Read the excerpt from "Hansel and Gretel.” Early in the morning, before the children were awake, [the old woman] rose up, and wh
en she saw them both sleeping so peacefully, with their round rosy cheeks, she muttered to herself: "That’ll be a dainty bite.” Then she seized Hansel with her bony hand and carried him into a little stable, and barred the door on him; he might scream as much as he liked, it did him no good. Then she went to Gretel, shook her till she awoke, and cried: "Get up, you lazy-bones, fetch water and cook something for your brother. When he’s fat I’ll eat him up.” Gretel began to cry bitterly, but it was of no use; she had to do what the wicked witch told her. So the best food was cooked for poor Hansel, but Gretel got nothing but crab-shells. Every morning the old woman hobbled out to the stable and cried: "Hansel, put out your finger, that I may feel if you are getting fat.” But Hansel always stretched out a bone, and the old dame, whose eyes were dim, couldn’t see it, and thinking always it was Hansel’s finger, wondered why he fattened so slowly. When four weeks passed and Hansel still remained thin, she lost patience and determined to wait no longer.
What role does the old woman play in the story?
She creates conflict by separating the brother and sister.
She provides comedic relief by being unable to see clearly.
She is the antagonist who creates conflict to move the story forward.
She is the protagonist who tries to solve a problem to move the story forward.
