Chapter - 19

Gretel

Garrison Keillor

Summary of the story

“Gretel” is an interpretation of the original story “Hansel and Gretel” by Garrison Keillor. His adaptation takes the form of a statement made by Gretel. He interprets the original story from a feminist point of view.

Gretel is the main character of the story according to her, Hansel has taken the advantage of being male. He has deprived her of an equal amount of profits. He deceptively has made her sign a new contract according to which she will get only some cheap jewelry. Gretel thinks that Hansel is not a brave as he is supposed to be. She has to help her brother by carrying him.

Similarly, her father is not a loving father. It was his desire to abandon the children in the forest because in the patriarchal (male-dominated) society mothers are not allowed to do anything without the permission of father. At the same time, she herself accepts that leaving the children in a forest was not necessarily a bad work. She further says that money parents abandon their children in the forest because they believed that animals, fairies or people who lived in the forest would rescue them.

Hansel and his father have not given her and her stepmother their share of the property. She criticizes male superiority and their domination against the women. She has learned so many things from her own experiences. She believes that women raise their voice against injustice. 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 supports the women and feels very sympathetic to the condition of them in society. She always supports justice, equality, and liberty.