It can be argued that the storyline of Zhao Di in The Road Home is similar to Cinderella's storyline in Disney's Cinderella. These two main characters parallel one another in their behavior, their background story, and their love story.
Zhao Di and Cinderella share similar behavior because they are both very meek and quiet. Zhao Di kept to herself a lot throughout the film, barely speaking a word to anyone. Zhao Di could also be characterized as meek because of the way she carries herself. In multiple scenes throughout the film, Zhao Di is looking down. This will be discussed more in the visual style section of this post. In Cinderella, Cinderella also portrays the same kind of behavior. Cinderella is meek in the presence of her stepmother and stepsisters. Cinderella is not allowed to speak to anyone outside of her home, which is why she finds comfort in speaking and singing to animals. Cinderella can also be found with her head facing down in the beginning of her story.
The background stories of Zhao Di and Cinderella are also very similar, in the sense that they both worked inside the home a lot. Zhao Di cooked and took care of her mother at home. She also had to fetch water from the well to contribute to the home. Zhao Di's job was to take care of the home and her mother. Cinderella worked at home, as well. She was forced to cook, clean, and do household chores all day. She did not have much freedom, or a life outside of the home, either.
Lastly, Zhao Di and Cinderella have similar love stories. In The Road Home, Zhao Di admired the teacher from afar, and did not say much to him until the time was right. The teacher definitely had a certain charm about him that Zhao Di was attracted to. The teacher was also attracted to Zhao Di, but that was originally only spoken in exchanged smiles and glances. In Disney's Cinderella, Cinderella admired Prince Charming from afar because that's all she could do. Cinderella did not speak to the prince for a long while after she became acquainted with him. Obviously, Prince Charming was a charming man, just like the teacher in The Road Home. This charm attracted Cinderella. In addition, Prince Charming was attracted to Cinderella, as he wanted to know her name at the end of the ball, and find her after she lost her glass slipper. The love stories of these two characters are similar in another way, as well. This is that the men had to "choose" something that belonged to the women involved. In The Road Home, Zhao Di prepared food everyday for the teacher to eat during lunch. Each day she, along with a group of women, watched the teacher and made sure that he chose her dish. Each woman wanted their dish to be chosen by the teacher. In Cinderella, Prince Charming had to choose the foot that fit in the glass slipper. Many women wanted their foot to be the perfect fit, so that Prince Charming would choose them to be his princess.
These photos showcase the developing love stories between the main characters in The Road Home and Disney's Cinderella.
Visual Style in The Road Home and Disney's Cinderella
The visual style in The Road Home and Disney's Cinderella is similar in the way that the lead females (Zhao Di and Cinderella) are seen. Both young women look down frequently in their stories. This could be because of they both have certain levels of submission and humility because of the house work that they are expected to do. Again, this highlights the similarities between the two characters' behavior.
Zhao Di and Cinderella are both shown looking down while they complete work.
Again, Zhao Di and Cinderella are looking down. But, in these pictures they are looking down while they are serving others.
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