It always takes another perspective to see change. Sometimes for the person who experiences this, it is hard to recognize any difference or even accept that anything happened. Such is the case for the Grimm Brothers Cinderella and Ernest Hemingways Soldiers Home. Although Harold and Cinderella face similar life-altering conditions, they ultimately ended up on different paths.
In order to understand how they change so radically, it is necessary to distinguish what influenced them. For both of these characters, the relationships they have with their parents are dysfunctional. Communication tends to be stiff and shallow in depth. These fractured relationships serve as the root of how the two characters change throughout their stories. For Cinderella, her father forced her into accepting a new family while she was grieving the loss of her mother. As for Harold, he was continually fed a strict, religious lifestyle and pressured by his decisions.
The most noticeable contributing factor in how Cinderella changed developed out of bitterness and grief. Consider the time frame in which Cinderellas father was separated to the time he remarried: although it is not a defined number, readers can assume with the information provided, that it was not. Following the mothers death, the Brothers Grimm write, When winter came the snow spread a white sheet over the grave, and when the spring sun had drawn it off again, the man had taken another wife (1). Winter is considered to start in December, while spring begins in March. Therefore, only three months pass between the death of Cinderellas mother and her fathers remarriage. This appears to be a shortened or arguably condensed amount of time at best for coping with such an immense loss. Cinderella was absolutely devastated by the loss of her mother. She routinely went to her mothers grave to weep, well after acquiring her stepmother. This behavior is evident throughout the entire story.
The same cannot be said for her father. He remarried rather impetuously, never to console Cinderella or consider her feelings. She felt betrayed by his actions, exhibiting frustration and even resentfulness. This behavior is first displayed when he asked what everyone would like from the fair while he was there. His stepsisters asked for dresses and jewels. Her response to him was rather eccentric, stating, Father, break off for me the first branch which knocks against your hat on your way home (1). Cinderella made this request with cruel intentions; to openly mock him. She wanted him to feel guilt even if her actions were compelled by negative emotions. She felt it was the only way she could express herself to him without explicit statements. Harold, like Cinderella, had a remarkably similar experience.
Harolds troubles also stemmed from a disconnection between him and his family. Hemingway excluded Harolds life prior to the war but left readers with enough information to assume he had a Methodist background and a small-town community upbringing. Harolds attitude made it clear he did not want to feel constrained by those assumptions anymore. His mother was the first to notice this change. She tried to discuss his future plans with him but received a rather stiff answer instead. She said, There can be no idle hands in His Kingdom but Harold quickly responded, claiming [he was] not in His Kingdom (Hemingway 264, 264). Harold immediately felt distanced and embarrassed. It is safe to assume this immediate reaction was predictable because his entire life had been dictated by religion. He was simply not accustomed to doubting. However, it is important to recognize that there existed a certain degree of denial as well as separation from his spirituality. Again, this was only one dimension to the root of his change.
Although both characters experienced similarities in the source of their issues, their responses and reactions were uniquely different. Cinderella knew life would be tough after the loss of her mother. She recognized that in order for her to survive the threat of her stepmother and stepsisters, she had to become like one of them. She used what resources she had to fight back. On the other hand, Harold felt the need to escape. He knew the life his parents wanted for him and how he wanted to live it did not match up. Harold wanted things to be simple; running away seemed like the best alternative.
Cinderella realized there was only one way to get what she wanted: she would need to be falsely obedient and manipulate her power over nature. Upon learning of the Kings festival, she immediately asked to attend. She asked multiple times but was always denied. After unrelenting persistence, her stepmother gave her the task of separating lentils from ashes. If she succeeded in performing the task in the time allotted to her, she would be allowed to go. But Cinderella knew she would not be able to. Instead, she made the creatures in the garden perform the task. She exploited her gifts with ill intent. The gifts had been bestowed on her so that she would be good and pious. Regardless of the circumstances, it was selfish and irresponsible of her to use the creatures for her own selfish desire.
Conversely, Harold saw the only way to cope with his problem was by running away rather than confronting it. Harolds religious background was only one significant factor influencing his issues. The second weighed more on his actual thoughts. It was a combination of Harolds parents and the social norms of his community. Hemingway wrote the story as though everything about Harold was dictated by and measured against tradition. Harolds mother believed that like all the other boys, he was supposed to get a job, get married, and become a credit to the community. Harold no longer felt the need to follow the path paved for him. He wanted to be an individual, capable of making his own decisions. The only way he saw this becoming a reality was to change his environment.
Harold needed to live his own life. In the war, he was exposed to independence and autonomy. Coming home, the last thing he wanted was to reintroduce feelings of conformity. Harold revealed his true feelings in the following passage:
He had tried so hard to keep his life from being complicated. Still, none of it had touched him. He had felt sorry for his mother and she had made him lie. He would go to Kansas City and get a job and she would feel alright about it (267).
Harolds mother wanted him to feel at home; to reassure him that he belonged. His concern was not feeling appreciation or love but rather losing his independence and identity. He did not want to feel like he was part of a machine at home; that the only way to function was to abide by routine. That was just too complicated for him.
Also, it is important to note that he never shared these thoughts openly. If he had, he would reveal a lot more about himself than he was willing to. Hemingway was clever in never explicitly stating this secret. He did this to match Harolds character; one that ran away from his problems rather than face them.
It is no surprise that both stories ended in the way they did. Cinderella finally became a victim to her powers, allowing them to manifest her feelings. She stood by nonchalantly and watched her stepsisters hurt themselves as well as allowing nature to harm them. She became a vengeful person. Like Cinderella, Harolds change was also an evolution of his character driven by the negative influences surrounding him. But, we can only assume the results of his dilemma with the aid of Hemingways suggestive language.
The Kings son arrived at Cinderellas home, hoping to find to whom the slipper belonged. He believed that if a womans foot were to fit the slipper, then she must be the one he danced with at the festival. Identifying the woman this way was important because he did so with the intention of marrying her. When the prince came to Cinderellas home, her two stepsisters were ready to do whatever they needed to do to fit into the slipper. One of the stepsisters hacked off her heel while the other cut her toes off. Cinderella knew her foot would be the only one to fit but watched them as they tortured themselves anyway. Two birds then came down and let the prince know they mutilated their feet in order for them to fit. Quickly, he turned the two stepsisters away.
Eventually, Cinderella was given the opportunity to see if her foot fit the slipper. Indeed it did and soon, Cinderella and the prince were married. During the celebration, Cinderella could not be any happier but decided then was the time to get back at her stepsisters. She watched as, The pigeons pecked out one eye of each of them (Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm 4). Cinderella saw marriage to the Kings son as an opportunity to exact revenge. She manipulated her social status, knowing she could not be punished for her involvement in this evil act. Again, she could have easily instructed the birds to hold back, but she was cold and bitter. She wanted them to feel her pain. Had she been good and pious as her mother had instructed her to be before dying, she would have let it go and moved on. She ended up being just as vile as her stepsisters. Although Harolds problems did not create the same monster Cinderella became, he still changed into a person he knew would not be accepted by his family.
The first clue Hemingway gave readers about what developed out of Harolds issues was in a photograph. Hemingway described it in a peculiar way: There is a picture which shows him on the Rhine with two German girls and another corporal and continues with the German girls are not beautiful (260). Usually, people get the image of friends or family returning with great pictures of their experiences: beautiful scenery, famous or historical spots they visited and beautiful women. This particular picture included women and what appeared to be an interesting site but lacked any importance. Harold did this simply to maintain an image; to assure his family that he did exactly what they would expect him to do. He wanted them to believe his experience was like that of anyone elses.
The last two clues are vividly descriptive. One of the things Harold liked to do was sit on the porch and read. He would do this all day, taking notice of everything around him. Twice, Hemingway included what he observed in fine detail. His language is very suggestive if read properly. He stated:
They all wore sweaters and shirt waists with round Dutch collars. It was a pattern. He liked to look at them from the front porch as they walked on the other side of the street. He like to watch them walking under the shade of the trees. He liked the round Butch collars above their sweaters. He liked their silk stockings and flat shoes. He liked their bobbed hair and the way they walked But the world they were in was not the world he was in. He would like to have one of them. But it was not worth it. They were such a nice pattern. He liked the pattern. It was exciting. (262)
At first, readers are under the impression he is talking about the girls across the street. What is important to key in on was that Harolds focus changed from the actual girls to what they were wearing. He took notice of everything from their clothes and shoes to how they walked and how they did their hair. More specifically, he was attracted to the patterns and how they excited him so much he wanted one of his own. Femininity intrigued Harold in a way that did not arouse him; he just wanted everything that came with being a woman. This put his sexual orientation in question. But, Hemingways language was very delicate with this because Harold was unsure himself.
Harold did not want to admit it because he knew it would not stand well against his familys strong, religious connection or traditional values. Normally, homosexuality is condemned in Christianity, being viewed as a sinful act. Being raised Methodist and having it drilled into his life up through college, it was no wonder Harold was afraid to exhibit his feelings in that way. Had his mother found out, she would be heartbroken. This would only make his situation more complicated. Ultimately, he wanted to move past it all and not get them involved whatsoever. Harold just wanted to be left alone.
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