Ena Lucia Portela’s Twists on Cinderella

Below, you’ll see passages illustrating some of Portela’s twists on more traditional versions of the Cinderella story. In your groups, get ready to: 

1. Explain the differences between your assigned passage and more traditional versions of the same events or characters 
2. Note any other differences you spotted between Portela’s version and more traditional Cinderellas, not covered on this sheet. 

There is space for notes on both these questions at the end. 

Passages from the Story

The Ball:

1. “No one bothered to formally announce us, one by one. There was an air of ‘anything goes,’ probably because our moms hadn’t been invited. Of course we girls took advantage of the situation and behaved badly. Take me for example. I lost count of how many glasses of Dom Perignon I chugged.” 

The “Love Story”: 

1. “At first Cleis gave no thought to attending the party. She dreamed about being an actress, not trolling for a millionaire husband. Besides she didn’t have a gown suitable for the occasion. But her stepmother’s vile deed infuriated her so much that she decided to sabotage the evil woman’s plan. She escaped out a window, blew her nest egg on a dress (it wasn’t Oscar de la Renta, but at least it was new), stole a pair of Lotta’s shoes (they wore the same size) and hitchhiked to the mansion.”
2. “Suddenly the host and Cleis reappear. They don’t see me. The sweet orphan is fleeing, with the tycoon in hot pursuit. Her dress is ripped from top to bottom. He’s wearing pants and a tie, but no shirt. Panic is written all over her face. His is twisted and maniacal. Good God! Am I hallucinating? He catches up to her and grabs her by the arm. She turns and knees him in the crotch. The guy howls, turns her loose, and collapses on the ground.” 
3. “The single girls got excited all over again [about the millionaire’s search for the girl who’d left her shoe behind]. Lotta most of all. But not Cleis. She was so terrified, she asked her stepmother for some cash so she could buy a train ticket right away and disappear off the radar.
   
   ‘That guy’s looking for me,’ she said, nervous and jumpy. ‘And he’s not the gentleman he pretends to be. No way! He’s a demented sicko!’”

The Characters:

1. “Now Regan, she was really ugly: short, scrawny, and humpbacked, with beady eyes like an owl. She was taciturn and never spoke a word to her stepsister, or to anyone else for that matter. Few people had ever heard her speak. 
   [. . .] 
   I knew all about Cleis’s secret dream. (Don’t ask me how, I just knew.) I hoped she’d make it come true someday despite all the obstacles in her life.”
2. “Any TV channel would’ve hired her to play the ‘ingénue,’ the meek heroine in a soap like the telenovela Magdalena, who cried nonstop during the first 499 episodes and only triumphed in the 500th and final episode. But Cleis couldn’t imagine anything more boring and stupid. She’d had enough misery in her own life. She longed to play the ‘villainess,’ an evil woman who gets her kicks committing all sorts of dastardly deeds during the first 499 episodes, and finally gets what’s coming to her in the 500th episode.”
3. “And Cleis? Well, I never saw her again. But I hear her on the radio all the time. Her deep, whiskey voice is perfect for the kind of villainess she plays on soap operas. She’s a big success and I’ll bet she earns a fortune playing all kinds of harpies. Sometimes I think she’s impersonating her stepmother. Ha! Ha!”

Questions for the Group: 

A. What are the differences between your assigned passage and more traditional versions of the same events or characters? 

B. Are there any other differences between Portela’s version of the story and more traditional Cinderellas, not covered on this sheet?