Literary Analysis

In the story of The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzch starts out with a young boy, an orphan, is found in river beaten to death and with a marking on his shoulder the villagers had thought to believe it was from witch craft. It didn’t take long for the rumors to spread about a witches marking, and to them the only person the witch could be was Martha Stechlin, the midwife, since she had practice with potions and was seen with the boy along with other orphans. The villagers believe she is the witch, she was taken to the jail where the council want her to confess. The hangman was to torture her so she’d confess, but he believed she did not do it, the council do not care for all they want is someone to take the blame and she fits the profile of a witch so to them it’s the best way to calm the townspeople if they had someone to blame. Soon another child turns up dead with the same witches marking whole two other children go missing. The hangman with the help of the physician’s son, Simon, try to figure who the real person behind the killings and missing children, in which they find out it is the devil. The townspeople hear about this news and are even more frightful than before, so the council is forcefully trying to get the midwife to confess. The hangman’s daughter gets kidnapped by the devil, the hangman and Simon must save her, the children, and the midwife before it’s all too late.

2 Theme:
Discrimination: The midwife is discriminated against by the fact she fits the witch’s profile, and they need someone to take the blame, so the townspeople will not be scared and panicked.
Injustice: The council didn’t care if she was guilty or not, for they did not want a repeat of the witch trials 70 years before.
3 Tone:
Sinister/dark: The story talks about witchcraft, the devil, and brutal murders of children.

“The boy’s face was blue and puffy, and the back of his head was crushed”

““Finish the matter quickly,” he whispered.  “The children mustn’t squeal.””
Panic: An innocent woman was going to die, and rumors would create pandemonium.

““Oh, nonsense! That’s absurd. The Stechlin woman is a midwife and nothing else.” “Remember what happened here 70 years ago. One half of the town accused the other half of witchcraft. Streams of blood flowed. Do you want to repeat that?”

““She has to confess”, Augustine continued, “because a rumor is like smoke. It will spread, it will seep through close doors and latched shutters, and in the end the whole town will smell of it. Let us put an end to the whole matter as soon as we can.””
Heroism: The Hangman and Simon risk their existence and livelihood in the town.
“”I’ll get the swine who did it. I promise you. Hold on until I have the bastard.””
““Don’t put your livelihood at stake on account of a witch!””
4:

Symbolism: The midwife brings life into the world but was accused of taking life.

Imagery: The author uses imagery to invoke the senses that they may come to life.

“Simon suddenly felt as if time had arrested. Every gesture and detail burned itself into his brain. His feet seemed glued to the earth, as if stuck in a swamp.”

“but beneath the thick foliage of oaks and beeches evening had already arrived. Shadows gradually spread into a clearing in the forest where four men sat around a crackling fire.”
Allusion: The author refers to witch trials and burning at the stake during the 30 Years War.
““Remember what happened here 70 years ago. One half of the town accused the other half of witchcraft.””
Climax: The climax of the story is when the Hangman’s daughter escapes from the devil’s henchmen, and them finding out who all else was in on it.

“”Who has brought unrest to this town then, then?  Who ordered the soldiers to kill small children, who had seen too much?  Who saw to it that fear and hate return to Schongau and that witches should burn at the stake again?”” he said to Augustine.

Resolution: The resolution in the story is the Hangman releasing the midwife.

“the hangman went to the keep and had the door unlocked by the bailiffs. The hangman said to the midwife,” ““you are going home.””