Since Cress has now been out for a while, I thought it was time to publish this post: an examination of the fairytale parallels in the Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. It's mostly just going to be in dot points/rambly thoughts rather than actual paragraphs. It's easier to read that way anyway, so don't complain :P
ANOTHER SPOILER WARNING IN CASE YOU MISSED THE FIRST.
Cinder/Cinderella
I think we can all agree that the final ball scene was definitely based on the original tale. Although I don't think it was midnight in the book, there was definitely a cut off point where Cinder had to return home (by which I mean run for her life from the evil queen lol). A few differences though:
- Cinder loses her leg instead of losing her shoe
- Cinder actually becomes MORE beautiful (puts on her glamour) rather than how Cinderella goes from a pretty dress to rags
Other parallels
- Stepsisters + stepmother, although one of the stepsisters is super nice (and then promptly dies. Is this a message that we should all be mean to our stepsisters lest we contract the Blue Fever?!)
- Lack of a fairy godmother, unless you count Dr Erland. OMG DR ERLAND IS THE FAIRY GODMOTHER HAHAHAHA
- The Prince! Clearly Kai is superior to the prince from the original tale though. He's Asian! :P
- Edit: from Katherinisms and Monique, Cinder fixes up an orange car, paralleling the pumpkin from Cinderella
Scarlet/Little Red Riding Hood
- Grandma missing rather than wolf posing as grandma. Although that definitely would have been amusing to see in Scarlet.
- The wolf is the love interest rather than the villain. And is a person rather than an actual wolf. lol.
- Is there a woodcutter?
- Pretty much nothing is the same, to be honest...
- Can anyone find any other parallels? I'm stuck :/
- Edit: from Kayla and Kelly, the red hoodie = the red hood. You know, I'd totally forgotten about that. I guess I don't really pay much attention to characters' clothes lol
- From Emma: one of the pack members uses a glamour to pretend to be Scarlet's grandmother, paralleling the wolf pretending to be Red Riding Hood's grandmother
- From Monique: Scarlet is a delivery girl, in the original, Red Riding Hood goes to deliver things to her grandmother
- From Gina: the first thing Scarlet notices about Wolf are his teeth, and how sharp they are. She later notes his "unnatural eyes" and "uncanny senses"
Cress/Rapunzel
- THE HAIR.
- Isolation in the satellite vs isolation in the tower
- Jailed by "evil witch" who visits her- asking her to dock her spaceship rather than letting down her hair from the original
- Given up by parents in the original. Stolen from parents in Cress
- Prince comes to rescue her (Thorne not such a prince lol)- everyone's probably picturing Flynn Rider at this point haha
- Prince lands on thorns and is blinded (WTF THORNS. THIS CANNOT POSSIBLY BE A COINCIDENCE) vs Thorne hitting his head (occipital lobe? lol) and becoming blind
- Rapunzel's tears restoring the prince's sight vs scientific "tears"/medicine restoring Thorne's sight (drops are administered by Cress)
- Edit: from thealaskangirl, in the original tale, the prince finds Rapunzel because of her singing. Thorne also comments on Cress' singing.
- From Gina: in some versions of Rapunzel, the plant Rapunzel's mother wants is actually rampion, which is also the name of Thorne's ship
Winter/Snow White- Predictions
- I hope there's some sort of parallel for the seven dwarves. That'd be hilarious. Like, the seven knights or something. Of which Jacin a member. lol. (Or would he be the huntsman that was supposed to kill Snow White but didn't)
- Clearly the poisoned apple has to manifest somehow. I feel like it might even be something like a poisoned medicine or something that then puts Winter in a coma and then instead of having Jacin save the day, Cinder jumps in and wows with her Lunar awesomeness.
- There's already the parallel of the evil Queen, although I suppose she hates mirrors rather than having one that tells her things. With her love of the original twisted tales, I think Marissa will probably tie in the Queen's punishment at the end. Maybe by having Cinder twist Levana's mind so that she becomes insane and keeps dancing? (Rather than in the original tale where the Queen's punishment is to wear heated metal shoes and dance until she dies. Preeeetttty morbid stuff)
- From Gina: Winter gives Scarlet red, sour apple flavoured candies, which could possibly parallel the poisoned apple in Snow White
Do you have any other parallels to add? Any predictions for Winter?
