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Grimm`s Hansel and Gretel

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Grimm 's Hansel and Gretel

Taken at face value , the Grimm brother 's Hansel and Gretel ' is a tale chronicling the brief adventures of a brother and sister who thwart a stepmother , nature , and a witch on their way to securing the financial stability of their original family unit . Embedded in this story are a variety of important issues that include the voyage to self-awareness the importance of problem solving , the imperfection of parents , and

the reversal of care-taking roles . Hansel and Gretel ' is not a piece about parenting it is a warning to children of two potential fates : one good and one bad , and an outline of how best to ensure that one follows the correct path while remaining steadfast to the end . After careful inspection , one sees that Hansel and Gretel ' is a coming-of-age piece centered on a series of adventures that is designed to guide children through their transition into adulthood

The opening sequence of the tale takes place in the evening while everyone is in bed - a time typically feared by younger children who often turn to their parents to comfort them from the imagined monsters under their beds or in their closets . In the case of young Hansel and Gretel , the monster isn 't imagined : she is sleeping in the next room with their father , and she is plotting to be rid of them (J . Grimm and W . Grimm . The warning here is that parents are not perfect and cannot always protect the family . To begin with , there is a stepmother and by implication , this means something has happened to the children 's biological mother . Obviously , the father has already failed to protect one member of his family : his wife . Whatever the reason for her death the children have observed that family can be replaced , for their father found a stand-in : their stepmother . Compounded with this , the children 's father , who initially wonders aloud , how can I bear to leave my children alone in the forest ' is badgered by his wife who left him no peace until he consented [to abandon them] (J . Grimm and W . Grimm . Instead of seeking comfort in the night , the children - specifically Hansel - are forced to act

The voyage to self-awareness (i .e . the transformation from child to adult ) is exemplified by the actions of Hansel and Gretel as they secure their return home from deep in the woods , foiling the plans of their stepmother . Overhearing they will be left to die , Hansel takes action by going outside where he observes the iridescent quality of the pebbles scattered around him . Thinking quickly , Hansel stooped and stuffed the little pocket of his coat with as many [pebbles] as he could (J Grimm , and W . Grimm . Later , he scatters these stones on the trail , and after they are discarded by their father and stepmother , and night has fallen around them , Hansel and Gretel followed the pebbles which [...

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