Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

Anne Sexton’s "Hansel and Gretel" reimagines the classic fairy tale with a dark, visceral edge, infusing it with her signature blend of grotesque humor and psychological insight. The poem delves into the primal fears and desires that underpin the story, transforming a simple tale of survival into a complex narrative about hunger, both literal and metaphorical, and the terrifying intimacy of familial relationships.

The poem begins with a chillingly playful monologue from the mother, who, instead of offering comfort or nurturing, expresses a disturbing desire to consume her child: "Little plum, / said the mother to her son, / I want to bite, / I want to chew, / I will eat you up." This opening immediately subverts the traditional role of the mother as a protector and provider, presenting her instead as a figure of menace. The language here is rich with sensory detail—"Your neck as smooth / as a hard-boiled egg; / soft cheeks, my pears"—which serves to highlight the perverse nature of the mother’s appetite. The imagery of food and consumption is a recurring motif throughout the poem, symbolizing both the physical hunger brought on by poverty and a more sinister, psychological hunger for control and domination.

As the poem progresses, Sexton’s retelling stays close to the original tale, but with added layers of complexity. The family is depicted as having fallen on hard times, resorting to extreme measures such as cooking the family dog "and served him up like lamb chops." The parents’ decision to abandon their children in the forest is described as "the final solution," a phrase loaded with historical connotations that evoke a sense of inevitable, cold-blooded cruelty.

Hansel, the more resourceful of the two children, attempts to save himself and his sister by leaving a trail of pebbles, and later breadcrumbs, to find their way home. However, in Sexton’s version, there is a palpable sense of futility in these efforts. The bread trail is consumed by birds, leaving the children "blind as worms" and "turn[ing] like ants in a glove not knowing which direction to take." This imagery suggests a loss of agency and direction, as the children are reduced to helpless, insignificant creatures in a vast, indifferent world.

The witch’s house, made entirely of food, represents both temptation and danger, embodying the duality of desire and its potential consequences. The witch herself is a figure of grotesque indulgence, planning to "cook [Hansel] and then gobble him up / as in a feast / after a holy war." Here, Sexton draws a parallel between the witch’s gluttony and religious ritual, suggesting that acts of violence and consumption can be imbued with a twisted sense of reverence or sanctity.

Gretel’s role in the poem is particularly interesting. Initially silent, she finally speaks when the witch orders her to climb into the oven to test its size. Gretel’s response—"Ja, Fraulein, show me how it can be done"—is both cunning and subversive. By feigning obedience, she turns the tables on the witch, locking her in the oven and ensuring her own survival and that of her brother. This act of defiance marks Gretel’s transformation from passive victim to active agent of her own destiny, a shift that is emblematic of Sexton’s broader themes of female empowerment and resilience.

The poem ends on a note of dark irony. The children return home to find their mother dead, a twist that suggests a kind of poetic justice. However, the trauma of their experience lingers, as they are reminded of "the woe of the oven, / the smell of the cooking witch," a memory that haunts them even as they partake in a seemingly innocent meal. The final image of the witch’s cooked body, "to be served only with burgundy / and fine white linen / like something religious," underscores the way in which acts of violence and consumption are ritualized and normalized, even within the context of a fairy tale.

In "Hansel and Gretel," Sexton uses the framework of a familiar story to explore the darker aspects of human nature—our capacity for cruelty, our insatiable desires, and the complex dynamics of power within families. The poem is a masterful example of Sexton’s ability to take the mundane or the traditional and transform it into something deeply unsettling and profound, revealing the hidden depths and dangers that lie beneath the surface of everyday life.

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