"He obliged Cinderella to sit down, and, putting the slipper to her little foot, he found it went on very easily, and fitted her as if it had been made of wax"
About this Quote
That verb, “obliged,” carries the quiet authority of 17th-century hierarchy. Cinderella’s consent isn’t the point; legitimacy is. Perrault isn’t writing modern empowerment so much as modernity’s early blueprint for social mobility: a poor girl can ascend, but only when the right institution (the prince, the court) recognizes her as the correct match. The slipper is not just evidence; it’s an ID card.
The simile “as if it had been made of wax” is doing sly work. Wax is malleable, imprintable, associated with seals, molds, and the act of authentication. The fit seems miraculous, but Perrault nudges us toward craft and fabrication: the world has been shaped to receive her, or she has been shaped to fit the world. Either way, “very easily” signals how inevitability is manufactured. The story sells fate, yet it’s really about systems that reward the appearance of destiny: beauty, smallness, compliance, and a body that conforms to an elite standard.
Perrault’s intent is moral and social at once: reassure readers that order can recognize virtue, while quietly advertising how narrow the gate is.
Quote Details
| Topic | Soulmate |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Perrault, Charles. (2026, January 18). He obliged Cinderella to sit down, and, putting the slipper to her little foot, he found it went on very easily, and fitted her as if it had been made of wax. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/he-obliged-cinderella-to-sit-down-and-putting-the-20209/
Chicago Style
Perrault, Charles. "He obliged Cinderella to sit down, and, putting the slipper to her little foot, he found it went on very easily, and fitted her as if it had been made of wax." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/he-obliged-cinderella-to-sit-down-and-putting-the-20209/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"He obliged Cinderella to sit down, and, putting the slipper to her little foot, he found it went on very easily, and fitted her as if it had been made of wax." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/he-obliged-cinderella-to-sit-down-and-putting-the-20209/. Accessed 9 Feb. 2026.
