Most children experience agony and hope as they face the challenges of sibling rivalry throughout their childhood. This situation has been experienced by children, who may or may not have siblings, for hundreds of years. Several stories represent this crisis, including the biblical story of Abel and Cain, written more than 3,000 years ago. Abel, of whom he was forced to be the brother of Cain's ashes. Cain had developed an intense feeling of jealousy towards Abel when his offering to the Lord was rejected while Abel's was accepted. This caused him great agony, but he was not alone. The fairy tale "Cinderella" contains the ideas of sibling rivalry as well as the suffering and hopes that correspond to it. In the essay: "'Cinderella': A Story of Sibling Rivalry and Oedipal Conflict," Bruno Bettelheim discusses how Cinderella is a story about the difficulties of sibling rivalry and the degraded heroine who ends up above the brothers who oppressed her. Bettelheim argues that sibling rivalry is created when a child feels he cannot win the love and esteem of his parents compared to his brothers or sisters. He also argues that every child feels they deserve to be degraded at some point in their life. The concept of Oedipal guilt, his final point, contains some intriguing details, the concepts of which could be contested. However, the main focus of this essay is how children justify the idea that they should be degraded and, because of the hardships they faced, rise up and exalt themselves as Cinderella was. She states that Cinderella relates very closely to young people because they feel they can relate to her situation more than most people could. In his essay Bettelheim quickly states that s...... middle of paper ..... .despite being brutally mistreated, Cinderella managed to find a solution to her problems and the children manage to do so. All they have to do is make the effort, try hard enough, and success is possible. Adults should pay attention to this and see if Cinderella can help their children maintain a positive attitude towards whatever situation they find themselves in, however exaggerated it may be. Cinderella not only helps show how to overcome adversity, but it emphasizes good morals and sends the message that good always prevails. Both of these messages are crucial in a society that is slowly crumbling. All we can do is watch and hope that the messages learned from Cinderella will make a difference in the lives of children around the world. Works Cited Bettelheim, Bruno. ""Cinderella" A story of sibling rivalry and Oedipal conflicts." Bettelheim, Bruno. The uses of the spell. 1976. 279-282.