The Algonquin Cinderella vs. Tam and Cam

The Algonquin Cinderella vs. Tam and Cam Cinderella is one of the most popular characters in the fairy tale’s stories. More than fifteen versions of this story exist in different countries. There are two famous versions of this story among adults and children, they are The Algonquin Cinderella (Native American’s version) and Tom and Cam (Vietnamese’s version). These stories convey the same message that good will always defeat the evil. However, the Algonquin Cinderella and Tom and Cam stories differ in their aspects of belief, magic, and their ending. In the Native American version of Cinderella, the belief in women’s beauty and appearance is emphasized. The Cinderella in this story was “very small, weak, and often ill.” She was treated so harshly by her older sisters. They burnt her hands and her feet with hot cinders without any reason, and it left many scars all over her body. As a result, many people called her “the rough faced girl.” When she was willing to see the “Invisible One,” an ideal man for every woman in that village, her sisters and all the people in the village “shouted and hooted,” “hissed and yelled” at her. No one could believe that the “rough faced girl” could see the “Invisible One” even though she was ugly and had rough face. On the other hand, the belief in the Vietnamese version of the Cinderella story has a big difference with the Native American’s version. In the Vietnamese version, Tam and Cam, Buddha was a form for their belief. In this story, Tam was the Cinderella, and Cam was the stepsister. When Tam had a rough time, Buddha always came to help her. Vietnamese people had known Buddhism since the second century, and it gave a big influence to their culture, especially to their traditional fairy tale stories. In Buddhism, they teach their disciples about karma and reincarnation which is implied in Tam and Cam’s story. In this story, it showed that Cam died because of her mean behavior; she killed Tam and took her