The Giant's Wife
helper · giant
Hides Jack three times, knowing exactly what he is doing, and lies to her husband to his face.
What they are like
- Kind
- 10/10
- Brave
- 9/10
- Clever
- 9/10
- Honest
- 5/10
- Curious
- 4/10
- Patient
- 10/10
How we meet them
Warning him off in her first line, and feeding him within two minutes of it.
Personality
Tired and decent. She is not fooled once. She helps anyway, and by the third time she does it without speaking, which is the saddest thing in the story.
What they want
A hungry boy turned up at her door. She never gives another reason.
How they change
Feeds him, hides him, is robbed for it, and does it twice more anyway.
How they speak
Dryly. Her funniest and best line is to her own husband: 'You said that last time, and it was the sheep.'
How the story treats them
The story never thanks her and Jack never really reckons with her. She is the only reason any of it works.
One surprising thing
She is the actual clever one in this story. Jack never outwits the giant; she does, three times, and gets nothing for it.
If they were real today
She would be the person who keeps letting you in when everyone has told her not to.
Things they say
- “You want to be away from here. My husband eats boys.”
- “You said that last time, and it was the sheep.”
- “You. The hen.”
Key moments
Get in the oven. Now.
The house begins to shake and she has him hidden before he has understood what is happening.
“Get in the oven. Now.”
You. The hen.
Second visit. She knows exactly who he is and what he took, says three words about it, and stands aside anyway.
“You. The hen.”
She did not speak to him once
Third visit. No greeting, no reproach, no words at all. She stands aside and points at the copper.
Who they know
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