Seated in her nest of ashes, Cinderella embodies human misery. The
essence of inner and outer nobility, she is the envy of her cruel
stepmother and her ugly sisters. Using this familiar story, Ann and
Barry Ulanov explore the psychological and theological aspects of envy
and goodness. In their interpretation of the tale, they move back and
forth between internal and external issues"from how feminine and
masculine parts of persons fit or do not fit together to how individuals
conduct their lives with those of the same and opposite sexes, how they
conflict, compete, or join harmoniously. The central role of envy in
determining the very nature of our society"its politics, for example"is,
the authors think, crucial. The authors focus on the nature of goodness
as it surfaces in the envy experience. They reflect on its abundance,
ability to unite disparate parts, its abiding presence, and its joy, and
conclude with a brief review of the psychological literature on envy.