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Garrison Keillor
(Keillor has written this essay in a comic way. This
adaptation of Grimm Brothers’ story Hansel and Gretel takes the form of a
statement made by Gretel.)
Hansel and Gretel had made a
decision to sell the book-right to Grimm Brothers. They had the right to
approve the final manuscript. They had also agreed to split the profit into
fifty-fifty. But Hansel’s lawyers tricked Gretel and deprived her of a large
amount of the profit. The story was also written in a quite distorted way. She
was shown as a weak sister, whereas Hansel was a strong brother. Her father was
shown as a loving figure, but her step mother was very cruel. The reality was
quite different from accounts in the story published by the Grimm Brothers.
In fact, Hansel was incapable of
doing anything. Gretel had to slap him twice to make him walk. Gretel cried
because she was tired of carrying him on her back.
The father was not a loving man. In
fact, he was a drunkard and cruel person. Like many other parents of that time,
he was also in favour of leaving his children in the jungle.
People left their children in the
jungle not only because of famine but also for their belief that the children
would be taken care by wild animals and birds or persons. So, Gretel was not
afraid to be left in the jungle.
Although it was a bitter experience,
no child suffered permanently. Those children have become better people. But
Hansel has got no effect of it. Now Hansel and his father live comfortably in a
great building. Gretel has no house of her own. Gladys, her step mother, and
the witch suffered very much. Her step mother didn’t get even the half of their
hut.
Now Gretel is remorseful. She feels
sorry to have given the witch a push. The witch was not after her.
If only Gretel had understood the
witch’s strategy. Gretel couldn’t see that the witch was fattening up Hansel in
order to make a very radical statement. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have killed
her.
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