# Cinderella explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Ring Lardner.

## What happens

A modern retelling of Cinderella set in a Roaring Twenties context, where a neglected stepdaughter, Zelda, is transformed by a fairy godmother to attend a dance, captivates a wealthy 'Prince,' loses a glass slipper, and ultimately marries him, forgiving her stepsisters.

## Themes in this chapter

### Class and Aspiration

Cinderella's rise from ashcan to royalty highlights the American Dream of upward mobility.

### Satire of Media and Business

The Prince's 'display ad' and the shoe-fitting canvass satirize commercialized romance and media-driven courtship.

## Character check-ins

### Cinderella

The protagonist, a mistreated stepdaughter who attends the ball and wins the Prince's heart.

### The Prince

A wealthy young man who hosts the dance and falls for Cinderella.

### Stepmother

The cruel stepmother who favors her own daughters and mistreats Cinderella.

### Fairy Godmother

A magical old woman who helps Cinderella attend the ball.

## Key lines

> Don’t you feel no pane?

Don't you feel any pain?

_A pun on 'pane' (glass) and 'pain'._

> the plot—with the poor, ragged little gal finally getting all the best of it—could be changed around and fixed up so as it would make a good idear for a play.

The story's theme of a downtrodden girl triumphing could be adapted into a play.

_The narrator suggests the story's potential as a theatrical production._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/cinderella
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters