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M. Asgill – ’02

Critical Approaches to Literary Analysis

Moral (DO NOT USE THIS APPROACH – EVER)
The reader discovers meaning through uncovering a lesson or moral message that helps him to
improve his understanding of the world. How does morality impact the central character and
explain meaning?

Cinderella’s main message is that good always triumphs over evil. The “wicked” stepmother, dressed
in black, is considered “bad.” The fairy “god” mother, dressed in white, is considered “good.” The
archetypical color black represents evil and its counterpart, white, represents goodness. Cinderella is a
humble, “good” girl who is obedient to her stepmother, no matter how evil the stepmother is to her.
Cinderella believes in something higher than herself, so she calls on goodness in the form of a fairy “god”
mother who ultimately saves her. One approach a writer could take is to discuss Cinderella’s morality- and
by extension – the stepmother’s immorality, to show why Cinderella prevails.

Historical
The reader discovers meaning through understanding the historical period in which “Cinderella”
was set. How do the effects of history impact the character’s plight? Explain meaning.

Cinderella’s main message is that we are products of the realities of our histories – and that we
succeed or fail based on the history that we accept. In Cinderella’s case, the feudal system of kings,
peasants, and a meager middle class that seeks to claw its way to the top – to be as close to the palace as
possible – is the historical reality that Cinderella chooses. That said: Historically, royal marriages were
arranged to cement political, economic, and social power, so it is natural for the King to give a ball to find
a wife for the Prince. Historically, women and men were also expected to play particular roles in social
dynamics. One approach for the writer would be to discuss the social hierarchy of the times and explain the
conflicts that evolve for Cinderella because of this social system and its complexly woven rules.

New Criticism (DO NOT USE THIS APPROACH UNLESS TOLD OTHERWISE)
The reader discovers meaning in a text by analyzing its individual structures: point of view, tone,
plot, character, setting, etc. How do certain features of text explain meaning?

Cinderella’s main message is that we can only rise as our relationships grow from dependence to
interdependence to independence. This development is traced through its plot. In the beginning of the
story, Cinderella is working hard to please her stepmother without question (dependence); toward the
middle, she still helps her stepmother with household chores but, also receives help from the fairy
godmother (interdependence); by the end of the story, Cinderella is able to help herself by speaking up for
herself and asking to try on the glass slipper (independence). One approach for the writer is to track the
progress of the plot and note how the changes in plot impact the main character throughout the text over a
period of time.

Economic/Marxist
The reader discovers meaning by looking closely at social class issues, the economic status of
the characters, and all conditions stemming from their social class: poor education, poor
nutrition, poor health, and inadequate opportunity vs. privileged education, good nutrition, etc.
How does the character’s economic status impact her decisions? How does looking at the
economic status and social class of the character explain overall meaning?

Cinderella’s main message is that people will strive for wealth and power to achieve happiness. The
stepmother attempts to marry her daughters off to the prince for social status and money. Cinderella wants
to go to the ball for the same reasons. She feels powerless in her stepmother’s home, which was once hers.
The palace v. the village beckons. The fairy godmother has to create material things to satisfy this urge:
beautiful dress, horse and carriage, glass slippers, etc.” One approach for the writer is to track the money,
social status, and power. Who is in power based on what she possesses – even if it’s not money)?
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M. Asgill – ’02

Psychological
The reader makes meaning of the text by understanding the character’s hidden, unconscious
motives. These motives are the cause of the character’s behavior, speech, actions, etc. The
character’s background (repressed childhood trauma, adolescent memories, social group
dynamics, etc.) reveals a great deal about his behavior. The focus is always on the character’s
emotional condition and the ways psychological forces impact that condition. How do the
character’s emotions, instincts, intuitions, attitudes, beliefs, values, behaviors, etc. impact the plot
or others around him?

Cinderella’s main message is that adopting a persona, such as passive/aggressive behavior is effective
in getting people what they want. Cinderella, on the surface, is obedient to her stepmother, but behind
closed doors, she seeks to find other means to attend the ball via a fairy godmother. She goes to the ball
even though she knows she was forbidden to go. The fact that she daydreams constantly is a sign that she
wants to escape from her world. She is passive with her stepmother, the mother who does not give her what
she wants, but behind closed doors, she aggressively seeks help from a fairy godmother, the mother who
gives her what she wants. And with the prince, she takes on another persona as the clothes, hair, and
make-up transforms her to play the role of “princess” even though she is not of royal birth. She does not
reveal her secret to the prince or to her stepmother. Cinderella wears the mask. One approach for the
writer is to discuss how Cinderella’s emotional state changes throughout the story and the impact this has
on the plot or the other characters.

Feminist
The reader understands the literature from the perspective of women. The focus is on the
treatment of women’s shortcomings or enlightenment. How important are the female characters?
In relation to men, how are they treated? Are they well-developed characters or merely
stereotypes? Are they given equal status or ignored, patronized, demeaned, or pedestalized?
How much interest do male characters exhibit about women’s concerns? How does the author
use the presence of women, or the lack there of, to make a comment about the human condition?

The writer of Cinderella gives the only two male figures (the father, and the prince) menial roles. They are
mere backgrounds to the foreground of women. The women, without men to add order and meaning to
their lives, are at odds and literally fight to gain the affection of a man because they are lost without men.
One approach for the writer is to discover why women’s roles are such as they are and what impact this
has on the characters and plot.

Archetypes/Symbolic/Mythic
The reader understands the work of literature through recognizing certain motifs or patterns that
are similar in many different cultural texts across many different historical times. Characters,
situations, and symbols are typical patterns. How does the author use archetypes and symbols
to reveal his message?

Characters: the hero; the scapegoat; the outcast; the hypersensitive youth; the earth mother; the
martyr; the rebel; the cruel stepmother; the tyrannical father; the star-crossed lovers; the ruler

Situations: the quest; the journey; the initiation; the fall-death-rebirth; the task

Symbols: light v. dark (light = knowledge, hope, purity, spirituality; dark = ignorance, despair, evil,
bestiality); water v. desert (water = rebirth, life, creativity; desert = spiritual and intellectual sterility,
death); heights v. depths (heights = achievement, sublimity, heaven, revelation, purity; depths =
dejection, mystery, entrapment, hell, death)

Cinderella is the archetypical outcast. She is humble, wronged, and gets the sympathy of the reader,
whereas the stepmother is the archetypical cruel woman who will do what it takes to keep the outcast an
outcast. One approach for the writer is to explore the pattern of archetypes to discover the author’s
message.
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M. Asgill – ’02

Text-Based Reader Response

The reader understands the work of literature through its effects on the reader as evidenced by
the constraints of the text.

Ethos: emphasize the implied author – a construct of the text – the person who lives behind,
beside, underneath, between the narrator and the author. For example,

Situations: the quest; the journey; the initiation; the fall-death-rebirth; the task

Symbols: light v. dark (light = knowledge, hope, purity, spirituality; dark = ignorance, despair, evil,
bestiality); water v. desert (water = rebirth, life, creativity; desert = spiritual and intellectual sterility,
death); heights v. depths (heights = achievement, sublimity, heaven, revelation, purity; depths =
dejection, mystery, entrapment, hell, death)

Cinderella is the archetypical outcast. She is humble, wronged, and gets the sympathy of the reader,
whereas the stepmother is the archetypical cruel woman who will do what it takes to keep the outcast an
outcast. One approach for the writer is to explore the pattern of archetypes to discover the author’s
message