The Rise Of Perrault's Rocky As A Cinderella Story

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Rocky (1976) by Sylvester Stallone is a movie that shows the story of Rocky Balboa, an American-Italian small-time boxer from Philadelphia. At the beginning of the movie the audience can see that Rocky is an underdog who earns his living by collecting debts for a loan shark named Gazzo and fighting once in awhile for money in a church. Mickey, Rocky’s ex-trainer thinks that Rocky has the potential to become a great boxer but his lack of willpower and inspiration have not allowed Rocky to succeed. Rocky is in love with Adrian, his best friend's sister. Adrian works in a pet store, she is extremely shy and every time that Rocky tries to make conversation with her he fails. Paul, Adrian’s brother, invites Rocky to spend Thanksgiving with them …show more content…

This does not mean that Rocky can not be considered as a Cinderella story, because as Bonnie Cullen, the author of “The rise of Perrault’s “Cinderella””, says, “One reason Perrault’s tale [did so] was its suitability for a modern audience… Perrault focuses on the social sphere, rather than the forest. (Cullen 322). Rocky does not have clear labels for the characters because is reaching to a modern audience during 1976. The culture during the 70’s was about individualism, self-achievement and that was Rocky showed. Also, by not having specific labels for the characters the film gives a more realistic story to the audience, in real life people would not find a person with only good or bad intentions or roles.

Rocky is a modern Cinderella story because, Rocky Balboa fights for what he wants and at the end, he wins respect, he becomes a better person beating all odds against him. The film is an example of how much a folktale can evolve because of culture and how even if the setup is different, the message of the story is still the

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