Hansel and Gretel Pairs Questions

Hansel and Gretel deals with themes of hunger and privation (starvation or lack). These themes are rooted in a peasant culture where starvation was a real threat to human survival, and sometimes there was not enough for mom, dad, brother, and sister to eat. What are some other types of “hungers” or “cravings” the story might represent?  

“Evil stepmothers” are a common trope in fairy tales—from Hansel and Gretel to Cinderella. Fathers, on the other hand, often fade into the background. Do you believe the fathers in Brother and the Bird and Hansel and Gretel are innocent? Why or why not?  (And if they are not innocent, why do the mothers receive the strongest punishment/blame?) How might this connect with differing cultural expectations for mothers and fathers?

If Grimm’s Hansel and Gretel were to be told from the witches’ perspective, how might the story be different? And, most importantly, how might our interpretation of the story’s meaning change?