The Stepmother
antagonist · human
Arrived with two daughters, looked around the house, and decided who would be doing the work in it.
What they are like
- Kind
- 1/10
- Brave
- 4/10
- Clever
- 7/10
- Honest
- 2/10
- Curious
- 3/10
- Patient
- 8/10
How we meet them
As a decision. She arrives with two daughters, looks around the house, and works out who will be doing the work in it.
Personality
Never raises her voice and never needs to. Her cruelty is administrative: a rota, a list of jobs, a place at the hearth instead of the table.
What they want
To make sure her own daughters come first, and to never think about the cost of it.
How they change
Says "no" when asked if there is anyone else in the house, and is wrong.
How they speak
As little as possible. Her only line in the whole story is one word, at the door, and it is a lie.
How the story treats them
Nobody in the story ever confronts her. She simply stops being relevant the moment the slipper fits.
One surprising thing
Her cruelty is entirely administrative. She never raises her voice, never strikes anyone, and never needs to. It is all rotas and seating.
If they were real today
She would restructure your job description until there was nothing left of it.
Things they say
- “No.”
Key moments
Deciding who works
She arrives with two daughters, looks around the house, and the arrangement is settled without anybody discussing it.
No
Asked at the door whether there is anybody else in the house, she gives a one-word answer, and it is the last thing she gets to decide.
“No.”
Who they know
Cinderellaenemy
A woman who never raised her voice and never needed to.
Characters like The Stepmother
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