The Child as a Hero

The girl in “The Rose Tree” kills her stepmother to avenge her own cold-blooded murder.  While this act reciprocates violence, we see it as justified in the context of the rest of the story, since the stepmother decapitates the child out of excessive jealousy.  Also, the fact that the villain and protagonist of this tale are female suggests that even women can provide a balance between good and evil.  We see in “Hansel and Gretel” that the female characters are disproportionately evil, while only Gretel gives a hint of heroic behavior underneath her frail exterior.  Conversely, “The Rose Tree” gives western culture a more unbiased and less patriarchal look at the female role in society, suggesting that women and girls can be strong enough to defend themselves, and can also use their passion for moral reasons.

Similar to the girl in "The Rose Tree", Wonder Woman fights for her own concept of "justice"

Psychoanalytically, “The Rose Tree” story can serve as a metaphor for the unconscious of young girls coming of age.  It is almost a rite of passage story, where the girl internally fights the urge to be rid of her mother, or other head maternal figure, so that she can become her own woman without being held down by rules.  The decapitation could also be a symbol of the girl’s fear that once they have reached a mature age that her mother will no longer be there to nurture her; in other words, the mother will cut off a vital part of the girl without regret.

Harley Quinn, while a strong female character, also frequently embodies Gretel's motivation to fight for a male character instead of herself

“Hansel and Gretel”, however, provides the frail and emotional Gretel as the stereotypical female character that saves herself out of love for her brother, a male.  While Gretel does gain a sense of independence towards the end of the tale, she still defeats the witch (arguably by chance) in order to save her brother and to get back to her father.  She also allows her brother to ride the white duck first, which is a representation of her patriarchal-fueled gender values: put the male figure before yourself.  Her unconscious is possibly suffering from “penis envy” and she subconsciously honors and admires the strength and dominance that comes with the male body.  Her ego, however, is the acting matter, where she shows respect for the male by putting him first before herself.

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