Analysis Of Toni Morrison's “Cinderella's Stepsisters“

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Analysis of Toni Morrison’s “Cinderella’s Stepsisters”

Toni Morrison presented a speech entitled “Cinderella’s Stepsisters” to a graduating class at Barnard College. In the course of her speech, Morrison parallels the stepsisters in “Cinderella” to many women of power today. The problems that Morrison presents are real, but her ideas my not be so realistic. Is equality among women achievable, or just an out of reach suggestion?
Morrison begins by describing her discontent with the fairy tale. Morrison is disturbed that the story contains a group of women who join together to oppress another woman. She feels that this is a horrid example of how a female to female relationship should be.
In earlier versions of “Cinderella,” the stepsisters are described as beautiful, attractive women of power. Morrison explains to the graduating women of Barnard College that they now have the same status and power of the stepsisters. Now that these women have obtained this power, Morrison asks them to use in a beneficial way.
Morrison urges women not to participate in “professional violence, competitive violence, [or] emotional violence” (Morrison, 591) against their fellow women. Morrison suggests that “[women] pay as much attention to [their] nurturing sensibilities as to [their] ambition.”(Morrison, 591) Women need to recognize that other women are just as important as themselves.
Morrison explains that women need to make selfless decisions. She recommends that women should not base their decisions on security and safety, for in life, you are never guaranteed either. Morrison explains that women’s rights are not only about equality between men and women, but also include women recognizing their fellow women’s rights. Without equality for each other, how can women ever be acknowledged equivalent to men?
Morrison has managed to take hold of a modern problem and relate it to an old and well-known story. She ...