(If, that is, you assume that the plan to deliberately feed children to the demon to protect the adults of the town was his idea, and they went along with it.)
My impression is that we;re supposed to think that they were feeding children to the demon for a long time.
The other analogy that came to mind is the way the older generation send their children away to fight and die in wars in the name of protecting (their own) way of life. It can be seen as a metaphor for the Slayers pre-empowerment spell. The folk of Hanselstadt convinced themselves that they were doing the right thing, making sacrifices for the common good.
Yes, I agree, there are many metaphorical reading of this situation, but I think it just Doesn't. Make. Sense. literally. People won't feed their children to a monster.
(I've just got the reply to the comment I left on your LJ). Yes, I think that the townsfolk could be (partially) hypnotyzed by the demon, although it's not in the text.
no subject
My impression is that we;re supposed to think that they were feeding children to the demon for a long time.
The other analogy that came to mind is the way the older generation send their children away to fight and die in wars in the name of protecting (their own) way of life. It can be seen as a metaphor for the Slayers pre-empowerment spell. The folk of Hanselstadt convinced themselves that they were doing the right thing, making sacrifices for the common good.
Yes, I agree, there are many metaphorical reading of this situation, but I think it just Doesn't. Make. Sense. literally. People won't feed their children to a monster.
(I've just got the reply to the comment I left on your LJ). Yes, I think that the townsfolk could be (partially) hypnotyzed by the demon, although it's not in the text.
*shrugs*
Still, icky.