Hansel and Gretel

Hello, ma'am. Your house looks delicious.

Hello again, reader. This week, we're back on more familiar territory with Hansel and Gretel. This version I found of it is much more detailed than I remembered.

Of course we have the basic story about the stepmother wanting to abandon her stepchildren in the woods and the weak-willed father who takes them out and leaves them. What stuck with me on this version was the ending.

Not only did Gretel shove the witch in the oven, but then she and Hansel padlocked it shut. Then they stayed in the house for a few days, eating the walls. I had expected that they would leave right away after facing such trauma. On the other hand, they didn't know where to go and this way they could make sure the witch was truly burned to death. Fortunately for the kids, they found the witch's stash of gold coins and were set for life.

This is where I start to wonder just how young these children are. If they were obviously kids, then it makes sense for them to go home to the parents who abandoned them in the woods. If they might have been able to live on their own, I'm not sure why they went home to parents who literally did not care if they lived or died. I am also concerned that the stepmother died at such a convenient time. If she was the witch in the woods, it would make sense that she would want to abandon the kids out there so she could eat them.... Just a thought.

The moral of this story is to be kind in poverty so you aren't mysteriously dead before riches come your way.