Ashly Guzman

Professor von Uhl

FIQWS 10105
06 October 2016

Exploratory Essay: An exploration of Cinderellas and Draupadis

Bravery
In most stories, the main characters have the same boring
characteristics. In western fairy tales, when the main lead is a woman, she
is usually portrayed as a weak individual focused on appearances. Yet, we
live in such a world where this is not the case everywhere. We can see this
in south Asian fairy tales where characters like Draupadi by R.K. Narayan
are full of courage, and are not afraid to break social stereotypes. On the
other hand, fairy tales like Cinderella by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
seemingly promote the basic expectations of a woman by making
Cinderella weak characters who needed a prince to come and take her
away from her horrible step mom and step sisters. It is because of this that
Draupadi and Cinderella although they share some similarities, Draupadi is
seen as a better role model and overall a more courageous woman when
compared to Cinderella. But, throughout their corresponding stories, it is
clear both characters showed a great amount of strength, bravery and gall.

From the very beginning of Draupadis story, she is seen as an

extraordinary woman. Draupadi was fated to be amazing hence she was
destined to marry five men. Most women at the time would have
completely opposed this as it was frowned upon in her culture but Draupadi
did not. Draupadi was not only breaking social stereotypes by marrying five
men but when she was gambled away by her husband Draupadi did
something no woman could even fathom, she defended herself against a
court of men with a simple question she wanted to know whether she had
been staked last or as last but one, Your Majesty, and when I [a messenger]
told her that Yudhishthira had lost himself first and then lost her, she had
the temerity to reply that the loss could not then bind; her, as Yudhisthira
had no authority to stake her when he was no longer a free man. (Narayan
156) Draupadis brave efforts to contradict her husband's foolish mistakes
were actually very intelligent and opened the eyes of the elders and
allowed them a second chance at being royal. The sole act of speaking out
against the unfairness of her enslavement is evidence enough that
Draupadi was an independent woman in a world where women were exactly
the opposite. A 19th-century traveler explains that in India, at no period of
life, in no condition of society, should a woman do anything at her mere
pleasure. Their fathers, their husbands, their sons, are verily called her
protectors; but it is such protection! Day and night must women be held by
their protectors in a state of absolute dependence. A woman, it is affirmed,
is never fit for independence, or to be trusted with liberty their deity has

allotted to women a love of their bed, of their seat, and of ornaments,

impure appetites, wrath, flexibility, desire of mischief and bad conduct.
Though her husband be devoid of all good qualities, yet, such is the
estimate they form of her moral discrimination and sensibilities, that they
bind the wife to revere him as a god, and to submit to his corporeal
chastisements, whenever he chooses to inflict, by a cane or a rope, on the
back parts ... a state of dependence more strict, contemptuous, and
humiliating, than that which is ordained for the weaker sex among the
Dindoos, cannot easily be conceived: and to consummate the stigma, to fill
up the cup of bitter waters assigned to woman, as if she deserved to be
excluded from immortality as well as from justice, from hope as well as from
enjoyment, it is ruled that a female has no business with the texts of the
Vedathat having no knowledge of expiatory texts, and no evidence of law,
sinful woman must be foul as falsehood itself, and incompetent to bear
witness. (Massie 153-154) This excerpt proves that women in India are
expected to live behind their husbands, fathers, and sons. But on the other
hand, Draupadi challenged this expectation by defending herself and
establishing the fact that she was not her husband's property and it is
amazing to see her power and bravery when she is not afraid of
contradicting traditional expectations in front of a court of male leaders
whose job it was to uphold tradition. The fact that the court accepted her
argument and accepted her demands which shows' just how strong and
powerful she was.

Similarly, Cinderella is a character who is not fully appreciated as

some see her story as one that fed female stereotypes since it require the
heroism of the male prince other than the potential heroineand contribute
to the gender stereotypes of the time period rather than progressing the
womens movement toward equality" (Garabedian 23) but when her
character is analyzed a little more deeply, Cinderella's bravery becomes
prominent. When Cinderella was told by her stepmother, "No, Cinderella,
you have no clothes, and you don't know how to dance. Everyone would
only laugh at you. ...It's no use. You are not coming with us, for you have no
clothes, and you don't know how to dance. We would be ashamed of you."
(Grimm 3) Cinderella did not give up on going to the ball she was tenacious
and decided that she would go not one not two but three days she attended
the Royal festival. Cinderella had no money, no clothes, and
[metaphorically] no family yet she had something neither her stepmother
nor her stepsisters possessed: a kind heart. With her pureness, she was
able to obtain all that she wished from the tree because she had no ill
intentions. It is because of her kind and loving heart that she survived all
the abuse and teasing proving she was strong. The courage she gathered to
attend the ball despite knowing it would not sit well with her stepmother,
knowing she could have been locked up in the attic for weeks on end,
knowing she would be worked like a mule and despised by her stepmother
and stepsisters is all but enough evidence to prove how much of a
determined and brave individual she truly was.

The two Princess from two different cultures shared the same fighting
spirits which were shown throughout their corresponding stories. Draupadi
was able to combat a royal court by contradicting traditional female Indian
behavior meanwhile Cinderella was brave enough to look past the
punishments and repercussions and go to the festival she was eager and
worked hard to attend.

Works Cited Page

Garabedian, Juliana. Animating Gender Roles: How Disney is Redefining the

Modern Princess. James Madison Undergraduate Research Journal. 2.1
(2014): 22-25. Web.
<http://commons.lib.jmu.edu/jmurj/vol2/iss1/4/>

Massie, J. W. Continental India: Travelling Sketches and Historical

Recollections Illustrating the Antiquity, Religion and Manners of the

Hindoos, the Extent of British Conquests, and the Progress of Missionary

Operations. Vol. 2. London: T. Ward, 1839. 153-54. Print.

Narayan, R. K. "Draupadi." Gods, Demons, and Others. New York: Viking,

1964. 156. Print.

Grimm, Jacob, and Wilhelm Grimm. "Cinderella." Cinderella. New York:

Larousse, 1978. N. Cinderella. University of Pittsburg. Web.
<http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm021.html >.