This transforming story "The Gingerbread House" has been written by contemporary writer Robert Coover. The writer has transformed the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel into a new story which is "The Gingerbread House". This story moves ahead with descriptions. There are altogether four characters seen in this story. All the characters are unnamed.
SUMMARY
Robert Coover’s story “The Gingerbread House” consists of forty-two numbered paragraphs which shows the parts of the story and it is an adoption of “Hansel and Gretel”. In the mid-afternoon, an old man leads two children to the pine forest. The boy is dropping the pieces of bread and the girl is singing nursery songs and carrying a basket of flowers. The old man seems poor and miserable who wears torn clothes is very poor, weak and thin. The children are also wearing torn clothes and walking with bare feet. The eyes of the old man are blue and his face is wrinkled. He is looking for the chance to leave the children in the thick forest. He feels guilty. Though he loves his children, he has no food to feed them. As they are walking, they encounter a terrible witch who has worn black clothes. Her face is pale, her body is thin and twisted and her eyes are like burning coals. She cries madly and stretches her hand in the empty space. She catches a white dove and tears its red heart out.
When they are on their way to their journey, they reach into the “Gingerbread House”. The house can be reached walking on the biscuits through the garden of sugared fruits. The house is made of sweets, chocolates and sugar. There is sticky I garden of sweets. The door of the house is heart-shaped and red. It is shining like a ruby. The door is half-open. The place is sunny and beautiful. The air is fresh. There is a river of honey and lollipops grow like daisies. The boy looks back and finds that the breadcrumbs that he drops are eaten up by the white birds. He is sad as his plan to return back home fails. The old man and the children spend the night in the forest. The next day, the old man tries to return back home silently but the children see and follow him. He pushes the girl and strikes the boy. The children weep but the old man returns home leaving the children in the dense forest.
There are several obstacles in the story that are faced by the children. Numerous problems and difficulties in the forest are common for them. However, they don’t lose their heart. They come to the gingerbread house. They fall on the sticky garden of sweets. They lick each other clean and are happy. The boy climbs up the roof of chocolate. They enjoy eating bread and sweets. Beyond the door of the house, there is the terrible sound of the witch flapping her black rags.
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. Compare and contrast between “Hansel and Gretel” and “The Gingerbread House”.
Answer: The comparison and contrast between “Hansel and Gretel” and “The Gingerbread House” are as follow
> Both tales raise the issue of poverty and its consequences. In both tales, due to poverty, the father and the old man leave their children in the forest.
> Stepmother is presented in Hansel and Gretel whereas she is absent in the Gingerbread house.
> In Hansel and Gretel, children meet a wicked witch in the small house whereas in the Gingerbread house they encounter the witch in the jungle and hear the terrible flapping sound of a red rag in their dream.
> In Hansel and Gretel, the old man and his wife leave the children twice in the forest whereas in the Gingerbread house the old man leaves the children for only one time.
> In Hansel and Gretel, the children miss their way to the house and wander in the forest for three days whereas in the Gingerbread house the children reach after a short walk in their dreams
> In Hansel and Gretel, the children kill the witch whereas in the Gingerbread house they do not struggle with the witch.
> In Hansel and Gretel, the children become rich at the end whereas in the Gingerbread house they do not find any jewels.
2. Describe the Gingerbread House.
Answer: The Gingerbread House is a house of dreams. The house can be reached walking on the biscuits through the garden of sugared fruits. The house is made of sweets. The door of the house is heart-shaped and red. It is shinning like a ruby. The door is half-opened. The garden is so sticky. The roof of the Gingerbread house is made up of chocolate. The place is sunny and beautiful. The air is fresh. There is a river of honey and lollipops grow like daisies.
3. Describe the witch whom the children meet/ encounter.
Answer: The children encounter a witch on the way, who seems so terrible. She has worn black clothes. Her face is pale, her body is thin and twisted and her eyes are like burning coals. She has long-nailed hands and a beaked nose. She cackles madly and stretches her hand in the space. Her face is so furious.She catches a white dove and tears its red heart out. She finally threatens the children with a terrible voice in the Gingerbread house.
4. How can you say they are poor?
Answer: I can say they are poor with the help of clues given in the text. The old man seems so miserable who has worn-torn clothes. He is weak and thin. The children are also wearing torn clothes. They are walking with bare feet. The old man wants to leave his children in the dense forest because he is unable to feed them properly. The children’s act of licking each part of the house greedily shows their poverty too.
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