Describing the car as a “rotting pumpkin” connects the car to the pumpkin in the original fairy tale “Cinderella” that the novel is based on. In that story, a fairy godmother transforms into a carriage so that the titular protagonist can get to a ball. However, the fact that Cinder has to fix up the car herself suggests that hard work and resourcefulness are more valuable and admirable than a reliance on luck or magic. The revelation that Peony has letumosis, meanwhile, presents another challenge that Cinder will have to overcome.