COVE

Arthur Rackham, "Hansel and Gretel and the Witch on the Doorstep of her Cottage," Grimm's Fairy Tales (1823), Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, 1909 edition, The Grimm Brothers' Hansel and Gretel is one of the most famous and enduring fairy tales, and was first published in 1812 in their collection Children's and Household Tales. The story follows two children, Hansel and Gretel, who are abandoned in the forest by their impoverished father and stepmother. Due to famine and extreme poverty, the stepmother persuades the father to abandon the children in the forest, as they can no longer feed them. Hansel attempts to leave a trail using breadcrumbs, but the birds eat them; the children are lost in the forest and cannot find their way back. Hansel and Gretel come upon a house made of bread, cake, and sugar. They begin to eat it, but an old woman emerges and invites them inside. Unbeknownst to them, she is a wicked witch who lures children to her house to fatten and eat them. She imprisons Hansel in a cage and forces Gretel to be her servant. The witch plans to eat Hansel after he is fattened up, but Hansel cleverly tricks her by offering her a bone instead of his finger to feel through the bars of the cage, making her think he is still too thin. Eventually, the witch grows impatient and orders Gretel to prepare the oven, intending to roast her as well. However, Gretel tricks the witch into checking the oven herself, shoves her in, and kills her. The children find the witch’s treasure and return home to their father, who has been abandoned by the stepmother; the family is now wealthy and live happily ever after. Hansel and Gretel showcases the importance of resourcefulness and familial bonds, but these narratives are woven into the fabric of an exciting, somewhat gruesome, tale rather than presented in a heavy-handed, moralistic fashion.