Blog Entry 8


The original tale of “Hansel and Gretel” by the Brothers Grimm is a rare tale centered around children more specifically siblings working together. Hansel and Gretel are children of a poor woodcutter and his wife. Eventually, the woodcutter's wife worried about starving to death forces the father to take his children out into the woods and leave them there. However, Hansel overhears this and is able to collect stones which can be seen in the moonlight. During their trip deep into the forest, Hansel leaves a trail of these stones to mark the path home. Once left in the forest Hansel and Gretel are able to find their way back home due to the stones. Shortly after the children return the wife again forces the father to take the children into the forest to be left. Hansel overhears again but is unable to collect the same stones. Before the journey into the forest, the children are given some bread each, Hansel uses the bread as he did the stones and rips pieces off to mark the path home. The children are left in the forest and they decide to head home following the bread crumbs. However, the forest animals have eaten the bread and they have no way home. A bird eventually shows up and leads Hansel and Gretel to a cottage in the woods. The house was made of bread and the children start to eat part of the cottage. An old woman then invites the children in and feeds them. She turns out to be a witch who wants to eat the children and locks Hansel up. Gretel is forced to do as the witch asks and helps her cook food to feed to Hansel to fatten him up. To check how fat Hansel is the witch feels his finger, however, Hansel actually gives the witch a bone and due to her poor eyesight she can’t tell. Eventually, the witch decided to cook Hansel even if he isn’t fat enough. The oven is prepared and Gretel, acting as though she doesn’t understand what to do, tricks the witch into climbing in. Gretel then shuts her in the oven and Hansel and Gretel leave the cottage taking with them some riches. They come to a river which they cannot cross and get help from a duck. They are able to find their way home and reunite with their father. His wife had died in their absence and the children give them the riches.
The MGM movie had some differences to the original tale. A significant difference was that in the original tale the wife was not the mother of Hansel and Gretel but in the movie she was. This allows for the relationship between the characters to be simple and understood by the audience. It also takes away the image of remarriage/divorce which was not socially accepted at the time of the movie. Another difference is that the mother does not force the father to take the children out in the forest to be left. She gets angry at them after an accident occurs which all their food is ruined and tells them to pick some berries in the forest. As the wife in the film is actually the children’s mother it goes again most fairy tale structures to have her intentionally harm her children. And so the directors had to also change how the children got into the forest. Another addition to the story in the film is that children had been going missing from the woods and none had been found. This made Hansel and Gretel going missing in the woods more plausible. They also were able to save all the children and bring them back to their families.
What makes the story unique is still present in the film. The children have names and this makes them more memorable and personable. Hansel and Gretel have a loving relationship and care for each other. It is rare in fairy tales for there to be no sibling rivalry. The intelligence and cunning which Hansel and Gretel possess allows them to get their happy ending. And the magic of the witch and her cottage is still present.



Sources for images:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hansel_and_Gretel
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093144/
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093144/mediaviewer/rm4078470400

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