How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
and she said to her daughter Cinderella:
Be devout. Be good. Then I will smile
down from heaven in the seam of a cloud. (24-26)
At this point in the poem, nothing supernatural or magical has really happened yet, but this is our first indication that something might happen, soon. Cinderella's mother, lying on her deathbed, promises her daughter that she will shower her with blessings if she is devout and good. How can she do that after she's dead? Supernatural events are coming…
Quote #2
She planted that twig on her mother's grave
and it grew to a tree where a white dove sat.
Whenever she wished for anything the dove
would drop it like an egg upon the ground. (36-39)
Boy, wouldn't it be nice to have a tree like that? This is the fulfillment of Cinderella's mom's promise: now Cinderella can have anything she wants. She just has to ask for it. In the example stories in the beginning of the poem (about the plumber and the charwoman, etc.), the events are improbable but not impossible. This situation is impossible because of its magical element. This might make Cinderella either more or less deserving of her fortunes than the people described at the beginning, but we'll let you decide.
Quote #3
The white dove brought all his friends;
all the warm wings of the fatherland came,
and picked up all the lentils in a jiffy. (50-52)
In this instance, the impossible makes the impossible possible! (Try saying that five times fast.) Cinderella could never have picked up an entire dish of lentils out of an ash pile by herself in an hour. But with the help of the magical dove and his friends, they accomplish the task in no time.
Quote #4
The bird dropped down a golden dress
and delicate gold slippers.
Rather a large package for a simple bird.
So she went. Which is no surprise. (60-63)
Cinderella also relies on magic to get her to the ball (after the magic-with-lentils trick didn't work). The narrator here is doing a little verbal eye-rolling with line 63—as in "Right. No kidding she went. She had a magical bird give her a dress!" Seems like the narrator doesn't think too much of Cinderella's supernatural help.
Quote #5
The prince rode away with her until the white dove
told him to look at the blood pouring forth.
That is the way with amputations.
They don't just heal up like a wish. (84-87)
In yet another instance of Cinderella being saved by the supernatural, the white dove calls the stepsister out on not being the one the prince is looking for. And in another example of the narrator's cynicism, she notes that amputations "don't just heal up like a wish." This implies that Cinderella has had it pretty easy so far, getting whatever she wants just by asking her magical dove for it.
Quote #6
At the wedding ceremony
the two sisters came to curry favor
and the white dove pecked their eyes out. (95-97)
The supernatural in this poem also doles out justice. In this quote, the white dove pecks out the stepsisters' eyes for even daring to come to Cinderella's wedding. It's unclear as to whether Cinderella wished for this or not. What is clear is that the dove is making sure that every aspect of Cinderella's life is perfect—right down to a nice dish of revenge, served cold. Mmm. Revenge-alicious.