Introduction: “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton
“Cinderella” by Anne Sexton first appeared in Transformations (1971), a collection of poems that reinterprets classic fairy tales through a dark, satirical lens. This poem, like the others in the collection, critiques the idealized, sanitized versions of these tales, exposing their underlying brutality, absurdity, and the false promises of “happily ever after.” Sexton’s retelling of Cinderella juxtaposes the classic rags-to-riches narrative with contemporary examples of unlikely success stories, such as a milkman turning into a real estate mogul or a charwoman striking it rich after an accident. The poem is popular as a textbook piece because it embodies key themes of feminist critique, social realism, and the subversion of traditional narratives. Through sardonic humor and stark imagery, Sexton challenges the notion of fairy tale romance, portraying Cinderella and her prince as lifeless, museum-like figures, “never arguing over the timing of an egg, never telling the same story twice, never getting a middle-aged spread.” This haunting final image underscores the artificiality of the fairy tale ideal, making Cinderella a powerful commentary on the unrealistic expectations imposed on women and relationships in a patriarchal society.
Text: “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton
You always read about it:
the plumber with the twelve children
who wins the Irish Sweepstakes.
From toilets to riches.
That story.
Or the nursemaid,
some luscious sweet from Denmark
who captures the oldest son’s heart.
from diapers to Dior.
That story.
Or a milkman who serves the wealthy,
eggs, cream, butter, yogurt, milk,
the white truck like an ambulance
who goes into real estate
and makes a pile.
From homogenized to martinis at lunch.
Or the charwoman
who is on the bus when it cracks up
and collects enough from the insurance.
From mops to Bonwit Teller.
That story.
Once
the wife of a rich man was on her deathbed
and she said to her daughter Cinderella:
Be devout. Be good. Then I will smile
down from heaven in the seam of a cloud.
The man took another wife who had
two daughters, pretty enough
but with hearts like blackjacks.
Cinderella was their maid.
She slept on the sooty hearth each night
and walked around looking like Al Jolson.
Her father brought presents home from town,
jewels and gowns for the other women
but the twig of a tree for Cinderella.
She planted that twig on her mother’s grave
and it grew to a tree where a white dove sat.
Whenever she wished for anything the dove
would drop it like an egg upon the ground.
The bird is important, my dears, so heed him.
Next came the ball, as you all know.
It was a marriage market.
The prince was looking for a wife.
All but Cinderella were preparing
and gussying up for the event.
Cinderella begged to go too.
Her stepmother threw a dish of lentils
into the cinders and said: Pick them
up in an hour and you shall go.
The white dove brought all his friends;
all the warm wings of the fatherland came,
and picked up the lentils in a jiffy.
No, Cinderella, said the stepmother,
you have no clothes and cannot dance.
That’s the way with stepmothers.
Cinderella went to the tree at the grave
and cried forth like a gospel singer:
Mama! Mama! My turtledove,
send me to the prince’s ball!
The bird dropped down a golden dress
and delicate little slippers.
Rather a large package for a simple bird.
So she went. Which is no surprise.
Her stepmother and sisters didn’t
recognize her without her cinder face
and the prince took her hand on the spot
and danced with no other the whole day.
As nightfall came she thought she’d better
get home. The prince walked her home
and she disappeared into the pigeon house
and although the prince took an axe and broke
it open she was gone. Back to her cinders.
These events repeated themselves for three days.
However on the third day the prince
covered the palace steps with cobbler’s wax
and Cinderella’s gold shoe stuck upon it.
Now he would find whom the shoe fit
and find his strange dancing girl for keeps.
He went to their house and the two sisters
were delighted because they had lovely feet.
The eldest went into a room to try the slipper on
but her big toe got in the way so she simply
sliced it off and put on the slipper.
The prince rode away with her until the white dove
told him to look at the blood pouring forth.
That is the way with amputations.
They just don’t heal up like a wish.
The other sister cut off her heel
but the blood told as blood will.
The prince was getting tired.
He began to feel like a shoe salesman.
But he gave it one last try.
This time Cinderella fit into the shoe
like a love letter into its envelope.
At the wedding ceremony
the two sisters came to curry favor
and the white dove pecked their eyes out.
Two hollow spots were left
like soup spoons.
Cinderella and the prince
lived, they say, happily ever after,
like two dolls in a museum case
never bothered by diapers or dust,
never arguing over the timing of an egg,
never telling the same story twice,
never getting a middle-aged spread,
their darling smiles pasted on for eternity.
Regular Bobbsey Twins.
That story.
Annotations: “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton
| Stanza | Annotation |
| Opening stanza (lines 1-4) | The poem begins with an ironic tone, describing exaggerated “rags-to-riches” success stories. The phrase “From toilets to riches” mocks the unrealistic nature of these transformations. |
| Second stanza (lines 5-8) | Another example of an improbable transformation—a nursemaid who marries into wealth. The phrase “from diapers to Dior” sarcastically suggests that luck, not merit, drives success. |
| Third stanza (lines 9-13) | A milkman’s story follows the same pattern, reinforcing the idea that wealth is often the result of luck rather than hard work. The phrase “white truck like an ambulance” hints at the suddenness of the transformation. |
| Fourth stanza (lines 14-18) | A cleaning lady profits from an accident settlement, again showing the randomness of success. The phrase “From mops to Bonwit Teller” (a luxury store) contrasts low and high status. |
| Fifth stanza (lines 19-33) | The poem shifts to the classic Cinderella story. Cinderella’s mother dies, leaving her at the mercy of her cruel stepfamily. The phrase “hearts like blackjacks” suggests their cold, ruthless nature. |
| Sixth stanza (lines 34-48) | Cinderella’s father gives her a twig instead of luxury gifts. She plants it on her mother’s grave, and it grows into a magical tree with a white dove that grants her wishes. |
| Seventh stanza (lines 49-64) | The ball is introduced as a “marriage market,” reducing romance to a financial transaction. Cinderella is denied the chance to attend until magical birds help her. |
| Eighth stanza (lines 65-78) | The white dove provides Cinderella with a golden dress and slippers. Sexton humorously notes that a “simple bird” delivering extravagant gifts is unrealistic. |
| Ninth stanza (lines 79-92) | Cinderella dances with the prince but disappears each night. The prince, desperate to find her, sets a trap with cobbler’s wax to keep her shoe from slipping off. |
| Tenth stanza (lines 93-106) | The grotesque detail of the stepsisters mutilating their feet mocks traditional beauty standards. The blood imagery reveals the absurdity of their desperation. |
| Eleventh stanza (lines 107-117) | The white dove exposes the deception by pointing out the blood. The prince is growing exhausted, making the search feel more like a chore than a romantic pursuit. |
| Twelfth stanza (lines 118-124) | Cinderella is finally identified when the shoe fits “like a love letter into its envelope.” The simile suggests predestination but also hints at an impersonal, mechanical match. |
| Final stanza (lines 125-134) | The “happily ever after” ending is mocked as lifeless and artificial. Cinderella and the prince are compared to museum dolls, symbolizing the unrealistic and frozen nature of fairy-tale love. |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton
| Device | Example from the Poem | Explanation |
| Alliteration | “from diapers to Dior” | The repetition of the “d” sound emphasizes the contrast between Cinderella’s humble beginnings and her rise to wealth. |
| Allusion | “looking like Al Jolson” | Refers to the performer Al Jolson, who used blackface, highlighting how Cinderella is dirtied and dehumanized by her role. |
| Anaphora | “That story.” (Repeated throughout) | The phrase is repeated to mock the predictability of fairy-tale success stories. |
| Assonance | “white dove sat” | The repetition of the “a” sound creates a lyrical flow in the description of Cinderella’s magical helper. |
| Caesura | “So she went. Which is no surprise.” | The use of a period mid-line forces a pause, making the statement sound dry and sarcastic. |
| Contrast | “from mops to Bonwit Teller” | Opposing images (hard labor vs. luxury shopping) highlight the unrealistic nature of Cinderella’s transformation. |
| Dark Humor | “The prince was getting tired. / He began to feel like a shoe salesman.” | Sexton humorously deflates the fairy-tale romance, portraying the prince as bored with the shoe-fitting process. |
| Diction (Colloquial) | “That story.” / “Which is no surprise.” | The casual, modern language contrasts with the formal tone of traditional fairy tales. |
| Enjambment | “and the prince took her hand on the spot / and danced with no other the whole day.” | The sentence spills over into the next line, mirroring the uninterrupted flow of the dance. |
| Epiphora | “never arguing over the timing of an egg, / never telling the same story twice, / never getting a middle-aged spread” | The repetition of “never” emphasizes the unrealistic perfection of Cinderella’s supposed happy ending. |
| Grotesque Imagery | “her big toe got in the way so she simply / sliced it off” | The shocking, gruesome detail satirizes the extreme sacrifices made for superficial beauty. |
| Hyperbole | “all the warm wings of the fatherland came” | The exaggerated number of birds helping Cinderella makes the fairy tale seem ridiculous. |
| Irony | “Happily ever after, like two dolls in a museum case” | Instead of being joyful, the “happily ever after” is lifeless and unnatural. |
| Metaphor | “like a love letter into its envelope” | Comparing the shoe fitting to a love letter suggests destiny, but also something mechanical and impersonal. |
| Personification | “The bird is important, my dears, so heed him.” | The white dove is given wisdom and power, functioning as a supernatural character. |
| Repetition | “That story.” | The phrase is repeated to reinforce the idea that fairy tales follow the same predictable formula. |
| Sarcasm | “Rather a large package for a simple bird.” | The mocking tone questions the absurdity of a bird delivering an elaborate dress and shoes. |
| Simile | “like two dolls in a museum case” | Cinderella and the prince are compared to dolls, suggesting their artificial and static existence. |
| Symbolism | The golden slipper | The shoe represents beauty, status, and the unrealistic standards women are expected to meet. |
| Tone (Mocking, Satirical) | “Regular Bobbsey Twins. That story.” | The tone throughout is sarcastic, exposing the flaws and absurdities in the classic fairy tale. |
Themes: “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton
- The False Promise of “Happily Ever After”: One of the central themes of “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton is the deconstruction of the fairy tale’s promise that wealth, marriage, and beauty lead to eternal happiness. Sexton’s retelling mocks the traditional “happily ever after” by portraying Cinderella and the prince as lifeless, static figures: “Cinderella and the prince lived, they say, happily ever after, like two dolls in a museum case.” The comparison to museum dolls suggests that their relationship is frozen, artificial, and devoid of real emotion or struggle. The repeated phrase “never bothered by diapers or dust, never arguing over the timing of an egg” highlights the unrealistic perfection of their life, emphasizing that true happiness is not as simple as fairy tales suggest. By concluding with “That story,” Sexton dismisses the fairy-tale ending as cliché and unconvincing.
- The Cruelty and Violence Beneath Fairy Tales: Unlike the sanitized versions of “Cinderella,” Sexton’s version retains and exaggerates the violent elements of the story, exposing the brutality hidden beneath its romanticized surface. The stepsisters, desperate to fit into the golden slipper, mutilate themselves: “The eldest went into a room to try the slipper on but her big toe got in the way so she simply sliced it off.” The grotesque imagery of self-mutilation challenges the notion that fairy tales are innocent stories for children. The punishment of the stepsisters is also extreme, as the white dove pecks out their eyes, leaving “Two hollow spots… like soup spoons.” This violence underscores the idea that fairy tales often enforce harsh moral lessons through cruelty rather than kindness or justice.
- The Unrealistic Nature of Social Mobility: Sexton repeatedly emphasizes that the Cinderella story, like many rags-to-riches tales, is based on luck rather than merit. The opening stanzas provide modern-day examples of improbable success, such as “the plumber with the twelve children who wins the Irish Sweepstakes” and “the charwoman who is on the bus when it cracks up and collects enough from the insurance.” These stories, much like Cinderella’s transformation, suggest that upward mobility is more a matter of chance than hard work. Cinderella herself does not earn her fortune—she is passively rewarded by the magical dove and chosen by the prince based on her appearance. By mocking the notion that success is accessible to all, Sexton critiques the unrealistic optimism perpetuated by fairy tales and capitalist societies.
- Women’s Roles and Objectification in Marriage: “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton also highlights the restrictive and transactional nature of marriage, portraying the prince’s search for a bride as a business deal rather than a romantic journey. The ball is described as “a marriage market”, reducing women to commodities being evaluated for their worth. Cinderella’s role in the story is passive—she is chosen by the prince, not for her personality or intelligence, but because she looks beautiful in a golden dress. Even after marriage, she and the prince remain “never telling the same story twice, never getting a middle-aged spread”, implying that they are trapped in a rigid, unrealistic ideal of love. The poem critiques how women in traditional fairy tales are expected to conform to a standard of beauty and obedience, rather than having their own agency.
Literary Theories and “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton
| Literary Theory | Application to “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton | Supporting References from the Poem |
| Feminist Criticism | The poem critiques traditional gender roles, particularly the expectation that women should passively wait for a man to rescue them. Cinderella is portrayed as a passive figure who is rewarded for her beauty rather than her intelligence or effort. The prince’s role is also superficial, as he only values Cinderella based on how well she fits into a shoe. | “It was a marriage market. / The prince was looking for a wife.” → The ball is framed as a transactional event rather than a romantic one. “never arguing over the timing of an egg, / never getting a middle-aged spread” → The unrealistic expectations of women in marriage are mocked. |
| Marxist Criticism | Sexton exposes the illusion of social mobility by portraying Cinderella’s rise to wealth as based on luck rather than hard work. The story reinforces class divisions rather than breaking them, as Cinderella does not challenge the system but simply moves into a higher class. | “From toilets to riches. That story.” → The phrase mocks the oversimplified rags-to-riches narrative. “A charwoman / who is on the bus when it cracks up / and collects enough from the insurance.” → Suggests that economic success often comes from chance rather than effort. |
| Psychoanalytic Criticism | The poem explores subconscious desires, trauma, and repression. Cinderella’s suffering under her stepfamily and her later transformation reflect a Freudian escape from hardship. The violence, especially the stepsisters’ self-mutilation, suggests psychological repression and the extreme lengths people go to for acceptance. | “Her big toe got in the way so she simply / sliced it off.” → A symbol of extreme sacrifice to fit an ideal. “Two hollow spots were left / like soup spoons.” → The stepsisters’ punishment (blinding) can be seen as symbolic castration, punishing their ambition. |
| Deconstruction | The poem undermines the traditional fairy tale structure by questioning its assumptions. Sexton highlights contradictions in the “happily ever after” myth, exposing how unrealistic and artificial it is. The repeated phrase “That story.” is dismissive, showing how overused and predictable these narratives are. | “like two dolls in a museum case” → The artificiality of the fairy-tale ending is emphasized. “Regular Bobbsey Twins. That story.” → The sarcastic tone suggests disbelief in the traditional narrative. |
Critical Questions about “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton
- How does Anne Sexton use irony to challenge the traditional fairy-tale narrative in “Cinderella”?
One of the most striking aspects of “Cinderella” is Sexton’s heavy use of irony, which calls into question the believability of the classic fairy tale. Throughout the poem, the phrase “That story.” is repeated in a dismissive tone, implying that the Cinderella tale is overly simplistic and unconvincing. The use of modern success stories at the beginning—“the plumber with the twelve children who wins the Irish Sweepstakes”—sets up the idea that Cinderella’s transformation is just as improbable as these exaggerated rags-to-riches stories. Additionally, the closing lines, “like two dolls in a museum case,” portray Cinderella and her prince as lifeless figures, mocking the idea of a perfect ending. By using irony, Sexton forces the reader to reconsider whether fairy tales offer genuine hope or merely empty fantasies. - What role does violence play in Sexton’s retelling of “Cinderella,” and how does it affect the reader’s perception of the story?
Unlike the sanitized versions of Cinderella popularized by Disney, Sexton’s poem retains and exaggerates the gruesome elements of the original Grimm Brothers’ tale. The stepsisters go to horrifying lengths to fit the golden slipper, with one “simply [slicing] off” her toe and the other cutting off her heel. The grotesque image of “blood pouring forth” undercuts the traditional fairy-tale notion that beauty and goodness will always prevail. Even Cinderella’s eventual triumph is tainted by violence, as the white dove pecks out the eyes of the stepsisters, leaving “Two hollow spots… like soup spoons.” This brutality forces the reader to acknowledge that fairy tales often rely on cruelty and suffering to enforce their moral lessons. Sexton’s inclusion of such violent details critiques the fairy tale’s hidden darkness, making the reader question whether Cinderella’s “happily ever after” is truly satisfying or merely a consequence of others’ pain. - How does “Cinderella” reflect societal expectations of women, and what commentary does Sexton offer on gender roles?
Sexton’s “Cinderella” challenges traditional gender roles by exposing how fairy tales reinforce restrictive expectations for women. Cinderella is portrayed as a passive character who does not actively shape her own fate but instead waits for magical intervention and male approval. The phrase “It was a marriage market” strips the ball of any romantic illusion, reducing it to a transactional event where women are evaluated like commodities. Even after her supposed victory, Cinderella remains trapped in an artificial perfection: “never arguing over the timing of an egg, / never getting a middle-aged spread.” This description highlights the unrealistic pressures placed on women to maintain beauty, silence, and harmony in marriage. Sexton’s sarcastic tone suggests that such expectations are oppressive, challenging the notion that marriage and wealth equate to true happiness. - Does “Cinderella” suggest that social mobility is an illusion, and how does Sexton use satire to critique this idea?
The poem questions the legitimacy of the rags-to-riches narrative, suggesting that social mobility is often a fantasy rather than an attainable reality. The opening stanzas present exaggerated success stories—such as a nursemaid who rises “from diapers to Dior”—highlighting the randomness and luck involved in these transformations. Cinderella’s own rise is similarly based on chance rather than merit; she does not earn her wealth but is instead granted it by a magical dove. The prince does not choose her for her personality or intelligence but simply because “Cinderella fit into the shoe like a love letter into its envelope.” This shallow selection process reveals how arbitrary her ascent truly is. Sexton’s satirical tone, especially in phrases like “That story,” mocks the unrealistic notion that fairy tales teach us about real-world success. By doing so, she critiques the way society promotes unattainable dreams of effortless wealth and happiness.
Literary Works Similar to “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton
- “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” by Anne Sexton – Like “Cinderella”, this poem from Transformations uses dark humor, irony, and grotesque imagery to critique the traditional fairy tale and its unrealistic portrayal of female purity and passivity.
- “The Applicant” by Sylvia Plath – Plath’s poem, like “Cinderella,” critiques traditional gender roles and the objectification of women, presenting marriage as a transactional and dehumanizing institution.
- “Little Red Riding Hood” by Anne Sexton – Another poem from Transformations, it deconstructs the classic fairy tale with cynical humor and violent imagery, much like “Cinderella,” to expose the dangers lurking beneath traditional stories.
- “Barbie Doll” by Marge Piercy – While not a direct fairy-tale retelling, this poem shares “Cinderella’s” feminist critique of beauty standards and the societal pressure on women to conform to unrealistic expectations.
- “Gretel in Darkness” by Louise Glück – This poem, like “Cinderella,” reimagines a fairy tale from a modern perspective, exploring trauma, survival, and the emotional consequences of traditional happily-ever-afters.
Representative Quotations of “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton
| Quotation | Context | Theoretical Perspective |
| “That story.” | Repeated throughout the poem, this phrase dismisses the fairy tale as overused, predictable, and unrealistic. | Deconstruction – Challenges the assumed truth and reliability of fairy-tale narratives. |
| “From toilets to riches.” | Part of the opening stanza, mocking the improbable success stories that parallel Cinderella’s transformation. | Marxist Criticism – Highlights how wealth is often acquired by chance rather than effort. |
| “It was a marriage market. / The prince was looking for a wife.” | Redefines the ball not as a romantic event but as an economic exchange where women are commodities. | Feminist Criticism – Critiques the objectification of women in marriage. |
| “Her big toe got in the way so she simply / sliced it off.” | The stepsisters mutilate their feet to fit the golden slipper, exposing the brutal lengths women go to for societal approval. | Psychoanalytic Criticism – Reflects repression, sacrifice, and the damaging effects of unattainable beauty standards. |
| “Two hollow spots were left / like soup spoons.” | The stepsisters’ punishment (blinding) is grotesquely exaggerated, reinforcing the fairy tale’s inherent violence. | Postmodernism – Exposes the hidden brutality in classic stories that are often considered innocent. |
| “Rather a large package for a simple bird.” | Sexton mocks the magical dove’s ability to deliver elaborate gifts, highlighting the absurdity of the fairy-tale logic. | Deconstruction – Questions the feasibility of magical realism in traditional narratives. |
| “Cinderella fit into the shoe / like a love letter into its envelope.” | This simile reduces Cinderella’s fate to a predetermined event, as if she were merely an object to be “mailed” into her destiny. | Structuralism – Suggests that fairy tales follow rigid, predictable structures that define outcomes rather than character agency. |
| “The prince was getting tired. / He began to feel like a shoe salesman.” | The romantic quest is stripped of its idealism, making the prince seem uninterested and robotic. | Feminist Criticism – Challenges the notion of the prince as a romantic hero and exposes the transactional nature of love. |
| “Like two dolls in a museum case / never bothered by diapers or dust.” | Cinderella and the prince’s “happily ever after” is frozen, artificial, and unrealistic. | Postmodernism – Undermines the idealized marriage trope, suggesting it is lifeless and performative. |
| “Regular Bobbsey Twins. That story.” | A sarcastic conclusion that mocks the fairy-tale formula, equating it to something childish and repetitive. | Deconstruction – Challenges the authenticity of traditional narratives and exposes their lack of originality. |
Suggested Readings: “Cinderella” by Anne Sexton
- OSTRIKER, ALICIA. “That Story: Anne Sexton And Her Transformations.” The American Poetry Review, vol. 11, no. 4, 1982, pp. 11–16. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/27776967. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
- Keely, Karen A. “‘[T]His Book of Odd Tales/Which Transform the Brothers Grimm’: Teaching Anne Sextons Transformations.” The English Journal, vol. 98, no. 2, 2008, pp. 69–75. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40503386. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
- Broumas, Olga, and Stanley Kunitz. “Cinderella.” Beginning with O, Yale University Press, 1977, pp. 57–58. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt32btgc.30. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
- Mason, David. “Anne Sexton and Her Times.” The Hudson Review, vol. 45, no. 1, 1992, pp. 167–74. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3852113. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
- Harries, Elizabeth Wanning. “The Mirror Broken: Women’s Autobiography and Fairy Tales.” Marvels & Tales, vol. 14, no. 1, 2000, pp. 122–35. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41380745. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.
- Brewer, Gaylord. “Apologia to Anne Sexton.” The North American Review, vol. 290, no. 5, 2005, pp. 17–17. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/25127431. Accessed 4 Feb. 2025.