Cinderella versus Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih
Hello, peeps! Welcome to Literature101 episode
2!!! How was your day?
Did you like to watch Disney princess movies in
your childhood? Or do you still watch it until now? Well, age and gender do not
determine what you are watching. Everyone has their taste. Do not worry about
it. So, have you ever recognized some fairy tales or folktales from other
countries do have similarities to Disney fairy tale? Let us start with Disney’s
Cinderella versus Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih, a folktale from Indonesia. The
storyline, the characters inside the story, and the genre are similar. However,
those intrinsic elements absolutely have a few differences depends on what
country the stories from. Okay, without further ado, let us discuss it now.
The first thing that comes into mind when
watching Cinderella or reading Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih for the first time
is that you feel familiar with the storyline. It is like you know the whole
story. Of course, this happens when you have recognized either the Cinderella
story or the Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih story. That déjà vu feeling
happened because the story is so much alike. The story begins with both parents
of Cinderella and Bawang Putih having just died. After that, both Cinderella
and Bawang Putih were abused and humiliated by their stepmother and their step
sister/s. However, there is little difference between those tales that
influenced the story. Cinderella story focuses on a love story that leads her
to be romantic with the prince from the palace. Meanwhile, the Bawang Merah and
Bawang Putih story talk about the greediness of gold/luxury accessories.
The second thing- that we will discuss is the
characters inside those two tales, especially the figures who assist the main
character. In Cinderella, the side characters who succored her are mostly
animals type, like Jaq and Gus the mice, and Bruno the dog. Besides animals,
the helper is the fairy godmother and Grand Duke. However, it is different with
Bawang Putih who has only one helper, which is an unknown aged woman who
settled in a house near the river. Although the character is not very
prominent, she can influence the course of the story because he is the only
character who helps Bawang Putih and gives karma to Bawang Merah and her
mother.
The last thing is about genres of Literature.
Cinderella is one of the fairy tale stories. A fairy tale is a tale that is
related to magical objects. It is confirmed by the existence of the fairy
godmother who creates a sparkling gown and pumpkin-made chariot and also
changes the animals into horses and a guard. Díaz-Faes (2022) claims that “The
fairy tale is a genre popularly associated with characters that inhabit
opposite extremes in the axis of good and evil, such as the brave prince, the
beautiful princess, and the wicked witch. Cinderella story has both good and
evil things illustrated by the characters inside. For example, Cinderella is a
good heroine (a pretty princess) contrast with her stepmother is an evil anti-heroine
(the malicious stepmother). Meanwhile, Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih is one of
folk tales story. The folk tale is also called folklore. Yusufjonova (2021)
mentions, “A folk tale is an epic genre of written and oral folk art: a prosaic
oral story about fictional events in the folklore of different peoples.” Bawang
Merah and Bawang Putih is indeed a story which comes from word of mouth. The
primary source is unknown, so we do not know who was spreading or making that
story before.
In conclusion, Cinderella and Bawang Merah and
Bawang Putih indeed have similar storylines but they are different in some
elements. The storyline and the characters in them can be the same, but similar
tales like this one have differences in each constituent related to the culture
in each country.
Alright, peeps! Too bad that we must end our
literature101 session here :(
See you later on another topic!
References:
https://www.ef.co.id/englishfirst/kids/blog/bawang-merah-bawang-putih-cerita-dongeng-pendekbahasa-inggris/
Díaz-Faes, A. M. (2022). Scary Good: Queering the Villain-Hero Dichotomy in Contemporary Fairy Tale Retellings. Gender and Female Villains in 21st Century
Fairy Tale Narratives, 21–33.
https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80117-564-720221001
Yusufjonova, M. A. kizi. (2021). A Household Tale in Korean Folklore. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DISCOURSE ON INNOVATION, INTEGRATION AND EDUCATION. http://www.summusjournals.uz/index.php/ijdiie/article/view/631
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