What Is An Accurate Version Of The Book

It is true that the contribution of the Brothers Grimm’s traditional tales to German and World literature is significant. One of the firm part of the folk tale collections is Hansel and Gretel that had several editions between 1812 and 1857. Throughout the text, there are few important modifications that were made to the initial version of the tale that should be highlighted. The size of the folk tale had doubled by adding more descriptions and evaluations of characters and the biological mother substituted by the stepmother. Although the first version of the “Hansel and Gretel” is simple and easy to read, the final edition of the fairy tale reveals characters more rationally based, deeply and thoroughly, so that it became more dramatic and

The 1812 version of the tale affirms: “However, God let Gretel know this, so she said, "I don't know how to do that. First show me. You sit on the board, and I will push you inside", whereas 1857 version states: “But Gretel saw what she had in mind, so she said, "I don't know how to do that. How can I get inside?" Therefore, it can be suggested that in the early edition, Gretel needs a spiritual guidance and receiving a help from God to fight with the evil. However, in the last edition, the girl can be concerned as an independent thinker and an individual. This is probably since Grimm’s brothers wanted to have more influence on readers by showing the cleverness of the child. If Hansel was a leader and a hero throughout the tale, Gretel is a person that put an end to the pains of characters. Furthermore, the last edition consists of the part where a white duck carries them across the lake. Again, Gretel is shown as brighter than that of the Gretel in the old version. When Hansel wanted Gretel to sit next to him she replied: “No, that would be too heavy for the duckling. It should take us across one at a time." This also shows that she cares and considers the abilities of others. It can be noticed that, Gretel is wiser and cleverer in the final version than that of the primary one. This can be depended on the authors’ emphasizing of the gender role,

The character of the stepmother frequently occurs in the folk tales and are associated with evil and cruelty. The reason for such transformation might be the fact that the birth mother intuitively should not force to suffer her own child. Even though the action of the stepmother is morally unethical, this is not as cruel as the mother’s one. The personages of the stepmother in the final version and the mother in the first version are both villains. In addition, the witch who wanted to eat children is also a representative of the evil. It can be noticed that in the 1857 edition, both the stepmother and the witch use the same phrases and sayings unlike in the first edition. For example, at the beginning of the adventure, the stepmother wakes children by saying: “Get up, you lazybones. We are going into the woods to fetch wood.” Similarly, the witch later wakes them and cries: “Get up, lazybones! Fetch water and cook something good for your brother.” It can be assumed that the stepmother and the witch are metaphorically the same person. Either stepmother or the witch are hypocrites, because both want to appear friendly despite of their willingness to destroy children. The stepmother wants to eradicate Gretel and Hansel from her life by leaving them in the woods, whereas another evil, witch, is a predator who wants to eat them. According to Tatar, there