More than Meets the Eye
This deconstruction of the Cinderella fairy tale explores the perception of beauty, be it man-made or natural beauty. The title references the plain-looking stepsister to Cinderella—in this case, Clara—who is stunningly beautiful according to their standard of beauty. Since the narrative debunks the misconceptions held about beauty in the fairy tale, beauty is displayed in diverse ways. Through Clara, the reader understands how physical attributes are manipulated by society for financial gains or otherwise. On the other hand, the plain sister Iris is not considered beautiful by the mainstream standard of beauty. The story stresses that attractiveness is not synonymous with beauty, since beauty requires looking past the surface. For example, Caspar’s painting of Iris speaks on the value of beauty in that her personality simply cannot be captured by its appearance. As such, the narrative asserts the sentiment conveyed in the tale that, contrary to the fairy tale, the stepsister is indeed the beautiful one.
Morality
The original fairy tale molded one-dimensional characters with personalities that are on the extreme sides of the spectrum. Typically, the stepsisters are devious and self-seeking characters with no particular moral compass or any sort of decency. The novel portrays the clear intentions of the stepsisters even though their morality is sometimes affected by their mother. In this case, the evil stepmother is indeed evil but the reason for her behavior is explored and made clear. On arrival in Haarlem, Margarethe takes notice that the people are barely charitable to them despite their destitution. Thereby she transforms into a product of the environment by reciprocating the same callousness shown to her daughters. In turn, she becomes the immoral and evil character we know from the fairy tale.
Love and Treachery
In the background, the story is still sort of a fairy tale with love, happiness, and the external forces that wish to disrupt both. Though Clara is not necessarily illustrated as the underdog in the family rescued by love, the Cinderella story persists. Moreover, the love between Iris, Clara, and Ruth is the main focus, which sees the sisters try to be supportive even with their disagreements. Where there is love treachery also lurks in the shadows, therefore, several characters are entangled in instances of deceit and betrayal. For example, Margarethe betrays Schoonmaker to marry Cornelius to secure her financial well-being despite the help she received from him.
