There’s another “type” of character that you’ve probably seen in stories, especially the stories on television or in movie theaters. Stereotypes are characters who are defined by just one or two characteristics. Examples that you might recognize include the “jock” or athlete, the nerd, and the teacher’s pet.
Unlike archetypes, stereotypes are “flat” characters―not well-rounded, complex characters like heroes and tricksters. Stereotypical characters behave in predictable, often exaggerated ways. (Their actions are predictable because the audience recognizes the stereotype and knows what behaviors go with it.)
Read the beginning of this version of “Hansel and Gretel” by sixth-grader Holden Ellis. Do you see any story elements that could be considered stereotypes?
The Witch in the Woods
Near a vast and deep forest, there lived a woodcutter in a small cottage that he shared with his wife and his two children―a daughter and a son. The girl was called Gretel, and the boy was Hansel. Most years, the family had but pickings to eat, and they often went hungry. When a great famine came to the land, the woodcutter and his wife―who was the children’s stepmother―realized that they could scrape by no longer.
“The problem is Hansel and Gretel,” the stepmother said to the children’s father, as he sat brooding by the fire. “Let’s put them in the wagon and drive to my sister’s house on the other side of the forest. We can drop them off outside and have her deal with them.”
“What?! Of course not!” cried the father. “I won’t abandon my own children!”
“Then you’re a fool,” the stepmother hissed. “Don’t you realize that we’re in the middle of a famine? If we keep the children around, all four of us will starve to death!”
“Well, then,” the father replied, “we’ll go into the forest and gather as many apples as we can. Then we’ll all have plenty to eat!”
But the stepmother only laughed harshly. “Do you think you’re the first one to think of that?” She raised a skinny arm and gestured toward the trees. “The woods have been hunted and harvested for months by people with that exact same idea. You’ll find nothing left out there!”
The stepmother continued, “So that leaves us with only one option. We’ll take Hansel and Gretel to my sister’s place and have her take care of them, at least until this famine ends.”
The father sighed a heavy sigh. “Temporarily?”
“Yes, temporarily,” the stepmother assured the children’s father. “Think of it as . . . a summer visit with relatives.” She smiled as if remembering a visit of her own. “You know how children cherish time with family they don’t see very often.”
While the woodcutter took a few minutes to consider this, the stepmother muttered to herself, “Of course, I don’t want to see them again―ever.”
Question
Which character seems to have only one personality trait? (Hint: This character appears often in fairy tales, both traditional and modern.)
