I found it interesting how, in both of the Brothers Grimm fairytales, there is an almost comical persistence of the characters. Snow White is depicted to be perfect to a fault, and her trusting nature adds to her likability as a character. Though she is consistently wronged by strangers, she continues to trust and finds a blessing within that when she eventually marries a beautiful prince and gets revenge on her stepmother.
In Hansel and Gretel, Hansel remains cunning in the face of adversity constantly. Even when caged and being fattened up, he still devises a way to deceive his captor and buy a little more time. The idea that it all works out for those who remain virtuous despite hardships is hammered in. I do not find the simplicity of the characters as engaging as I do more complex stories, but I think it is very interesting how creating characters who embody specific characteristics in all they do makes for such interesting plots. I would say the simplicity adds to the story by really cutting to the essence of what the characters truly feel rather than pussyfooting around it as we often naturally do as humans.
