Post # 4: Summary of Chapters 11-15

Chapter 11: Of the Children Lost in the Forest and What Befell Them

In this chapter, the Woodsman and David return to the cottage to gather some supplies, such as water and weapons, before embarking on their journey to see the king. When they stop to rest, the Woodsman tells David that a flower grows in the forest where a child dies, and about how the Loups had a negative influence on the other wolves when they first came. He also explains a bit about how the Loups hunt and their general characteristics. They continue their journey and come across a gingerbread house. This is when David hears The Woodsman's Second Tale, which is based on the fairytale "Hansel and Gretel". The children's father died and was replaced with an evil stepfather. The family had very little food and the mother worried that her new husband would try to eat her children, so she took them deep into the forest and left them there. The little girl was emotionally stronger and she began to find food, while the boy just wanted to go home to his mother. One day the sister found her brother eating from a house made of gingerbread and they both consumed enough food to put them into a deep sleep. When they awoke, they were inside the house and there was an evil old lady who was preparing to cook them for her next meal. The girl outsmarts the old witch and pushes her into the oven to die. Both of the children escape and burn most of the house down. The boy tries to return home, but finds no sign of his mother. Instead of going back to his sister, he wanders in the woods until he comes to cottage where a nice motherly lady lives. She cooks him and eats him.

Chapter 12: Of Bridges and Riddles, and the Many Unappealing Characteristics of Trolls

In this chapter, the two travellers come to a set of bridges. In front of each is a troll, and David must choose which bridge to cross: one is safe and one is deadly. Waiting for anything that falls from up above are the "harpies", who are giant flying man-eating creatures that live under the bridges. There is also the danger that the wolves present since they are now following and always getting closer to David and the woodsman (the ravens are helping the wolves find them). Using his knowledge of fairy tales, David selects the correct bridge and the two begin to cross when the wolves catch up with them. The woodsman stays behind to fight them off while David gets to the other side safely and cuts off the rope on that side of the bridge as the woodsman tells him to. Some of the wolves try to cross the other bridge and are eaten by the harpies as the bridge gives out. So David is safe...for now.

Chapter 13: Of Dwarfs and Their Sometimes Irascible Nature

In this chapter, David runs into some "moody" dwarfs on the main road. They try to pick fights with David about their oppression and they explain that Comrade Brother Number Seven is no longer a part of their group because he went to work for his mother in her bakery (which makes him a "capitalist" to the dwarfs). After a while, David gets invited back to the cottage to meet Snow White. Against what David originally believed, the dwarfs are not fond of Snow White and even tried to poison her with an apple, which they tried to blame on the wicked stepmother, but she had an alibi. The dwarfs also dislike the prince who saved Snow White. On the way back to the cottage, they joke about how David was wrong about Goldilocks as well (turns out that she stayed because she liked to eat their porridge. The bears, in turn, liked to eat her).

Chapter 14: Of Snow White, Who is Very Unpleasant Indeed

In this chapter, they reach the cottage just in time to hear Snow White (who is an ugly, mean, lazy woman) hollering at the dwarfs for not having her dinner ready. She complains about being hungry, cold, and bored and is very disappointed to hear that David is not a prince. While they eat dinner, the dwarfs tell David about their line of work (mining diamonds) and how they keep this information from Snow White so she can not take their wealth from them. David stays overnight in the cottage, with plans of resuming his journey to the king in the morning.

Chapter 15: Of the Deer-Girl

In this chapter, David departs, but only after the dwarfs reveal to him where their mine is in case he ever needs "a little company". After walking for a while, David realizes that he is famished and goes to an apple tree he sees just off of the main road. As he is about to eat an apple, he hears a noise and quickly climbs the tree for safety. The disruption he hears turns out to be an animal with a girl's head and a deer's body running away from its pursuer, a woman on a horse. This woman shoots the deer-girl with an arrow and ties her onto the back of her horse before threatening and capturing David.

My Thoughts/Questions:

-Hansel and Gretel was not much different, ending made me laugh
-more mythical creatures, lots more action in this part
-the trolls and the bridges made me think of the movie The Labyrinth (outside connection?)
-is the Woodman alive?
-hero archetype in the Woodsman and in David
-wow, Snow White seems nice...
-who is the woman who captured David? good or evil?
-THEME! good vs. evil