Luck is something that is left to everyone’s own judgment. Some will consider Hans, or Jack, a foolish man. Jack thinks that he is the luckiest man in the world. This is because he is always trading for something that he wants even though he is manipulated and is constantly trading down. When a piece of gold the size of his head is too heavy he trades it for a horse so his tired feet don’t have to walk. Most humans will carry a large gold nugget miles just to be rich. These days though people will do just about anything to have money. If you hurt your back, one now has money to go have it fixed. Eve Tharlet’s version of “Hans in Luck” titled Jack in Luck follows the same storyline as the original. Jack keeps trading one thing for another trying to unload his own burden on someone else. In the end the joke is on him returning home to his mother empty handed, he’s too ignorant to see it though. Jack here is portrayed as if he were a |
small boy. He’s small, round, and one may want to squeeze his checks while reading the book. After seven years of servitude the small boy is clearly a man, despite learning nothing about the real world. The art is modestly drawn, using neutral colors appropriately giving the story a slow unexciting feel. This mood, for me, lends itself to Jack’s character traits.
The tale made me think of “Jack and the Beanstalk”. Both Jack’s trade their cow for some object. The difference is in the Grimm’s narrative Hans’ mother accepts him back as he is — penniless.
The tale made me think of “Jack and the Beanstalk”. Both Jack’s trade their cow for some object. The difference is in the Grimm’s narrative Hans’ mother accepts him back as he is — penniless.