Hansel And Gretel Gender
It is not uncommon to witness poor portrayals of female characters in early fairytales. Whether it is a damsel in distress, wicked witches, evil stepmothers, it’s hard to think of a story without any of them. When it comes to a strong, heroic, male protagonist, it is just as common as showing a weak female antagonist. The Brothers Grimm did not fall short of this trend while writing “Hansel and Gretel.” “ Hansel and Gretel” have all three of the shameful female characters and the admirable male character. Hansel and Gretel does not follow that traditional and favorable feminist view of women because the Grimm Brothers go along on the concept that women are weaker than men, which as been the patriarchal and societal norm.
Famous fairy …show more content…
tale authors, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born in Hanau, Germany. Jacob was born on January 4, 1785 and Wilhelm was born on February 24, 1786. The Grimm brothers grew up in the upper middle class until their father, Philip died. He left his wife, Jacob and Wilhelm, and four other children without out a source of income. They eventually had to move into a smaller house and live a limited lifestyle. Later in their lives the brothers moved to Cassel, Germany to study for the university entrance exams. Unfortunately, they were not awarded the grants that they were hoping for. Instead, the money went to wealthy applicants and this opened Jacob’s eyes to the social injustices.The Brothers both studied philology, which is the study of the historical development and relationships of a language or languages. This is when they began with German folklore . In 1802, Jacob followed his Professor to Paris and worked alongside him in libraries and archives. Three years later when he returned to Cassel, Jacob got a job in the library of King Jerome Bonaparte. This is where Jacob and Wilhelm complied Kinder und Hausmarchen ( Children’s and Household Tales) and became known as The Brothers Grimm ("Jacob Grimm" 1). While Jacob was working with his Professor, Wilhelm was studying law at Marburg from 1803 to 1806. He then began transcribing and translating ancient manuscripts (Bottigheimer 3).
Children’s and Household Tales is a classic collection of stories that have been passed on orally and written. They were collected from friends and acquaintances of the Grimm Brothers while in Cassel, Germany. It was first published in 1824 and contained an impressive eighty-four stories. In later editions the Brothers made their own revisions and made it into their own versions and added even more stories. For example, it is believed that the Brother’s heard a version of “Hansel and Gretel” from Dorothea Wild. Wilhelm revised it and made it more Christian (Zipes 121). Over the course of forty years and seven editions, the Grimm Brothers had a total of 211 stories, fables and legends. Children’s and Household Tales was not initially intended for children’s entertainment, but rather for adult scholars who were interested in German folklore (Stanlaw 2). The Brothers work to compile the book of fairytales have allowed for many future generations to find deep, meaningful messages and morals woven into their stories. Every generation is able to see and analyze each story from a different viewpoint depending on the context of the time that they are in. They believed the stories gave other cultures the opportunity to see the true genius of German-speaking people (Stanlaw 2).
“Hansel and Gretel” was written in a time of famine and it is the primary, obvious issue in the story. The Great Famine of 1315 took place in Northern Europe from 1315-1322. During this span of seven years millions of people died, and this was considered the end of the period of growth and prosperity. It started with heavy rains and cool temperatures which lead to crop failure. This ruined the source of grown food and food for the livestock, which perished as a result. The price of food rose due to its limited quantities. The only people who could get a hold of a product like wheat, were the lords and nobles. The peasants could not afford the grossly inflated price and were left to rely on roots, plants, grasses, nuts and bark. During this time levels of crime, disease, mass death, cannibalism, and infanticide skyrocketed. Since food was so scarce people had to abandon their children, butcher their stock animals and some people even resorted to cannibalism (Jordan 1). Another issue during this time of famine was lack of birth control, and poor living conditions. Many of the children who were in this situation were unwanted and could not be supported (Zipes 122). Things did not return to normal in Northern England until about 1325 .
Although poverty and famine are clear issues in “Hansel and Gretel,” a greater underlying issue is the negative portrayal of women. Women are typically viewed as being kind, nurturing and loving. Mothers are supposed to love their children unconditionally and stepmothers are expected to love her husband’s children as if they are her own.Young girls are expected to step up and become independent and not rely on a male to guide the way. The Brothers Grimm show their female characters in the complete opposite light. They don’t just stop there, they make the story’s antagonist a wicked witch, and she is another poor depiction of the female sex. Children rely on their parents for full support of their basic needs. They expect a roof over their heads and food in their mouths. When Hansel and Gretel hear their father and stepmother plotting to abandon them in the forest, their world is turned upside down. This was all of the evil stepmothers grand plan. Jack Zipes states that “sometimes the abandonment and/or the abuse was due to the re-marriage of a man or woman who could not tolerate the children from a previous marriage” (122). In other fairy tales this situation isn’t uncommon, such as in “Cinderella.” The stepmother in “Hansel and Gretel” is very selfish and self centered. It occured to the stepmother that if her and her husband abandoned the children she would not have to starve. She threatens her husband and says if he doesn’t follow her directions “then we must all four die of hunger, thou mayest as well plane the planks for our coffins” ( Grimm). The stepmother would rather abandon the helpless children in the dangerous forest than have herself starve. When the mother figure is the one to provide the source of food and suddenly she stops, her children will think she is “unloving, selfish, [and] rejecting” (Bettelheim 273). The second time the stepmother tries to rid herself of the children, her cold heart is revealed even more. When the children knock on the door the stepmother is angry and is disappointed that they found their way back. But, their father is filled with joy to see his children again. She tells her husband that they only have one half loaf left and she says “the children must go, we will take them farther into the wood, so that they will not find their way out again; there is no other means of saving ourselves!" The children’s father is heartbroken again at the thought of leaving his children alone in the woods. This shows men as being more loving and caring, and women as being heartless and evil.
Along with a selfish stepmother, one of the main characters, Gretel, is shown as a weak and emotional young girl.
When Gretel overhears her parents plan to dessert her and her brother she begins to weep and says to her brother, “now all is over with us” (Grimm). The Grimm Brothers show her as being emotionally unstable and that she exaggerates situations. Meanwhile, Hansel remains calm and comes up with a plan to make sure they find their way home. It isn’t unusual to see the male remain level-headed and think carefully through a plan. They are never the ones worrying about what is going to happen next. It is always left to the female to overreact and cry. Hansel tries to reassure his sister that everything will be fine and he says, “do not distress thyself. I will soon find a way to help us” (Grimm). The same incident happens again when Hansel and Gretel are in the forest in the middle of the night. Gretel cried and asked her brother how they were going to find their way out of the forest. Once again, she is relying on her brother for help. It seems as if a female is incapable of devising a clever plan and will always need the help of a man. After Hansel guides their way back to their house, they hear their stepmother express her concern to abandon the children again. Once more, Gretel gets emotional. The Grimm Brothers never show Gretel get emotionally stronger, they just continue to show her in a weak state of mind and she never progresses. One of the only times that Gretel steps up and is a true hero is when she pushes the witch into the oven. The witch tries to trick Gretel into getting into the oven so she can eat her for dinner, but Gretel outsmarts the witch and burns her alive. Gretel’s act of heroism isn’t one to truly be proud of. She doesn’t guide her and her brother back to safety, but she murders a witch. The “positive” thing that Gretel does isn't truly positive. Another contribution that Gretel made was coming up with the idea to ride the duck
across the water. Although Gretel does help her and her brother navigate an obstacle on their journey back home, it takes almost the whole story for her to finally be recognized. Bettelheim says that “Gretel’s importance in the children’s deliverance reassures the child that a female can be a rescuer as well as a destroyer” (278). This is one of the important lessons that can be learned from this story.
The witch in “Hansel and Gretel” is also a character that is shown in a negative light but also turns out to be a positive encounter for the siblings. The witch attempts to fatten up the children for her to eat and Gretel pushes her into the oven. This allows for Gretel to set her brother free and they come across “chests full of pearls and jewels” (Grimm). Even though they had a frightening experience with the witch, they benefited from her by collecting the jewels and returning home with them. It is also believed that the stepmother and the witch are the same person, so when Gretel kills the witch and returns home to find her stepmother is dead, they benefit again from running into the witch. Now that Hansel and Gretel are back home with their loving father, they have the beautiful jewels to support them and they do not have to worry about their wicked stepmother.
The Brothers Grimm followed the societal trend of showing women are inferior to men in literature. The female characters in “Hansel and Gretel” are given poor characteristics and don’t get the positive exposure that they deserve. In this story, the younger audiences are taught the females are not as worthy and are inferior to their male counterparts. If more women are able to take the place as the main protagonist and hero, children will be introduced to the mindset that there is no difference between a male hero and female hero. Audiences will learn that both genders are capable achieving of the same things.
Famous fairy …show more content…
tale authors, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were born in Hanau, Germany. Jacob was born on January 4, 1785 and Wilhelm was born on February 24, 1786. The Grimm brothers grew up in the upper middle class until their father, Philip died. He left his wife, Jacob and Wilhelm, and four other children without out a source of income. They eventually had to move into a smaller house and live a limited lifestyle. Later in their lives the brothers moved to Cassel, Germany to study for the university entrance exams. Unfortunately, they were not awarded the grants that they were hoping for. Instead, the money went to wealthy applicants and this opened Jacob’s eyes to the social injustices.The Brothers both studied philology, which is the study of the historical development and relationships of a language or languages. This is when they began with German folklore . In 1802, Jacob followed his Professor to Paris and worked alongside him in libraries and archives. Three years later when he returned to Cassel, Jacob got a job in the library of King Jerome Bonaparte. This is where Jacob and Wilhelm complied Kinder und Hausmarchen ( Children’s and Household Tales) and became known as The Brothers Grimm ("Jacob Grimm" 1). While Jacob was working with his Professor, Wilhelm was studying law at Marburg from 1803 to 1806. He then began transcribing and translating ancient manuscripts (Bottigheimer 3).
Children’s and Household Tales is a classic collection of stories that have been passed on orally and written. They were collected from friends and acquaintances of the Grimm Brothers while in Cassel, Germany. It was first published in 1824 and contained an impressive eighty-four stories. In later editions the Brothers made their own revisions and made it into their own versions and added even more stories. For example, it is believed that the Brother’s heard a version of “Hansel and Gretel” from Dorothea Wild. Wilhelm revised it and made it more Christian (Zipes 121). Over the course of forty years and seven editions, the Grimm Brothers had a total of 211 stories, fables and legends. Children’s and Household Tales was not initially intended for children’s entertainment, but rather for adult scholars who were interested in German folklore (Stanlaw 2). The Brothers work to compile the book of fairytales have allowed for many future generations to find deep, meaningful messages and morals woven into their stories. Every generation is able to see and analyze each story from a different viewpoint depending on the context of the time that they are in. They believed the stories gave other cultures the opportunity to see the true genius of German-speaking people (Stanlaw 2).
“Hansel and Gretel” was written in a time of famine and it is the primary, obvious issue in the story. The Great Famine of 1315 took place in Northern Europe from 1315-1322. During this span of seven years millions of people died, and this was considered the end of the period of growth and prosperity. It started with heavy rains and cool temperatures which lead to crop failure. This ruined the source of grown food and food for the livestock, which perished as a result. The price of food rose due to its limited quantities. The only people who could get a hold of a product like wheat, were the lords and nobles. The peasants could not afford the grossly inflated price and were left to rely on roots, plants, grasses, nuts and bark. During this time levels of crime, disease, mass death, cannibalism, and infanticide skyrocketed. Since food was so scarce people had to abandon their children, butcher their stock animals and some people even resorted to cannibalism (Jordan 1). Another issue during this time of famine was lack of birth control, and poor living conditions. Many of the children who were in this situation were unwanted and could not be supported (Zipes 122). Things did not return to normal in Northern England until about 1325 .
Although poverty and famine are clear issues in “Hansel and Gretel,” a greater underlying issue is the negative portrayal of women. Women are typically viewed as being kind, nurturing and loving. Mothers are supposed to love their children unconditionally and stepmothers are expected to love her husband’s children as if they are her own.Young girls are expected to step up and become independent and not rely on a male to guide the way. The Brothers Grimm show their female characters in the complete opposite light. They don’t just stop there, they make the story’s antagonist a wicked witch, and she is another poor depiction of the female sex. Children rely on their parents for full support of their basic needs. They expect a roof over their heads and food in their mouths. When Hansel and Gretel hear their father and stepmother plotting to abandon them in the forest, their world is turned upside down. This was all of the evil stepmothers grand plan. Jack Zipes states that “sometimes the abandonment and/or the abuse was due to the re-marriage of a man or woman who could not tolerate the children from a previous marriage” (122). In other fairy tales this situation isn’t uncommon, such as in “Cinderella.” The stepmother in “Hansel and Gretel” is very selfish and self centered. It occured to the stepmother that if her and her husband abandoned the children she would not have to starve. She threatens her husband and says if he doesn’t follow her directions “then we must all four die of hunger, thou mayest as well plane the planks for our coffins” ( Grimm). The stepmother would rather abandon the helpless children in the dangerous forest than have herself starve. When the mother figure is the one to provide the source of food and suddenly she stops, her children will think she is “unloving, selfish, [and] rejecting” (Bettelheim 273). The second time the stepmother tries to rid herself of the children, her cold heart is revealed even more. When the children knock on the door the stepmother is angry and is disappointed that they found their way back. But, their father is filled with joy to see his children again. She tells her husband that they only have one half loaf left and she says “the children must go, we will take them farther into the wood, so that they will not find their way out again; there is no other means of saving ourselves!" The children’s father is heartbroken again at the thought of leaving his children alone in the woods. This shows men as being more loving and caring, and women as being heartless and evil.
Along with a selfish stepmother, one of the main characters, Gretel, is shown as a weak and emotional young girl.
When Gretel overhears her parents plan to dessert her and her brother she begins to weep and says to her brother, “now all is over with us” (Grimm). The Grimm Brothers show her as being emotionally unstable and that she exaggerates situations. Meanwhile, Hansel remains calm and comes up with a plan to make sure they find their way home. It isn’t unusual to see the male remain level-headed and think carefully through a plan. They are never the ones worrying about what is going to happen next. It is always left to the female to overreact and cry. Hansel tries to reassure his sister that everything will be fine and he says, “do not distress thyself. I will soon find a way to help us” (Grimm). The same incident happens again when Hansel and Gretel are in the forest in the middle of the night. Gretel cried and asked her brother how they were going to find their way out of the forest. Once again, she is relying on her brother for help. It seems as if a female is incapable of devising a clever plan and will always need the help of a man. After Hansel guides their way back to their house, they hear their stepmother express her concern to abandon the children again. Once more, Gretel gets emotional. The Grimm Brothers never show Gretel get emotionally stronger, they just continue to show her in a weak state of mind and she never progresses. One of the only times that Gretel steps up and is a true hero is when she pushes the witch into the oven. The witch tries to trick Gretel into getting into the oven so she can eat her for dinner, but Gretel outsmarts the witch and burns her alive. Gretel’s act of heroism isn’t one to truly be proud of. She doesn’t guide her and her brother back to safety, but she murders a witch. The “positive” thing that Gretel does isn't truly positive. Another contribution that Gretel made was coming up with the idea to ride the duck
across the water. Although Gretel does help her and her brother navigate an obstacle on their journey back home, it takes almost the whole story for her to finally be recognized. Bettelheim says that “Gretel’s importance in the children’s deliverance reassures the child that a female can be a rescuer as well as a destroyer” (278). This is one of the important lessons that can be learned from this story.
The witch in “Hansel and Gretel” is also a character that is shown in a negative light but also turns out to be a positive encounter for the siblings. The witch attempts to fatten up the children for her to eat and Gretel pushes her into the oven. This allows for Gretel to set her brother free and they come across “chests full of pearls and jewels” (Grimm). Even though they had a frightening experience with the witch, they benefited from her by collecting the jewels and returning home with them. It is also believed that the stepmother and the witch are the same person, so when Gretel kills the witch and returns home to find her stepmother is dead, they benefit again from running into the witch. Now that Hansel and Gretel are back home with their loving father, they have the beautiful jewels to support them and they do not have to worry about their wicked stepmother.
The Brothers Grimm followed the societal trend of showing women are inferior to men in literature. The female characters in “Hansel and Gretel” are given poor characteristics and don’t get the positive exposure that they deserve. In this story, the younger audiences are taught the females are not as worthy and are inferior to their male counterparts. If more women are able to take the place as the main protagonist and hero, children will be introduced to the mindset that there is no difference between a male hero and female hero. Audiences will learn that both genders are capable achieving of the same things.