Changes Us. This Is a Research Paper

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" (Gluck 2). She is comforted by the presence of her brother, yet something is askew. She cannot shake the memory and that fact will become the purpose of this poem. The nagging question, "Why do I not forget?" (Gluck 10), brings us to the crux of the problem. The experience was bad but she survived. While she knows she should be grateful, she must realize she will never forget and the experience robbed her of her innocence.

Daniel Morris points out how "Gretel in Darkness" is a poem of survival. The poem reflects upon a "profound psychological wound that at times mirrors survivor testimony" (100). Gretel returns from the "edge of personal destruction" (Morris 101) with a new identity "marred by traumatic memory" (101). She is different and she will never be the same again. Gluck explores the relationship between narrative and trauma in "order to allow the recovery of her speaker's personal identity" (101). Gretel is still haunted in the telling of her tale. She is estranged from her brother and while the memory still haunts her, she wonders why no one else seems to remember. Gretel has returned from the black forest to tell her tale but the "memory of gassing a mother-figure, albeit as an act of self-defense, has damaged her rapport with a man who occupies the position once held by brother" (110). The final lines, in Morris' estimation, reveal the impact the past has upon the present. Miklitsch states the poem forces us to realize "we can never go home again" (Miklitsch). Along with lost innocence, Gretel must also deal with the "costly wages of knowledge" (Miklitsch). The past is gone; the children are safe but Gretel still feels the experience is "real" (Gluck 23). Gluck hones in on the persistence of Gretel's memories to illustrate change and loss even through the most happy of events.

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Wooten maintains the poem "illustrates the living and hallucinatory quality of a child's fear, and the tendency of children to color a past horror with all the vividness of a present one" (Wooten).

"Gretel in Darkness," is a tale about the human psyche. We are transformed by every experience and the most startling fact is not knowing how certain things will affect us. Some call it unintended consequences but in some cases, we simply do what we must do, as Gretel did. She fought to save her life and while she was incredibly successful, she does return to her home as she was before. The experience changed her in a heartbreaking way. She realizes the world is not a safe place and this is a fact she will never expunge from her mind as long as she is alive. The unavoidable truth is that innocence was lost and nothing can restore it to its previous state. This is a universal truth: no one can escape the dreary grown-up world of fears and worries. Gretel has no one to hold her hand and, even if she did, it simply would not matter. The tale becomes more disenchanted than anything else as we realize its sad truth. The fact remains that experience does shape us for life. In 50 years, Gluck's work will remain appreciated for its unique insight into this phenomenon. More importantly, it will still be recognized as a type feminist work with special attention to unseen forces that can oppress women.

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