What Is Sibling Rivalry In Cinderella

Bruno Bettelheim, author of “’Cinderella: A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflicts”, writes on the changes and thought processes of a child and how they relate to the timeless character of Cinderella. Bettelheim believes that through the conscious and subconscious thoughts of a child, a child can relate to Cinderella. Bettelheim maintains that a child will relate to the degradation Cinderella feels when in conflict with siblings and parents, also explaining the outcome that arises from such conflicts. He claims that a child will subconsciously feel the dire need to have the absolute love and attention from his parents or parent, by whatever means it takes to receive all of it. He proclaims that because of these accumulating dirty thoughts,

Bettelheim relays his argument about sibling rivalry with evidence mostly based on his Freudian way of thinking, and comprehension of his article may be challenging to one who isn’t familiar with this psychological type, such as when he explains how children have incredibly vile thoughts of murder (281). Other ideas on romantic love for a parent and the ridding of parents because of guiltiness may all seem unorthodox to one who doesn’t agree to what Bettelheim is insinuating on these topics. But, also interests in the way it shows a different view on a child’s feelings of jealousy and attention. More supporting evidence from other scholars or writers on these issues to back up Bettelheim’s claims could help with the believability and understanding of what his statements are saying. On the other hand, had Bettelheim used others as references, the relation of sibling rivalry to Cinderella may not have been as vivid or interpreted in a way Bettelheim did not intend. Bettelheim writes specifically to show an outside thought process on Cinderella and her step-sisters, and emphasizes the feelings of jealousy and malice in relation to a child and the child’s siblings. Each statement of his article does generalize to this main topic, helping to better understand the overall meaning of “sibling rivalry”, which is a fascinating topic, despite a possible disagreement of