Which theme is common among fairy tales like Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, and Cinderella?

• A. an evil stepfather
• B. a happily reconstituted family
• C. maternal loss and cruel replacement
• D. a tragic heroine

Answer: (A)

These tales often hinge on losing the mother and facing a cruel replacement. In Snow White, the mother is absent and the stepmother, the evil queen, embodies danger and rivalry for affection. In Cinderella, the heroine loses her mother and endures the cruelty of a harsh stepmother who controls her fate. In Hansel and Gretel, the danger comes from a parent who cannot protect the children, and the peril is compounded by a figure who acts like a harmful mother, the witch. The common thread is the child’s vulnerability created by maternal loss or replacement, which drives the trials and ultimately the growth or triumph of the young protagonists. That’s why the theme of maternal loss and cruel replacement best stitches these stories together, rather than a consistently evil stepfather, a happily reconstituted family, or a purely tragic heroine.