Blog 3

          Fairytales seem to change over time to fit the goals and morals modern day society.  Sometimes the stories change depending on another’s perspective of the story. The original “Hansel and Gretel” written by the Grim brothers is still similar to the MGM version. In both stories there are two kids, a boy named Hansel and a girl named Gretel, which live in very humble conditions.  The dad is a woodcutter who cannot make enough money to provide food.  The two kids are lost in a forest due to their parent’s actions.  They try to use breadcrumbs to remember their trail back but the birds eat the crumbs.  While searching for the way back the come upon a house made out of food.  The two children are lead into the house by an old woman who is actually a witch.  The witch plans to eat them but with the children’s witty ways they are able to fool the witch.  For example in both versions Hansel uses a chicken bone in order to trick the witch into thinking that he has not gained weight.  Also the Gretel is able to fool the witch into getting in the oven and then trapping her inside.  When they escape they do not hesitate to take the witch’s treasure.

            

          Although the two versions of the story have very similar details, there are still many details that are different.  In the book the mom is written out to be evil and cold hearted.  She intentionally plans to leave the children in the woods.  While in the movie she simply asked them to pick berry’s and they seemed to get there selves lost.  In the movie the crumbs used were not breadcrumbs, but cookie crumbs from a new character known as the baker.  In the movie the dad came after the kids to find them and bring them back home safely.  The kids escape in both, although in the movie they are able to free all the children that were captured by the witch.  When they leave in the movie they take the witch’s staff, which evidently turns into gold coins.  In the book version the children steal the treasure that the witch was hiding.  Grim writes that the children had ran out of the house and found their way back home and to get there they had to cross a river.  The children use a duck to swim them across.  In the movie this very memorable scene is simply removed completely.  MGM leaves it at the children meeting their dad and then the next scene they are home safe and happy.  Finally in the book the children’s mom dies and everyone lives happily ever after.

            The two stories seem similar but as anyone can see are very different.  I believe that the movie was changed to help add a more complex plot to the simple short story.  By changing certain things the story allows for more characters to have more characteristics.  These characteristics help to add emotion to the story to bring the audience closer to the story.  While Grim wanted to influence the audience.  Grim felt it’s what morals they get out of the story not the story.  Also the movie attempted to make the movie somewhat more realistic.