Hansel and Gretel

In the first paragraph, Bruno Bettleheim discusses the very real predicament of a man and woman without money who have little children to care for and little mouths to feed. He states, "Even on this surface level, the folk fairy tale conveys an important, although unpleasant, truth: poverty and deprivation do improve man's character, but rather make him more selfish, less sensitive to the sufferings of others, and thus prone to embark on evil deeds" (273). When one is need, the instinct is to feel concern more for oneself than others, even if those others include your children or other relatives. Though parents are supposed to have a protective instinct towards their children, this instinct can be limited when the extermination of the self is imminent.

Children are complex psychological creatures. In "Hansel and Gretel," the children begin the story in a crisis. They are cognizant that...
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