Modern Day Folktale Analysis

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Children, from the time they read about or watch their first fairytale or superhero movie, majority of them will dream of the day they become one until they mature and grow out of that fantasy. However, not many people remember that fairytales were not the original stories that we all know and cherish; instead, they are spinoffs of folktales that use to scare kids straight. A folktale by definition is, “a tale or legend originating and traditional among a people or folk, especially one forming part of the oral tradition of the common people.” (dictionary.com) Joyce Carol Oates creates what seems to be a modern day folktale by intertwining references to fairytales that have been passed down for generations. Throughout the story, Oates compares …show more content…
Similar to how Little Red ended up being the wolf’s dinner, Arnold eventually lurs Connie out of her home by threatening her family, but he gets her to come out by supporting her; “...you’re a brave, sweet little girl…” suggesting that because Connie is so innocent, she does not realize what her other options are or what she is really getting herself into. Still tying to the same fairytale,”Little Red Riding Hood”, there is another binary of he experienced vs the inexperienced between the same two characters in Oates’ short story. Connie shows how inexperienced she is with boys during the night she was with the boy in his car, in the alley. This shows Connie’s innocence because the next day she fantasizes about how it seemed like the love she’d seen in movies, which during her time era, didn’t show much if any sexual or physical …show more content…
Similar to Cinderella being treated like the outcast of the family, Connie never feels like she belongs with her family. This is suggested when Oates wrote, “If June’s name was mentioned her mother’s tone was approving, and if Connie’s name was mentioned it was disapproving,” showing that Connie did not get much praise from her mother, similar to how Cinderella never got any loving attention from her wicked step mom. June, the angle child according to Connie’s mother, is very similar to the evil stepsisters in Cinderella. Connie, alike Cinderella, could never be as good as their sibling, this is suggested in the line, “...she was so plain and chunky and steady that Connie had to hear her praised all the time by her mother and her mother’s sister.” Of course if we have Cinderella and the evil stepsister, then we have the evil stepmother, which in Connie’s case, is her actual mother, who clearly is jealous of Connie, as the evil stepmother was to Cinderella. The jealousy is proven in the lines, “Stop gawking at yourself. Who are you? You think you’re so pretty?,” when the mother had become old and ugly and can no longer stand how beautiful her daughter is, reminding her of her youth. Characters in Oates’ story weren’t the only binaries to Cinderella. Arnold’s golden car with all the
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