In the evenings, being exhausted from her errands, Cinderella has no bed to sleep in and is obliged to “rest on the hearth among the cinders” (Grimm and Grimm 2). While the girl is forced to do “heavy work from morning to night,” she cannot have a proper rest even when she goes to sleep (Grimm and Grimm 1). According to Bettelheim, this is the desire of “winning out her siblings” that are constantly abusing her (236). The wish to be considered equal induces Cinderella to do everything possible to prove her stepmother and stepsisters wrong. The unfairly bad attitude towards the poor girl makes her want to prove that she does not deserve such treatment.
Thus, there is the indication of the agony of sibling rivalry, as Bettelheim calls it (236). Their referring to Cinderella as a “stupid creature” and “nothing but a kitchenmaid” makes the girl devastated (Grimm and Grimm 1). Thus, it is evident that the girl who has always behaved well and never disobeyed cannot accept the fact that her new sisters treat her unfairly. At the beginning of the narration, it is noted that Cinderella’s sisters were “black and ugly at heart,” whereas the girl was “always pious and good” (Grimm and Grimm 1). Indeed, it is possible to conclude that the Grimm Brothers’ tale touches upon these topics.
Also, the author remarks that the theme of the degraded heroine winning over her abusing stepsisters is prominent in the story (Bettelheim 236). The main argument in Bettelheim’s article is that “Cinderella” is “a story about the agonies and hopes which form the essential content of sibling rivalry” (236).
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