Your Name ___Soma Karim___ Date __10/19/14__ Genre: Traditional Literature__

Literary Analysis

Bibliographic I nformation:
Souci, R. D., Pinkney, J. B., & Perrault, C.
(1998). Cendrillon: a Caribbean
Cinderella. New York: Simon & Schuster
Books for Young Readers.

Plot:
Is the plot original and fresh?
The core plot of this book is not original. It is rather just a retelling of a story as it would be in
another part of the world. The main factors that made the original Cinderella fancy have been
reworded to fit the Caribbean culture. For example, the mice were lizards that were turned into
footmen; the pumpkin carriage was a breadfruit. Even her slipper was not glass but rather
embroidered. Another major change was that she was not a princess and the main male figure at
the ball wasnt a prince either. He was just a nobleman, rich guy. This is how the author took a
classical story, and told her version that that she had been used to hearing. I think for most
people, they will enjoy a new spin on an old tale more than the classical tale.
Will children enjoy it? Is there action?
This story isnt the common tale of Cinderella and has a different twist on it. I think kids will
enjoy it if they like changes in stories. They will not like it if they feel it is just a rip off the
original English script and think of it as a weird fairytale. There is action in the story because the
grandmother makes it possible for her to attend the ball and also at the ball there is a sense of
suspense and urgency as they escape in time to transform back to peasants. There is sense of
character attachment as the reader sympathizes with her position throughout the story so that can
illicit feelings of action.

Setting:
Where does the story take place?
The story takes place in the Caribbean, one of the islander countries of that region. It does not
specify which, but the idea that the story has French influence somewhat narrows it down. There
is an index in the back of the story to translate the words and it talks about keeping the original
French usage of words and not the Creolized style. It can be deduced from this that the country
might be Haiti or something close to it such as St. Lucia or the French Guiana. The illustrations

also depict a large body of water and a typical tropical setting. These facts strengthen our
conjecture.
How does the setting affect the action, characters, and theme?
The setting in this story affects every aspect of the story because it is labeled as a Caribbean
Cinderella. Due to this the characters are portrayed as local inhabitants of that area and are of
African descent. They have the work, customs and lifestyle of typical people there. This alters
the theme greatly because the ball takes place at a mansion instead of a castle and the man she
meets is not a prince. Her primary supporter is also a real appointed godmother not a magical
fairy godmother. This changes the action because she used a mahogany wand to apply the magic
and used local animals such as a guinea pig, lizards and breadfruit to make her entourage. What
doesnt change is the fact that they danced at the party and they fell in love. So the theme also
stays the same that the protagonist in the end gets what they wished for.

Theme:
Does the story have a theme?
This story, as all the other retellings of Cinderella, does have a theme. One of the themes is that
good things will always come your way. This is a focal point because it shows the struggle of an
innocent girl and the hardships she endured until finally she is rewarded by going to the ball. She
also hugs her godmother and says what she did for her was the best thing even if she cant see
Paul (the prince) again. Another main theme is that fate controls what people can do. Since the
sister tried to force the slipper on her foot it didnt work and Paul still ended up finding
Cendrillon and tells her shes as beautiful as when he first saw her.
Does this theme emerge naturally or is it stated too obviously?
I dont think the theme was stated too obviously because it is hidden between the folds of the
story and makes the reader take away from it by themselves. There is a slow start to the theme
and a few times it disguises itself very well. Initially some readers will see multiple themes and
then eventually choose the most prominent one.

Characterization:
How does the author reveal characters? Through narration? In conversation? By thoughts
of others?
The godmother reveals most of the characters in this story through narration. This includes
Cendrillon, Madam Prosperine (the stepmother) and Vitaline (the only step sister). Because it is a
short story, not much attention is given to bringing characters in through more complex methods,
which sometimes require more time, like through thoughts of others. The way they are
introduced is simple and logical; it also makes understanding the story easier.

Do we see their strengths and weaknesses?
The strengths of Cendrillon and her godmother are many during the story, both physical and
emotional. First, by the godmother describing how she grew up in a life of poverty with nothing
but a wand left by her mother. Her biggest weakness is Cendrillon obviously because she would
do anything for her; she is the one who she truly has love for. Cendrillon also has physical
strengths because it talks about how she is a basically a serving-girl to her stepmother and
stepsister, working her until her hands become blistered and red. She also underwent a great deal
of emotional stress by having gone to the ball; falling in love and the idea that she could never
obtain that. In the end everything works out fine and they prevail.

Style:
Is the dialogue natural and suited to the characters?
The dialogue used in the story is very natural and flows nicely. It is also well suited to the
characters because the author uses the language they use in that locality, and even throws in
French words to give a real sense of how they would interact. This is actually more realistic than
other stories or versions of this because they use this style of dialogue.
Is the style of writing appropriate to the subject?
The style of writing is appropriate to the subject because its a rag to riches type of story and the
author maintains a flat style of writing from before the change to after. This is showing that they
are the same characters we were introduced to before and the personalities stayed the same. And
again, with the added French from the setting and descriptions made, the writing style reflects
the life and customs of the storys people.
Is the style straightforward or figurative?
The style of writing is straightforward and doesnt have any loops and holes. This is beneficial
because the audience is the younger generation and if it was figurative I believe they would have
trouble enjoying it and understanding the story. There are no excessive or unnecessary
overstatements in the story and the author keeps it all realistic.

Point of View:
Does the point of view limit the readers horizon, or enlarge it?
The point of view is in first person and tells the story from the godmothers side. I think it is
somewhat limiting to Cendrillon and herself because it tells the story only from their side and we
never get to know anything more about the wicked stepmother and sister. It would be interesting
to see a third person omniscient view and find out what they were thinking and reasons behind
their actions.
Why did the author choose this particular point of view?

The point of view to this story was to retell a series of events that occurred from one side quickly
and efficiently. This worked out well from the godmothers point of view and the story made
more sense and was more enjoyable that way.

Describe Characteristics of this text specific to the genre:
Is the language lively and engaging and in keeping with oral tradition?
The language used in the book is lively and keeps with oral tradition because they use words of
French origin. Also, the words they use to call each other are Creolized and this is how they
would in those times and location. This keeps the story engaging and if the story were told by
oral tradition it would be a retelling in this manner.
Do illustrations add to and extend the story? Are the illustrations and details true to the
culture represented?
The most important aspect that has to be accurate in a childrens book should be the picture. The
illustrations really made the story in this story by giving us a great visual on the lifestyle of the
people. They were of African American descent and wearing traditional clothes, which included
a head wrap. Vibrant dresses were worn to the party and the music and foods were congruent to
the people. In this book, since it is a version of Cinderella, has to be accurate to its cultures,
which it was.
Is there some mention or citation of the original source for folktales?
In the beginning of the book before the story starts there is an excerpt saying you may think you
know the story Im telling you but you do not, because I was there. This is the author beating us
to the punch by saying this isnt the typical story of Cinderella and the version we have heard is
not the original and shes not here to tell us that one. Going off that note, what comes next is
definitely not what we are used to. She is also taking away credibility of the classical tale by
emphasizing its not the correct.

Reflections: (What are your impressions? Connections to past or future plans? Insights?, etc.)
This book was very interesting to read. It was my first time hearing about a Caribbean Cinderella
story. I find it a bit difficult as I read this book because there were many words that I did not
know the meaning of or could not pronounce it since it was in a different language. Even though
the back did help a lot by telling us what they meant, but I felt like it was still a bit challenging
since no one really looks at those pages unless they go check to see if they actually have the
translation part of those words.
This would be a great use to get students to know about a different language. Compare and
contrast English and French. Also, this would be great to get students to know about a different
culture and customs. For example, in the book I noticed they had chocolate sherbet at her
wedding. So, from that I realized that it might be something rare to have and to eat. In addition, it

is different from the American culture of having a cake on your wedding. Furthermore, this book
is also a spin-off of the classical Cinderella story, which is a new idea you can introduce to your
students and see if they can compare and contrast the two books.