Narative Theory - Hansel and Gretel

                                                     

During a famine, an evil stepmother orders her husband to abandon his children in the woods, but the son, Hansel, overhears the plan, and leaves a trail of pebbles to guide him and his sister home safely. The next time they are abandoned, Hansel drops breadcrumbs, which are eaten by the birds. Lost and starving, they stumble upon a house made from gingerbread, only to be captured by the wicked, cannibalistic witch who lives inside. She enslaves Gretel and imprisons Hansel, fattening him up to eat.
When she orders Gretel to heat up the oven to cook Hansel, she tricks the witch into leaning into the oven and pushes her in. The children rob the house of riches and return to their father, to find that their evil stepmother has died.


These are my interpretations of the narrative theories inspired by Todorov and Propp.

Todorov Equilibrium Theory

                                                       

Equilibrium - Hansel and Gretel are happily living with their father.


Disruption of the equilibrium - They get a step mother who is evil and a famine happens causing the step mother to order the father to abandon the children in the woods.


Recognition of the disruption - Hansel and Gretel hear of the plan so they leave a trail of pebbles, then bread crumbs which get eaten by birds causing them to get lost in the woods.


Attempt to repair damage - Hansel and Gretel attempt to find home but find themselves caught by a witch in a gingerbread house, Gretel then pushes the witch into the oven and they escape.


New equilibrium - Hansel and Gretel take as much food as they can and find their way back home, to find the evil mothers dead, causing a happy ending with their father and famine is fixed by gingerbread house.

Propp Narrative Theory

                                               



Preparation - Hansel and Gretel realise they are going to be stranded in the woods, so they leave a trail of bread crumbs to lead then home.


Complication - The bread crumbs get eaten by birds which causes them to be lost and stumble upon a witched house and get captured.


Transference - Gretel begins to plot theory's to herself whilst the witch is busy fattening Hansel.


Struggle - Gretel cannot think of an escape plan and the witch is ready to cook him. She is then told to turn the oven on, and Gretel saw the opportunity to push the witch in.


Return - Gretel pushes the witch into the oven and releases Hansel, they then carry as much food as they can back home.


Recognition -  They find that their evil mother died and they happily lived with their father without famine because there was plenty of food from the gingerbread house.