Assignment Two

In my eyes, the Keene version of Hansel and Gretel would take place during a great famine when the landscape was very harsh, quite like The Juniper Tree. Our main characters, would live next to a very dense forest of dead trees, where they would frequently venture to chop wood. The father and stepmother were quite worried about feeding their two children, but they never intended to leave them in the woods. On one such wood gathering errand, however, the children strayed from their parents and were no place to be found. Although the parents were concerned with young Hansel and Gretel, they had to return home before they themselves got lost in the dark woods. The children found themselves wandering through the maze of the dead trees in search of their home, but they were far away. They finally stumbled upon a small cabin that seemed quite warm and inviting, with a charming garden and smoky chimney. After knocking on the door, they were greeted by an elderly woman that resided alone in the small home. She offered them a place to stay and fed warm meals to the hungry children. The woman was delighted to have company in her home and secretly tried to put a magical spell on them so they would never leave her. Hansel and Gretel, however, longed to be home with their family and the woman sent them on their way with a whole cart of food to bring to their parents. The children found their way home and the parents were delighted with the goods they had brought with them. In this version, like The Juniper Tree, we see harsh times and rugged landscape, less blame upon the stepmother and father, magic, as well as a more realistic plot that could be construed into the Grimm’s tale upon many repetitions.