrupt. They are able to stay true to themselves only because of their humbleness and kindness. Glass along with the theme of Cinderella’s glass slipper and Cinderlad’s golden armour, only reflect their angelic like qualities, and reflect soley who they truly are. “The king himself, old as he was, could not help watching her, and telling the queen softly that it was a long time since he had seen so beautiful and lovely a creature.” (Perrault 29) The king complimenting Cinderella shows that he has never yet seen someone in the purest form of beauty.

In The Princess on the Glass Hill, Cinderlad’s brothers discouraged him from going on the hill to get the golden apples, in order for them to get a chance of marrying the King’s daughter. The hurtful remarks that his brothers made however; never stopped him from trying to win her heart. When the time came to know who would get the chance to marry the King’s daughter, all the men who were available no one had the golden apple. The King order all men to show up, but Cinderlad’s brothers concluded that Cinderlad should not be called because he had spent all time at home seated on ashes. In this story golden apple is symbolically used, it can be interpreted as a symbol of purity and humbleness. Horses are occasionally brought up in both stories and could be a major symbolism for freedom. The Princess on the Glass Hill and Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper, discusses our Cinderlad had desires of going to the king’s place to see who will ride the horse and get golden apple in order to marry King’s daughter but he was denied a chance by his brothers, but he never gave up he decided to go by himself. The impurity of his brothers never contaminated him, he maintained his purity and humbleness. Same case applies to Cinderella, her stepmother and stepsisters wanted to block her from achieving her desires. Her elder step sister called her Cinderwrench but she was not moved by all the sorts of words that she was called rather than respecting herself and stayed calm, a sign of humbleness. In addition horse symbolizes power in Native American tribes. Thus many of the people discern to achieve what is not theirs because of their greedy nature.

Cinderella portrays humbleness that made her complete pure woman. Moreover, she is often maltreated by her stepsisters and her stepmother but she was able to bear all those hardships and unsuitable personalities. She carried out all the house chores but she never complained, but she conquered them all when the prince announces that he will marry a woman whose foot will fit the glass slipper. She’s mocked when she said to try to wear the slipper but the slipper fits her and she’s transformed out of her ragged outfit into magnificent gown. She becomes a chariot, Cinderella is compared to a diamond that was found covered by dirt but still valuable, and once the diamond is cleansed many people will admire it. Cinderella’s transformation made her stepsister and stepmother realize that she is unknown beautiful princess and her purity shows up after forgiving her stepmother and her stepsisters. The Princess on the Glass Hill and​ Cinderella; or, the Little Glass Slipper, enables us to understand the calmness of Cinderlad and Cinderella. Cinderella quietly takes the orders of her stepmother and stepsisters, without allowing her hopes to fall, knowing that ultimately her kindness will repay her. Thus encouraging many people to believe in their dreams and not letting any obstacle to hinder them from achieving their goals. Cinderella’s dreams came true after enduring maltreatment from her evil stepmother. Cinderlad’s brother maltreatment and discouragement did not contaminate his purity either, his humbleness only enabled him to win the heart of the Princess.

In conclusion, The Princess on the Glass Hill and Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper, reflects the purity and humbleness of two characters, Cinderella and Cinderlad. Both faced similar challenges from their family but the oppression did not contaminate their purity. Through both texts they communicate a repetitive form of staying true to one's own purity, and not feeling the pressure of those around to act and dress in a certain way to maintain a form of importance. Both characters were able to demonstrate that the clothes they wear do not reflect their true selves, but once they are blessed and granted with a change in appearance to reflect their soul they are ultimately appreciated by those around them.

Author Statement

An analysis & comparison on the stories The Princess on the Glass Hill by Asbjornsen and Moe and Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper by Charles Perrault explores the impact of purity within both stories. I wanted to focus my analysis and comparison on the significance of symbolism which are begging to be conjured, both of these pieces carried many similar symbolic terms that not only were recurring terms but also terms that have been popular to use throughout the long history of literature. I focused my work upon words that had value towards the protagonist on these stories.

The Princess on the Glass Hill takes the interesting take of Cinderella as a male character named Cinderlad. The symbolic terms shared the same meanings but both stories used them in a completely different context within their stories, I wanted to look at the symbolic terms that affected both stories glass and gold were the symbolic figures which represented value, and pureness. “She left behind one of her glass slippers, which the prince picked up most carefully”. Glass I believed was the sign of purity, the idea of Glass representing virginity and when the prince picks up the left glass slipper she left behind he picks it up carefully representing that of her pureness, virginity, innocence. It is established that Cinderella is gentle, kind, fragile. 'It would make the people laugh to see a Cinderwench at a ball”. “They went to court, and Cinderella followed them with her eyes as long as she could. When she lost sight of them, she started to cry.” Reading these passages is an indication towards her innocence and pureness she represents this by taking what her sisters say and not fighting back towards their comments about her, I wanted this to set example that she is sweet kind and innocent that she would never say anything back. It sets the tone for her innocence even until the end when her sisters beg for forgiveness because she is so beautiful “They threw themselves at her feet to beg pardon for all the ill treatment they had made her undergo. Cinderella took them up, and, as she embraced them, said that she forgave them with all her heart, and wanted them always to love her.” Instead of repeating that ill treatment that her stepmother and siblings showed towards. Another example of that purity represented as the slipper those with no pure heart and no pure intentions could not fit the slipper. “He found that it went on very easily, fitting her as if it had been made of wax. Her sisters who from the start showed they were not pure could not fit the slipper no matter how hard they tried Cinderella could only fit it due to that pureness she carried it had been made of wax it had be made for her foot.

“The knight had golden armor, and the horse a golden saddle and bridle, and these were all so bright that they shone and dazzled everyone, even while the knight was still at a great distance.” Gold was used in the sense of worth and value not necessarily worth as in wealthness but worth as in pureness, virtuous. Only Cinderlad was able to climb the glass mountain which could only be climbed by someone pure he had worth he rode the Gold horse out of the three and obtained the gold apples. I wanted to focus that importance that Gold had through the story as only someone who was worthy could obtain that, Cinderlad showed his worth and pureness when he could mount the biggest horse and climb the purest mountain of glass.