Gretel’s temporary memory loss makes her vulnerable and easily frightened. But occasionally, it also allows her to experience childlike joy and optimism. Find at least 3 examples of circumstances in which Gretel feels joy despite her confusion. What, if anything, do those circumstances have in common?

The novel often uses animals as symbols of wildness and freedom. Characters encounter horses, swans, and a wild boar, for instance, and come away from those encounters with changed perspectives on their situations. Choose 3 of the animals mentioned in the novel and explain how each affects a character. 

The novel is loosely based upon the fairy tale “Hansel and Gretel” by the Brothers Grimm. Read that fairy tale at Virginia Commonwealth University's Archive of 19th-Century German Stories. What are some details from the fairy tale that appear in the novel? How does the novel’s author adapt those details to fit a World War II narrative?