20230413 - Hansel and Gretel (Book Review)

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Ate the breadcrumb trail, // lured into a Witch’s house // baked in her oven.

#HaikuPrajna - Hansel and Gretel (Book Review)

Read online [ https://haikuprajna.blogspot.com/2023/04/20230413-hansel-and-gretel-book-review.html ]

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Hello readers,

Hansel and Gretel [also spelled Grethel] is one of the more grim fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm, where the parents of our eponymous siblings plot to abandon their children in the woods over a lack of food and their [step]mother desiring more for herself.

It was said that scarcity was felt “in all parts” across the land, but the fact that the family had daily bread led me to think twice about their situation.

I believe that, just as the father was anxious over his apparent inability to provide for his family, the stepmother’s guilting and manipulation stemmed from an anxiety over being without, that the scarcity had the possibility of being manufactured or being otherwise exaggerated by the stepmother’s greed.

Beyond that deeper layer of understanding, the stepmother’s motives informed the sibling’s situation and helped to establish that Hansel and Gretel had the ability to overcome the hindrances that others were imposing upon them [the overcoming of which Hansel described as acts of God], and also that Hansel’s plans were susceptible to being foiled, too, as shown by his breadcrumbs being eaten by hungry birds. 

The two experienced actual poverty while facing real starvation when they finished the only bread they were given in the woods, where their need made the Witch’s house more attractive and made themselves attractive to the Witch, who lured the children inside with her apparent abundance--which may have been what labeled this woman as a witch when others were said to be struggling. 

The story’s themes distill into moral wisdom as, while trapped within the Witch’s goals of fattening him, Hansel again chooses to act toward his and his sister’s wellbeing, instead of indulging in being a blind glutton, by taking advantage of the Witch’s literal poor eyesight and making himself seem thin. Hansel’s cleverness shows that the method of overcoming every hindrance to one’s goals is universal, that one can choose between acting toward the hindering object, or continue pursuing one’s goals, which explains how Hansel, Gretel, their parents and even the Witch caused the story’s unfavourable situations while blanketing the other hindrances with their desire.

After Gretel saved Hansel by turning one of the Witch’s tricks around on her, the two returned home with the help of a duck, finding their evil mother had died and their father happy to have his kids, having wanted to be generous to his kids, but because he gave in once to the mother, he was compelled to do so twice.

The two main takeaways for me were as follows; one, that hindrances emit a kind of attraction regardless of its intended destination, as shown by Hansel's desire to survive helping Gretel but also attracting the Witch who was also attracting them with her house; and two, Hansel and Gretel’s story displays how to take the good from even the worst of situations, with the inability to do so explored by those hindered by their anxiety and greed, which highlights the core message of this fairy tale, the necessity of using one’s abilities to transcend the innate hindrances of one’s experience. 

Thank you for reading,

Until next time!

Allen W. McLean 

PS. April 23rd is HaikuPrajna Day, celebrating my haiku journey! May or may not have a surprise come the 23rd; still need to sort it out.

For the rest of the month, rolling $0.99 sales on the Amazon US and UK stores! Check out my Author Profile on Amazon here [ https://www.amazon.com/Allen-W-McLean/e/B0867C5D24 ] and remember to come back every Monday and Friday to download a free Kindle ebook. I will be sharing links to the books on socials throughout the rest of the month of April.

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