Hansel and Gretel is one of the most famous fairy tales in the world. Everybody is (or should be) familiar with it. We'll walk through the story with Gilbert James' illustrations in the dominant black and white palette enhanced with strikingly red and occasional green colors.
Hansel and Gretel are brother and sister. They live in times of great famine. People are dying of hunger. Their family is poor. The father is a woodcutter who can hardly get any job. The kids' mother is dead, and the father remarried. They are all hungry.
The parents are desperate. They don't have food to put on the table. The stepmother has an idea. She wants to take children into the woods and leave them there. Let the wild beasts tear them. This way, two hungry mouths less, would be in the house. The chances of survival would greatly improve for the parents. The father is reluctant. He doesn't want to leave his kids to a certain death.
But he has no solution to the current situation.
Hansel overhears their conversation. He fills his pockets with white pebbles. He wants to drop the stones on their way into the woods to mark the way back.
But he has no solution to the current situation.
Hansel overhears their conversation. He fills his pockets with white pebbles. He wants to drop the stones on their way into the woods to mark the way back.
The family leaves the house. They go deep into the woods. Hansel marks the way as he planned.
Hansel and Gretel are left by the fire while their parents work. The sound of the father's axe tells them that their parents are not far away. In reality, this is a piece of wood, tied to the tree, making a sound like the woodcutter at work.
When the night comes, children realize they are left alone. They return thanks to the shiny white pebbles.
But their parents decide to take the children into the woods again.
When the night comes, children realize they are left alone. They return thanks to the shiny white pebbles.
But their parents decide to take the children into the woods again.
This time, Hansel doesn't get a chance to pick up the pebbles. He tries to mark the way back with breadcrumbs. Unfortunately, his plan doesn't work. Birds eat the crumbles, and the children are lost.
Hansel tries to comfort Gretel. She is afraid of the eerie sounds of the night. He is afraid, too.
They wander through the woods for some time. They are hungry. Completely exhausted, they suddenly reach a strange house.
It's made of the gingerbread. Without hesitation, the kids start eating.
An old lady comes out of the house. She invites the children in.
It's made of the gingerbread. Without hesitation, the kids start eating.
An old lady comes out of the house. She invites the children in.
They get dinner and the old lady offers them a bed to sleep. They don't know she is an evil witch who preys in the woods for lost kids to eat them.
She puts Hansel in a cage to fatten him before making a roast of him. Gretel has to work as a maid. The witch checks every day if Hansel is already fat enough. Her sight is poor, so she grabs his finger to feel the fat. Gretel gives him a chicken bone to show it to the witch and trick her.
Still, she runs out of patience. One day she orders Gretel to prepare the oven. She plans to bake both children at the same time. The witch suggests Gretel to get in the oven and check if it's hot enough for baking.
Gretel pretends not to understand. She asks the witch to show her how to get into the oven. When the witch leans in, Gretel pushes her into the oven and closes the doors.
Gretel pretends not to understand. She asks the witch to show her how to get into the oven. When the witch leans in, Gretel pushes her into the oven and closes the doors.
Gretel releases Hansel and the kids are free again. They find all kinds of precious stuff in the witch's house. The money problems seem to be solved. Now, they want to return home.
They walk through the forest until they reach a lake. A white duck is swimming in.
They walk through the forest until they reach a lake. A white duck is swimming in.
The duck seems friendly. Hansel suggests to Gretel they ride the duck and cross the lake. Gretel is more cautious. She fears they are too heavy for the duck. She believes they should ride the duck one by one.
They do exactly that and safely pass the lake.
They do exactly that and safely pass the lake.
Hansel and Gretel return home. Their stepmother died in the meantime. Their father is happy to see his children. They are together, and they have money.
A happy ending of Hansel and Gretel doesn't completely override the dark tones of the story. We are dealing with very horrifying themes here. There is hunger, a dead mother, an infanticid, being lost in the woods, and cannibalism. Not exactly the themes for a children's story.
Still, this classic fairy tale stayed popular for more than two centuries. There have been many attempts to soften it, at least a bit. Some parents retell it as the story about the children being lost in the woods by their own fault. Such versions miss a lot of important messages for the subconscious. Yes, children can get lost in the woods (or elsewhere). This is, of course, one of the primal fears. But being abandoned by parents is an even stronger fear.
It's up to each storyteller to estimate the perception of the audience. Will the story be accepted as is? Or, is it more like a Halloween material? Can it lead to nightmares? Should it be told a bit later, when the children are older, and can better distinguish between fears and reality?
You be the judge.
To make your decision easier, you can find a few more ideas in the next variations of Hansel and Gretel:
https://ameblo.jp/greatoldbooks/page-5.html
https://frank-adams.weebly.com/hansel-and-gretel.html
https://otto-kubel.mystrikingly.com/blog/hansel-and-gretel
https://yesterdaysdream.seesaa.net/article/hansel-and-gretel.html
Each one of them has its pros and cons. Each one of them is a piece of art history and a small element in the mosaic of reality.
Share this post with everybody who might be interested. Thank you for your visit!
Still, this classic fairy tale stayed popular for more than two centuries. There have been many attempts to soften it, at least a bit. Some parents retell it as the story about the children being lost in the woods by their own fault. Such versions miss a lot of important messages for the subconscious. Yes, children can get lost in the woods (or elsewhere). This is, of course, one of the primal fears. But being abandoned by parents is an even stronger fear.
It's up to each storyteller to estimate the perception of the audience. Will the story be accepted as is? Or, is it more like a Halloween material? Can it lead to nightmares? Should it be told a bit later, when the children are older, and can better distinguish between fears and reality?
You be the judge.
To make your decision easier, you can find a few more ideas in the next variations of Hansel and Gretel:
https://ameblo.jp/greatoldbooks/page-5.html
https://frank-adams.weebly.com/hansel-and-gretel.html
https://otto-kubel.mystrikingly.com/blog/hansel-and-gretel
https://yesterdaysdream.seesaa.net/article/hansel-and-gretel.html
Each one of them has its pros and cons. Each one of them is a piece of art history and a small element in the mosaic of reality.
Share this post with everybody who might be interested. Thank you for your visit!
