“Hansel and Gretel” is the story of two siblings who live in the woods. During a period of famine, their mother convinces their father to abandon the children deep in the woods. The children try to find the way back but get diverted along the way by a witch with an edible house that eventually tries to eat the children. The main adult desire at play is a desire for an easy solution to life’s problems.

The first example of this is the parents’ decision to leave the children in the woods. The woman argues that “…’all four of [them] will starve. All you can do is to plane the boards for our coffins.'” (Grimm). when the man tells her he cannot possibly leave his children. In a first world country today, this would not even be thought of as an option. However, it does seem like the easiest solution to their problems.

Later on in the story, Hansel and Gretel divert from their mission to get home and begin to eat pieces of the witch’s house. Though they were hungry and had little bread left, just following their trail of crumbs would have been the most responsible solution. The house made of cake represents the adult desire for convenience and getting a “break” from life.

In both instances, the desire for the easy way out wins out in the decision but also leads to misfortune. Though it reflects the short-term happiness adults find from wanting to take shortcuts, it ends poorly for each of the characters in the long run.

Hansel and Gretel by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, “Hänsel und Grethel,” Kinder- und Hausmärchen [Children’s and Household Tales — Grimms’ Fairy Tales], vol. 1, 7th ed. (Göttingen: Verlag der Dieterichschen Buchhandlung, 1857), no. 15, pp. 79-87.

Grimm, Jacob, Wilhelm Grimm, and D.L. Ashilman. “Hansel and Gretel.” Grimm 015. University of Pittsburgh, 7 Sept. 2011. Web. 14 Sept. 2015. <http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/grimm015.html>.