Modern Retellings and Modern Values

When many think of Cinderella, the first thought that comes to mind is Disney’s 1950 Cinderella, a staple of many childhoods. But, what we see in many recent retellings is a move to reevaluate the messages in classic versions of the tale. Some modern values we see include, activism in our female protagonist, equality in marriage, personification of the prince, and a movement away from the importance of beauty.

Marissa Meyer’s Cinder is a clear example of just how we can reimagine the tale to encompass modern values that overall empower men and women alike. Not only is beauty not valued by Cinder (our cyborg protagonist), but it’s valued by our antagonist, Lunar Queen Levana. Cinder actually describes herself as less feminine than her stepsister and lacking in traditionally valued physical traits. Additionally, she is clearly “otherly” in her cyborg status as she does not have a skin graft, properly fitting parts, and inability to blush or cry.

She’s also her own hero and fights for her own interest. When sent to be a test subject for a plague cure, she resists and physically fights back against her captors. She speaks up against her stepmother and actively works on her own pumpkin carriage in the form of a junkyard car.

There’s also a personification of the prince here. While a supporting character to Cinder, he undoubtedly receives some share of Cinderella’s original story line. While his father dies, Prince Kai is told to “Be strong” and “trust” (Meyers 106). He’s consistently portrayed as someone with strong morals who fights against the superficial. He works to protect himself against the manufactured lunar glamour, their artificial beauty, in stark contrast to our original fairy tale prince being strongly attracted to Cinderella solely for her beauty.

The power of Cinderella today is still in her ability to be a role model. However, today’s values have greatly transformed what makes a Cinderella story. Of course, the classics still have value, but modern retellings are keeping her story alive and well in new and imaginative ways. Cinder is just one tale, but we can see so many different, new values in the numerous retellings published since the Grimms and Charles Perrault.