Humanity vs. Inhumanity

In a world where inhumanity is ubiquitous, the characters from The True Story of Hansel and Gretel do demonstrate how inhumanity is an epidemic that has swept all of Europe. However they also performed acts that show the good in humanity, when the presence of humanity is seemingly absent. An example of this is when Hansel and Gretel's parents evolved into the lure that would drag the Nazis away from their children. Their parent's showed the courage and devotion that exists throughout the good in humanity, by risking their lives to keep their children safe. Louise Murphy chose to include this act of humanity to manifest the ultimate sacrifice that some parents chose to make- their own lives. Ultimately, the author wanted to prove how, in a greedy and inexorable world,  people still manage to show kindness and sacrifice. Another example of characters showing humanity was when Magda allowed Hansel and Gretel to stay in her house, and she gave them her food. Her generous welcoming and offerings reveal how even strangers were willing to risk their lives to save the lives of hungry children. Magda took Hansel and Gretel in as if they were here own children. Murphy's reason for including this act of humanity that evolved into a strong relationship was to teach the lesson that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, and again, to demonstrate the theme of sacrifice. Magda seemed to be a witch of some sort, based off of her appearance, so that is what the children saw her as. However, she ended up being the one who saved Hansel and Gretel's lives, while immolating her own. The final example of a strong act of humanity was when Nelka provided aid for the children and Magda- washing them, and driving out the lice from their clothes, etc. She certainly did not need to associate herself with these children, who could potentially be the death of her. Nelka's actions evinced how even small, humane acts can have a great effect, while also carrying the burden of knowing you could die. Her actions were not entirely necessary, but the prevented Hansel and Gretel from getting sick. By doing so, Nelka jeopardized her life, and this is why Louise Murphy decided to include this scene with Nelka. A common theme throughout all of these acts of humanity was sacrificing your own life for another person, and persistently, the impact this had on others was immense. Although there were several examples of inhumanity throughout this novel, there were also numerous examples of humanity. The yin-yang is a symbol for this novel- the good in the bad, and the bad in the good.