In the Grimm story of Cinderella her fairy-godmother is a magical tree with dove minions. Instead of giving her a dress and a carriage to go to the ball in the child friendly Disney version, she uses the doves to help her. These doves violently punish the stepsisters for being mean to Cinderella. They peck out the sisters’ eyes and leave them for beggars on the streets.
However, the illustration by Alexander Zick does not portray the violence and gory details of the Grimm fairy tale. By looking at this painting one would not think these doves as violent birds to poke out the eyes of the stepsisters. This picture portrays doves which are a symbol of both love and peace. The illustration takes away from the violent aspects of the story and focuses on a beautiful painting.