“Nibble nibble like a mouse. Who is nibbling at my house?”
Fairy tale retellings are nothing new and can be highly intriguing, especially when told from the point of view of the villain. There is something undeniably fascinating about humanizing the bad guy. I suspect we may see a bit of the villain in ourselves. But how can we possibly relate to the cannibalistic witch from Grimm’s “Hansel and Gretel”? Well, Dona Jo Napoli shows you how in The Magic Circle.
Napoli introduces the reader to the witch, only referred to as the Ugly One, long before the candy cottage. We get to see her as a loving mother, a skilled midwife, and a gifted healer. One of my favorite lines of the book is when the Ugly One is told, “These hands read a pregnant belly and fly to the task.” She is truly a humble and talented servant of God.
Despite the Ugly One’s hunched back and lack of beauty, she had been blessed with a beautiful daughter. The Ugly One believes her lovely Asa deserves precious gifts of silky ribbons and splendid jewels.
By now, I’m sure you’re wondering how such a God-fearing woman could become a lonely witch, isolated deep in the woods. Her cottage of candy certainly meant to lure children inside so she could gobble them up. And to that, the author shows by way of storytelling that the devil and his demons do not show themselves in true form but come to us as beautiful, lovely things.
To me, Napoli has a way of expressing a great deal with very few words. In this short book, she covers love and loss, depression and desire, happiness and loneliness. Of course, you know from the adapted version of “Hansel and Gretel” that the two children shove the wicked witch into the fire and escape. This only leaves one question, does Napoli’s retelling follow the same path? The only way to find out is to pick up a copy and find out for yourself.
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Deep in the woods lives the old witch called Ugly One. All she wants is to forget—that she was once a loving mother and a healer, blessed and powerful within her magic circle, and not a witch, claimed by the devils. Then one day she hears the footsteps she dreads. Then real voices—children’s voices. The Ugly One longs to take care of sturdy, sensible Gretel and her young brother Hansel. They are such good children, such delicious, beautiful children. But demons’ voices scream in her head: “Eat them!” How can she? . . . How can she not?
