Garrison Keillor's text "Gretel" is a transforming text of the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel". Garrison Keillor has transformed this text using a feminist point of view. He has presented Gretel as his main character who is a radical feminist here in this text.
Summary
“Gretel” is the contemporary adaptation of the writer Garrison Keillor. In this adaptation, the writer strongly states the statement given by Gretel in their going to the forest. Gretel explores various feeling related to her bother Hansel, father and stepmother as well as the witch in the gingerbread house. Gretel is a radical or militant feminist. In the fairy tale “Gretel”, Keillor has sketched her character as a strong and dominant person. She blames the male characters who want to exploit her and her step-mother. She has to get half of the profits earned by selling the book according to the contract. However, the lawyers of Hansel put her under a spell and make her sign another contract. Then she gets very little money and the book is regarded to be pure imagination.
Gretel is a benevolent as well as a strong girl. She advocates women’s rights and seems to be a feminist and wanted to raise her voice against the patriarchal society (male-dominated society). She wants to make the women aware and raises the voice against; injustice and inequality. She believes that women should get equal property right. When her brother makes a conspiracy not to share the money after selling the book, she becomes angry and evaluates that males are very cruel. She learns so many things from her own experience. The more she faces problems and suffers, the stronger she becomes. She is very sympathetic to the condition of women in society. She is even sympathetic to the witch and her stepmother. She criticizes her father and brother. She always supports justice, equality and liberty. She is a strong-minded, clever, brave and courageous girl. She is very hopeful about her life and future. She thinks that her stepmother and the witch are not completely wrong but they show kind behaviour towards the children due to the tradition. So tradition or faith is wrong. She is hopeful because she thinks that a girl like her may be the prey of various animals as well as birds. She may be bothered by fairies, shepherds, hermits as well. Gretel, after all, cope the circumstances with her wise sense and cleverness.
Gretel expresses her different opinion to the cruel character too. Her step-mother is presented to be wicked and cruel; she is not so according to Gretel. Gretel says that it is the plan of the cruel father to leave her and her brother in the dense forest. She has to beat her brother to make him walk. She has to carry him on her back. Her father is a drunkard and the stepmother can do nothing against his will. She blames her father and brother for being cruel and selfish. They live happily in a large building but Gretel and her step-mother have no home of their own. Gretel raises her hand against male domination. She supports the principle that women should have equal rights as men. She raises her voice against injustice. She supports feminism. She goes against male superiority. She proves that Hansel, being male, is unable to do anything. He is tired, nervous and afraid. She proves his weakness by carrying him on her back.
Gretel criticizes her father also says he is selfish, unkind and irresponsible. He dominates his wife and doesn’t give her the share of the property. Gretel is not afraid of anything. She has even sympathy for the witch. She thinks that the witch and the step-mother are not as bad as they are supposed to be. She feels sorry for the witch as she has pushed her without good reason. She thinks that the witch suffers most. In this way, Gretel is a strong feminist who criticizes the existing male superiority in society. She suffers because of the injustice of males. However, she is never hopeless. She believes that no children suffer permanently in the lap of nature. In this way. We can strongly state that Gretel is the strong supporter of justice, equality and she often condemns (criticizes) injustice, male domination, sex discrimination and other social inequalities.
Important Questions and Answers
1. Why does Gretel blame her father and brother? (2058 Short)
Answer: Gretel blames her father and brother for deceiving her. Gretel says that there was an understanding between her and her father and brother to sell their story to the Grimm brothers. They had signed in a contract paper with an agreement to share fifty-fifty of the profit. But unexpectedly her brother and father deceptively made her sign a new contract according to which she will get a little money. With the help of a lawyer, Hansel changed everything in the story. Gretel found the story published the other day totally in a different order.
2. Do you think Gretel represent a modern feminist woman? Give your opinion briefly. (2061 short)
Answer: Yes, I think Gretel represents the modern feminist woman. Gretel doesn’t like the domination of women. She criticizes all injustice and discrimination done by the male. She thinks that the woman should get equal rights and opportunities as men. She tries to aware all the women about the injustice. She wants to get an equal share of profit and equal property. She supports women all the time. She has deep sympathy for the witch. She loves her mother too. She becomes angry with the males and evaluates that the males are very cruel.
3. How was Garrison Keillor’s Gretel? Sketch the character of Gretel in short. (2066 Partial)
Answer: Garrison Keillor’s Gretel was a radical feminist and wanted to raise her voice against patriarchal society. She wants to make women aware and raises her voice against injustice and inequality. She blames her father and brother for deceiving her. She becomes so angry with her father's and brother’s acts. She objects to her father and brother for not giving an equal share of money as well as changing everything in the story. She has deep sympathy for the witch. She loves her mother whereas hates her father. She reveals that she was not a coward instead her brother was a coward, who wept from time to time. She used to carry her brother from time to time on the way.
4. What does Gretel say about her father and mother?
Answer: Gretel says that the portrayal of her father and mother is also distorted in the story. Father was not so kind-hearted. He was a drunkard. He wanted to leave them in the forest. He liked to watch bullfights. Her stepmother was not cruel in any sense. She could not do anything without the permission of her father. She never planned to leave the children in the forest. It was the wicked plan of her father because he was not able to feed the children properly.
5. Why is Gretel not satisfied with what Hansel and his father did?
Answer: Both father and son deceived Gretel that’s why Gretel is not satisfied with them. There was an understanding between her and her father and brother to sell their story to Grimm brothers. They had signed in a contract paper with an agreement to share fifty-fifty of the profit. But unexpectedly her brother and father deceptively made her sign a new contract according to which she will get a little money. With the help of a lawyer, Hansel changed everything in the story. Gretel found the story published the other day totally in a different order.
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