In “Ashputtle” Grimm’s, a rich man’s wife passes way leaving him and his daughter behind. Not long after her mother dies, her father remarries and his new wife has two daughters. The stepsisters call her Ashputtle because she sleeps in the ashes. One day while her father goes into town the stepsisters request jewels and dresses while Ashputtle only asked for the first shrub that hits his hat. When her father returns she plants the shrub on her mother’s grave that she visits three times a day and her tears water it. As she is at her mother grave she talks to the birds and the tree that will grant her wishes. 628-629 The king holds a ball to find his son a wife. Ashputtle will not be able to attend the ball. She stepmother says she can go if she completes the task of picking a basin full of peas out of the ash heap in two hours. Ashputtle asks her bird friends to help her and they do. When she tells her stepmother she has completed to task she still is not allowed to go. She just doubles the task and once again Ashputtle asks her birds for help again. After still not being able to go she goes to the birds and the tree asking them to give her beautiful clothes to go. On the first and second night she dances with the Prince not letting the prince walk her home either night. On the third night, Ashputtle dances with the prince again, but the prince is not going to lose her again. Although he did not catch her she did lose her gold slipper.629-632 The Prince only will marry the lady who fits the slipper. Sister one tries on shoe, and cuts off toe to make it fit. The Prince takes her as his wife but the bird sings to Prince telling him she was not her. The second sister also tries the shoe and cuts off her heel to make it fit. The prince takes her as his wife but the birds sing to the Prince again saying that it was not her.632-632 The Prince asks is there are any other daughters. Ashputtle cleans herself up and
Cited: Jakob and Wilhelm, Grimm . “Ashputtle.” Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 11th ed. Eds. Laurence Behrens and Leonard J. Rosen. New York: Longman, 2011. 628-633.