Deception vs Magic

             The human is the most deceiving and conniving being in the universe. In every aspect of human life, deception is not only present, but almost necessary. It has become an integral part of every screenplay, movie, and story. One of the most famous stories in any culture is the tale of Cinderella. Her tale is one of enchantment and adventure, but the aspect of Cinderella that enthralls people the most is the deception factor. Not only did the antagonists play the part of sly and devious people, but the protagonists deceive also. In the Fox's movie Ever After and in various written versions of Cinderella it is apparent that there is a very fine line between deception and magic. When the antagonists are committing deceiving acts it is deception, but when it is the good doing deceiving actions it is magic. .
             All the variations of Cinderella have the same basic plot and theme. Her father remarries to a widowed woman who has two daughters. After Cinderella's father dies, the woman and her daughters treat Cinderella with cruelly and demean her into the position of a servant. She wears rags, receives menial provisions, and sleeps by the fireplace. Because she sleeps by the fireplace, her face is always dirty with ashes, and thus the stepsisters coin the names Cinderella, Ashella, or Ashputtle (depending on the version). The prince hosts a ball in an attempt to find a wife. Cinderella goes to the ball with the help of some sort of divine power. In the end she marries the prince and is freed from her evil step-family.
             A mother trying to provide and care for her daughters is normally acceptable, but in the Cinderella story, it suddenly becomes malicious. Although the stepmother treats Cinderella ridiculously unkind, she is simply trying to make life better for her daughters. Her first step in this direction is marrying Cinderella's father. Most consider her to be a "gold digger" and do not contemplate the fact that she needs to provide for her daughters and herself.