The common fairytale portrays the stereotypical “damsel in distress,” who is helpless until her male savior typically rescues her. Many fairytales address the theme of gender roles as well as many others. The female character takes on the feeble, desolate role, while the male character takes on the strong, hero role similar to the stories of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. However, Elizabeth, the protagonist of The Paper Bag Princess defies typical gender roles as a female character and becomes the hero of the story. Cinderella and The Paper Bag Princess share many qualities, but have major differences as well.
Cinderella is an example of a woman who occupies traditional, domestic roles, but she does not portray the modern, liberated woman Elizabeth exhibits. Unlike Cinderella, Elizabeth is a great manifestation of who women aspire to become today. While the two princesses share similar physical features, they differ when it comes to independence, confidence, and heroism, highlighting Elizabeth as the ideal role model of the modern, liberated woman for women and young girls. First, the emphasis on physical features for a princess is essential in fairytales.
In “Cinderella,” Andrew Lang, author of The Blue Fairy Book, describes Cinderella as a “pretty girl” “of unparalleled goodness and sweetness of temper” even more than her sisters (Lang 64). Without such distinct qualities, one is not usually given the title or position of princess. Alice Neikirk, graduate student of The Australian National University and author of “‘…Happily Ever After’ (or What Fairytales Teach Girls About Being Women),” writes: Attractiveness is the most important attribute that a woman can possess, and is often an indicator of chances of future happiness.
A study of the evolution of 168 tales that originated in 1857 found a strong correlation between the number of times a book was reproduced and the number of times the appearance (i. e. beauty) of the female lead was stated. (Neikirk 38) Traditional princesses are especially known for their beauty and that is a major reason why many aspire to be or look like them. Even though they are attractive, the characters around them treat them unfairly out of spite and jealousy. Cinderella’s stepmother cannot stand her because of the good qualities she has, which makes her own daughters look repulsive (Lang).
This is why the emphasis on beauty is important. Even though both of the characters are similarly beautiful, their gender roles are quite different. In The Paper Bag Princess, physical features are also an important aspect. The first thing Robert Munsch, author of The Paper Bag Princess, states is, “Elizabeth was a beautiful princess. She lived in a castle and had expensive princess clothes” (Munsch). Unlike Cinderella, Elizabeth is already in the position of princess and has expensive clothes, which princesses normally possess.
Lang mentions later on that Cinderella’s clothes were changed to newer and richer garment than any she had before (Lang 70). Physical features are an important characteristic to fairytales because they are one of the first details the author mentions. According to Dr. Silima Nanda’s “The Portrayal of Women in the Fairy Tales,” she highlights, “Beauty is highly revered in fairy tales being associated with intelligence, ability, kindness, worthiness and morality and this can be well perceived from the Grimms fairy tales” (Nanda 248).
This particular trait is universal. Ugliness usually associates with evil characters, while beauty and princesses go hand in hand. Beauty separates the royals from the rest of the characters. They are typically beautiful and have expensive belongings. Second, independence is an important quality Elizabeth possesses. In The Paper Bag Princess, Munsch never mentions Elizabeth’s parents, a king, or a queen. He rather states Elizabeth lives in a castle (Munsch). This gives her autonomy to do basically whatever she wants without any restrictions.
Elizabeth resembles the independent, working class women from the 1920s, who no longer hold the traditional roles of motherhood. According to Jane Marcellus, professor of media history at Middle Tennessee State University and author of “These Working Wives: Representation of the ‘Two-Job’ Woman Between the World Wars,” she mentions: Increasing numbers of women had been entering the workplace since just after the Civil War, when new opportunities as secretaries and nurses swelled their ranks. Thanks to their service in World War I and the passage of women’s suffrage in 1920, ideas about women’s job capabilities were expanding. Marcellus 54) The Paper Bag Princess was written in 1980, which was definitely a time period where women were not solely limited to household roles anymore. They had the autonomy to get jobs outside of the home that did not confine them to the private sphere of motherhood. Women were slowly achieving equality with their male counterparts. Elizabeth definitely portrays the traits of the ideal role model for young girls and women. She is not afraid to do what she wants. By contrast, Cinderella is far from being independent. Her stepmother has employed her as the housemaid similar to the typical housewife during the mid-late twentieth century.
Cinderella’s stepmother “employed her in the meanest work of the house: she scoured the dishes, tables, etc. , and scrubbed madam’s chamber, and those of misses, her daughters…” (Lang 64). Her stepmother forces Cinderella to complete these various tasks against her will and confines her to the domestic role of a housewife; this strips away her independence and autonomy. According to Nancy Hiller, author of “The Hoosier Cabinet and the American Housewife,” she states: Women’s lives during the late 1800s were quite different from our own. For working-class and rural women, general housekeeping involved real physical labor.
Most tasks had to be done by hand—churning butter, stoking stoves with wood or coal carried from the porch or cellar, chopping and mixing and washing. (Hiller 1) Charles Perrault wrote this version of “Cinderella” in 1889 and her characters really emulates the typical housewife. Even though she is the daughter and is not the lady of the house, her stepmother positions her into this role. Because of the heavy load of work she has to do, she does not have the autonomy or independence to do anything outside of the four corners of the house.
This is one of the reasons why Cinderella is not the ideal role model for the liberated woman. Cinderella does not fight back and seems to be timid and passive, which leads up to the next topic. Confidence is an important trait that goes hand in hand with independence. To effectively get a point across, one must be independent when it calls for it and confident in what is being said. In The Paper Bag Princess, Elizabeth is not afraid to march down to the dragon’s cave to rescue Prince Ronald. When she approaches the cave, “she took hold of the knocker and banged on the door” (Munsch).
Elizabeth could have slightly knocked on the door, but instead she “took hold” and “banged on the door” (Munsch). Even though the dragon closes the door when he sees her, she proceeds to bang again (Munsch). This shows that Elizabeth is not plagued with fear and has enough confidence to stand up to a creature that is far bigger than her and scarier. Through her actions, she lets the dragon know that she has come to get Roland no matter what he says or does. The confidence she shows is another reason why Elizabeth fits the ideal role model.
However, Cinderella is the complete opposite of Elizabeth and does not exude confidence. Instead of standing up to her stepsisters who boss her around and stepmother who treats her unfairly, she endures it. Lang writes, “The poor girl bore it all patiently, and dared not tell her father, who would have scolded her; for his wife governed him entirely” (Lang 64). Even though her father would not have believed her, she could have still stood up for herself, but instead, she is afraid and submissive. Dr. Silima Nanda states, “Fairy tales embody the ways that societies attempted to silence and oppress women making them passive.
Much of the fairy tale literature reinforces the idea that women should be wives and mothers, submissive and self-sacrificing” (Nanda 248). Cinderella fits the above description perfectly. She is passive and is oppressed by the characters around her, making her just like the 1800’s housewife. For example, she wants to go to the ball, but is not confident to actually pursue it. Cinderella’s fairy godmother steps in and gives her confidence by giving her a beautiful dress, shoes, and so forth. Her character teaches women that it is acceptable to be passive and submissive instead of voicing out their concerns with confidence.
They must rely on outside help to get them out of their situation. Above all, heroism is the most important item that distinguishes both of the characters from each other. Cinderella is a passive, submissive character that has no hope. Her godmother comes in and rescues her from a sad situation. In order for Cinderella to get out of her desolate situation, she needs a savior. In the story, she meets the prince who later finds out the glass slipper belongs to her and makes her his bride (Lang 70).
She is no longer a mere housewife; she is now a princess. In the fairy tales, passivity is the most valued and honored attribute a woman can possess in life. It is not the female who can save herself from harm or an undesirable situation; it is the male that must save her” (Nanda 248). This teaches women that they must always rely on a man to save them from danger or distress, but until then, they are stuck. The character of Cinderella limits what a woman can do on her own. Elizabeth however, turns the tables. Roland is trapped in the dragon’s cave and it is Elizabeth who ventures out to save him.
Although it is not a typical “happily ever after” story, it is still great because she does not settle for less. Roland is rude to her and she does not entertain his ungratefulness because he is a “bum” (Munsch). The gender roles are at a reverse, which gives women a prime example of how much autonomy and ability a woman actually possesses contrary to popular belief. Elizabeth is the ideal female heroine. Overall, the differences between the two fairytales princesses highlight Elizabeth as the better candidate.
The Paper Bag Princess defies standard gender roles within fairytales and empowers females to look past all limitations. The shift in “Cinderella” to The Paper Bag Princess really portrays the transition in American history from the common housewife to the working class woman. This transition increases the average woman’s confidence and independence. Through Elizabeth, female and male characters can now be regarded on the same scale in children’s literature. No one sex is lesser than the other. The male character can be a hero and so can the female character. Gender roles are nothing, but descriptions.
