Bettelheim vs. Kolbenschlag: Beyond Cinderella
             Cinderella has long been a classic favorite among the fairy-tales. But recently it has caused a few to look beyond the mere entertainment value, into greater metaphorical analysis. Among these analyzers are two distinctively different authors, Bruno Bettelheim, author of "'Cinderella ': A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflicts," and Madonna Kolbenschlag, "A Feminist's view of 'Cinderella.'" Both of whom obtain two distinctively diverse points of view. The "ashes" and the concept of sibling rivalry are among the subtopics both authors discuss. Kolbenschlag gives an intriguing feminist view of Cinderella, while Bettelheim approaches the topic with a more psychological perspective.
             Bettelheim defines sibling rivalry: "universal and 'natural' in the sense that it is the negative consequence of being a sibling. . ." He states that, "Cinderella is pushed down and degraded by her step-sisters; her interests are sacrificed to theirs by her (step)mother; she is expected to do the dirtiest work and although she performs well, she receives no credit for it; only more is demanded of her." He connects this injustice with the "miseries of sibling rivalry." He believes, even though the sibling rivalry of Cinderella seems over exaggerated to the adult reader, it is taken much more realistic and draws a much more concrete association with how a child feels of his siblings and the way his parents treat him. He presumes, "From her triumph he [the child] gains the exaggerated hopes for his future which he needs to counteract the extreme misery he experiences when ravaged by sibling rivalry (Bettelheim 569).
             Kolbenschlag writes, "Cinderella evokes intense identification. It is a tale of sibling rivalry (and subliminally, of sex-role stereotyping) - a moral fable about socialization.&q...