“Cinderella” by Anne Sexton is a poem that refers to and is influenced by the original version of Cinderella, written in a way that completely differs from the kind and friendly storytelling of childhood fairytales. Essentially, the poem summarizes the famous fairytale but with many disgusting and sincere details. There may be different reasons behind Sexton’s decision to reimagine the fairytale in her way, but perhaps one of the most obvious is gender inequality. It is possible that Sexton wanted to present Cinderella as a symbol of women’s struggle for independence and defense of their social role.
The poem is rather gloomy and psychologically complex, involving various topics related to interpersonal relations. The tone seems to combine satire, irony, and sarcasm to display them in the above-mentioned dark writing style. Despite Sexton’s characters being treated and behaving in a ridiculous and vulgar way, Cinderella is empathized with and described as a character forced to live in such a repressive environment.
In addition to the peculiar style of writing, there are elements of satire, irony, and sarcasm present in the poem. The first can be seen in the exaggerated physical appearances of Cinderella’s sisters, which mocks their obsession with excessive care for it. The second element is present throughout the story, making fun of contradictions between characters and their behavior. Sarcasm refers to the description of pressure upon women and the unequal, depreciative attitude toward them.
I admire the way Sexton portrays the truth about gender inequality. Incredibly, she found this notion even in such a famous fairytale that is often not regarded as severe poetry. Even though Sexton’s approach to interpreting the original fairytale is rather messy, I respect her for providing the details of the oppressing sisters of Cinderella. It makes her a character to empathize with and evokes a feeling of defense and concern about the present gender inequality.
Reference
Baldwin, E. Cinderella by Anne Sexton. Poem Analysis.