Analyzing Louise Gluck Poem 'Midsummer Night'

1. This Louise Gluck poem seems to be a continuation of the original Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. Gluck sets a rather sad and depressing tone throughout the poem in order to portray that Gretel has been living with guilt and fear. From the beginning of the poem it states that Gretel “hears the witch’s cry break in the moonlight,” which reveals that even though the kids are back safe and sound with their father, Gretel is still having haunting memories of the witch screaming and crying from the day that she killed her in order to save her brother’s life. The poem then continues to add other scenarios that help justify this argument. Gretel later asks herself, “why do I not forget?” This illustrates the fact that Gretel does everything in her