Hansel is one of the protagonists of A Tale Dark and Grimm, based on the character of the same name from the Grimm Brother’s fairy tale. Hansel has “black curly hair and charcoal eyes” (24), and he is more impulsive than his sister. Hansel’s character arc focuses on overcoming guilt and grief. In Chapter 4, Hansel terrorizes the Lebenwald, hunting its creatures and taking more than he needs from the land. As a result, he grows fur and teeth until he is part animal, part boy. This transformation symbolizes the potential in all of us to do harm and the monster that can overcome us when we let our impulses take control.

When the hunters capture Hansel, they cut away the beastly part of him, leaving only the boy. This represents Hansel getting his impulses under control. Once he realizes what he did, he feels the need to make up for his actions. Hansel doesn’t make his journey to Hell to find the answers for the villages and ferryman, but gaining the answers nonetheless helps him atone for the harm he has caused.

Neither atonement nor destroying the dragon will bring back the creatures he killed in the Lebenwald. However, hurt and acts of kindness are not mutually exclusive.