What is wickedness?: An analysis of the wicked stepmother in literary and film adaptations of the Cinderella story
Abstract
This Honors Thesis is a comparative study of different versions of the wicked stepmother character in the Cinderella story. It examines both the history and evolution of the Cinderella tale and the history and evolution of the stepmother trope in the broader world of fairytales. In addition, this paper provides a deep dive analysis into four variations of the character from Charles Perrault's 1697 version, the 1812 version from the Grimm brothers' collection, the 1950 Disney animated film and its sequels, and the 2015 live-action Disney film. Throughout these versions, the stepmother exhibits different degrees of cruel behavior and is motivated by different factors. This paper seeks to determine which versions of the stepmother are truly deserving of the moniker "wicked."