Hansel and Gretel
Grimm Brothers
A poor woodcutter once lived near a forest. His children Hansel and Gretel were cruelly treated by the stepmother. Once there was a famine and the wife advised her husband to leave the children in the forest forever. The husband was unwilling because he loved his children. Having heard the stepmother's plan, Hansel collected shiny pebbles at night. He dropped those pebbles when they were leaving for forest. In the forest, when their parents deserted them, they returned back home following the shiny pebbles in the moon light. Next time also their parents deserted them in the forest. This time they could not return home. After three days of searching their home, they found a house made of cake, sugar and bread. A witch came and trapped them. She put Hansel in a cage in order to eat him. But by the intelligence of Hansel, they were freed. Hansel even killed the witch with her clever trick. After collecting lots of jewels from the witch's house, they returned home and united with their father.
-Hansel and Gretel
Theme:
‘Hansel and Gretel’ by Grimm Brothers present a story of a family; which consists of a father, a stepmother and two children. The writers present the psychology of step mother in very realistic manner. At the same time, he shows that evil force suffers in the end and good force emerges victorious.
Summary:
Once there was a famine in a country, which compelled the step mother to think of leaving the children to the forest. The father yielded to the wish of wife, as she was pigheaded. In the morning, the step mother asked them to get ready to go to the forest. Hansel had collected pebbles as he had heard the conversation of parents the earlier night. As they left their home, the boy dropped pebbles on the way. After walking for some duration, they reached to a spot where the step mother asked the children to wait till they return back. But it was only a trick to leave the children in the forest. At midnight, when they got up, the boy thought of returning to house. He could return successfully with the assistance of pebbles he had dropped. At home they were welcomed by the father though the mother was indifferent. There was another famine in the country, which forced the mother to bring the previous idea back again. The father accepted despite his unwillingness. The boy, unlike previous time, was unable to collect pebbles as the mother had locked the door from outside. Early in the morning, the children were woken up and given bread. The boy dropped the bread on the way making it crumbs. Unlike before, the parents took them deep into the forest. The children were left there. They wished that their parents would come which didn’t happen as they had thought. The children couldn’t return back to their house as the breads crumbs had been eaten by birds. They, at last reached to a house made of bread and cakes. As they nibbled from the house, a voice sweetly spoke them to continue. It was a witch, who used to eat children whoever came handy. The witch, on the next day imprisoned the brother and compelled the sister to do laborious deeds. Everyday the witch went there and checked how fat he had become. The boy could deceive her with the help of a bone. As she realized that the lad would never become sedentary, she decided to end the consequence. Early in the morning, she ordered Gretel to fetch water. She had prepared oven to end the brother and sister. As Gretel arrived there, she asked her to be in. Gretel showed ignorance to the way of entering and asked her to demonstrate. No sooner had the witch tried to enter her head, she pushed her into oven and closed it. She then released her brother. They went inside the house and collected treasures. On the way back home, they arrived by a river, which was full of water. The boy asked a duck to help him across the river. As they reached their house after long walk, they saw their father, who welcomed them happily. Their step mother had already died.
Q. What do the bird and the expense of water symbolizes in the fairy tale?
The white bird is the symbol of bridge which guides the children up to home safely and then water is the symbol of transition and beginning of happiness.
Gretel
Q. Why does Gretel blame her father and brother? [058-3]
Q. Do you think Gretel represents modern feminist women? Give your opinion briefly. [061-3]
‘Gretel’ by Garrison Keillor is an interpretation of the story "Hansel and Gretel" from the perspective of a female. The interpreter is Gretel who denies her cowardice in the original story. She claims that the depiction is distorted one.Gretel says that there was an understanding between her and her brother to sell their story to Grimm brothers. They had signed in a contract paper with an agreement to share fifty-fifty of the profit. But unexpectedly, Gretel found the story published the other day totally different order. The story depicts her as coward and her brother as a brave person. She claims the brother was, in reality, a coward not vice versa. It was her brother who wept time and again, and she had to carry him. The portrayal of he father and mother is also distorted. Father was not so kind hearted; he was a drunkard; he liked to watch bull fight. Mother was not cruel in any sense of the word. Gretel describes their parents leaving them in the forest as a natural phenomenon of the time. Parents used to leave the children in forest hoping that they will be better cared in forest by frog, raven or saints. She claims that she was not worried when she in the forest, as she had known the reality. At last, she repents for killing the witch, for the witch was not after her; she had wanted to kill Hansel. Gretel supports her stepmother Gladys and finds her a loving mother. She explains that the woman who gave them cake, bread and house was not a witch but a loving woman who wanted to kill Hansel in order to revolt against male dominance.
Interpretation
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“Gretel” is the contemporary adaptation of the writer Garrison Keillor. In this adaptation, the writer strongly states the statement given by Gretel in their going to forest. Gretel explores various feeling related to her bother Hansel, father and stepmother as well as the witch in the gingerbread house. Gretel is a radical or militant feminist. In the fairy tale “Gretel”, Keillor has sketched her character as a strong and dominant person. She blames the male characters who want to exploit her and her step-mother. She has to get half of the profits earned by selling the book according to the contract. However, the lawyers of Hansel put her under a spell and make her sign another contract. Then she gets very little money and the book is regarded to be pure imagination.
Gretel is a benevolent as well as strong girl. She advocates the women’s rights and seems to be a feminist and wanted to raise her voice against the patriarchal society (male-dominated society). She wants to make the women aware and raises the voice against; injustice and inequality. She believes that women should get equal property right. When her brother makes a conspiracy not to share the money after selling the book, she becomes angry and evaluates that males are very cruel. She learns so many things from her own experience. The more she faces problems and suffers, the stronger she becomes. She is very sympathetic to the condition of women in the society. She is even sympathetic to the witch and her stepmother. She criticizes her father and brother. She always supports justice, equality and liberty. She is strong minded, clever, brave and courageous girl. She is very hopeful about her life and future. She thinks that her step mother and the witch are not completely wrong but they show kind behaviour towards the children due to the tradition. So tradition or faith is wrong. She is hopeful because she thinks that a girl like her may be the pray of various animals as well as birds. She may be bothered by fairies, shepherds, hermits as well. Gretel after all cope the circumstances with her wise sense and cleverness.
Gretel expresses her different opinion to the cruel character too. Her step-mother is presented to be wicked and cruel; she is not so according to Gretel. Gretel says that it is the plan of the cruel father to leave her and her brother in the dense forest. She has to beat her brother to make him walk. She has to carry him on her back. Her father is a drunkard and the step mother can do nothing against his will. She blames her father and brother for being cruel and selfish. They live happily in a large building but Gretel and her step-mother have no home of their own. Gretel raises her hand against the male domination. She supports the principle that women should have the equal rights as men. She raises her voice against injustice. She supports feminism. She goes against male superiority. She proves that Hansel, being male, is unable to do anything. He is tired, nervous and afraid. She proves his weakness by carrying him on her back.
Gretel criticizes her father also says he is selfish, unkind and irresponsible. He dominates his wife and doesn’t give her the share of property. Gretel is not afraid of anything. She has even sympathy to the witch. She thinks that the witch and the step-mother are not as bad as they are supposed to be. She feels sorry for the witch as she has pushed her without good reason. She thinks that the witch suffers most. In this way Gretel is a strong feminist who criticizes the existing male superiority in the society. She suffers because of the injustice of males. However, she is never hopeless. She believes that no children suffer permanently in the lap of nature. In this way. We can strongly state that Gretel is the strong supporter of justice, equality and she often condemns (criticizes) injustice, male domination, sex discrimination and other social inequalities.
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