Would our children survive if they were Hansel and Gretel?

“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

Case 1

Her mother jumped out of a window and died, the eight-year-old then had a stepmother. The stepmother wasn’t half as bad as the father; he was the one who abandoned her, she was his child and hence the responsibility to love her was his. He abandoned the little girl emotionally and left her in the complicated maze of her disturbed and alone mind. The lonely years went by and she eventually met a man who was 13 years older than her.

He was wicked and controlling, like the witch in Hansel and Gretel, but the girl did not see that until she married him and started living inside his house. During the courtship, all she saw was the richness of his home and his enticing ways of entrapping her, much like the sugary façade of the witch’s home.

They got married and she thought he had her trapped, and he thought she was trapped too since they had three kids. Regardless, eventually, she found the courage to create independence for herself and threw him into the proverbial witch’s fire.

Case 2

He was a poor little orphan boy who was literally abandoned by his relatives; they made him feel unwanted. Hence one day, he walked out of their home, never to return. And much like the fictional movies, usually inspired by real life events, he stumbled upon the preying older woman. She initially hired him to work around her mansion, but once he grew up, he was manipulated to do her dicey business dealings. He was so entrenched in her corrupt corporate black market world that there was no way for him to step away. Much like the character played by Tom Cruise in the movie The Firm, adapted from the book by the same name and written by John Grisham.

What did he do?

He married his sugar mama’s daughter, cleaned up his surroundings as much as possible, exposed the sugar mama’s dealings to his wife and left the golden palace behind. All he took was his bride.


Case 3

The twins were born into a very rich family, yes they were.

What problem could they possibly have if they had money and nannies and toys and a golden spoon in their mouth?

They had one big problem – their parents were never around and paid governesses were. The kids learnt to cope with the harshness of life on their own. The twins supported each other, watched out for each other, fell into the traps of many who wanted a portion of their wealth but eventually found a way.

Hansel and Gretel always disturbed me as a child. Adults abandoning children is never a pleasant reality or fiction to deal with. It leaves scars that the length and breadth of forever cannot heal. And the double whammy in this tale of valour is the wicked formidable witch; the children literally jump from a frying pan into the fire. And then circumstances give them the wisdom, strength and emotional independence to deal with dire straits in a calculated manner; self-preservation takes precedence and teaches them life lessons of survival and courage.

The aforementioned cases run parallel to the story of Hansel and Gretel. One of the protagonist in one of the three cases is known to me, it is her story that inspired me to do a write up on Hansel and Gretel.

An article written by Sophie Hileman in the online Crises Magazine titled Hansel and Gretel – The Fairy tale School of Fear and Violence states:

“It is evident that the experience of fear in the story led to noble actions that brought about a good end for Hansel and Gretel.  It is not to be concluded that fear in itself is a good thing for children, or that parents should use fear to motivate their children.  It is the duty of parents to protect and guide their children as best they can.  But it is not possible to protect them at all times against all that is dangerous or fearful.  There will come a time when every child must face something that frightens them, and parents will not always be there to ease them through it.  Repeated exposure to fairy tales will impart to children the knowledge that fearful situations can be met with courage and bravery.  If the minds of children are filled with stories dealing with danger, bravery, heroism and romance, the stories will not only excite and invigorate their imaginations, but also will arm them with the weapons necessary to face their own witches and dragons.  As GK Chesterton rightly said, fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist.  Children already know that dragons exist.  Fairy tales tell children that dragons can be killed.

A child reading Hansel and Gretel may daydream about acts of valour and bravery. This prepares him for the day he is called upon to actually be brave and valorous in the face of something real.  Or — if the child is more fearful or serious — he may be filled with a right sense of caution and prudence that will prepare him to face his own sinister candy house.”

As parents or adults of a society, we shoulder the responsibility of protecting our young. Hence, tell your young ones stories of courage and valour. It will arm them with life lessons and the strength to carry on when you are not there, but your lessons are.