Class and Exploitation Theme Analysis

There is a clear socioeconomic gap between little Hans and the Miller: little Hans is a poor villager, while the Miller is a rich tradesman. Despite his wealth, the Miller remains greedy and continues to take from Hans and extract the poor man’s labor, even though Hans has close to nothing. Furthermore, the Miller demonstrates no qualms about his exploitation of Hans, nor is he punished for it. Through this narrative of exploitation, Wilde demonstrates that the rich are often able to successfully capitalize on the poor without facing any backlash for their actions.

Wilde makes it clear that the Miller is much wealthier than little Hans and that they belong to different classes. When the Linnet begins his tale, he tells the Water-rat, “I don’t think [little Hans] was distinguished at all, except for his kind heart, and his funny, round, good-humoured face.” Little Hans “lived in a tiny cottage all by himself, and every day he worked in his garden.” On the other hand, the Miller “had a hundred sacks of flour stored away in his mill, and six milch cows, and a large flock of woolly sheep.” In terms of commercial value, the Miller’s assets far surpass the beautiful flowers in little Hans’s garden. The winter months are “a very bad time” for little Hans; having “no money at all to buy bread with,” Hans is forced to sell the silver buttons from his Sunday coat, his silver chain, his big pipe, and his wheelbarrow. In contrast to little Hans, the Miller spends his winter conversing with his son and wife, who “sat in her comfortable armchair by the big pinewood fire” with her “large glass of warm ale.” While the Miller enjoys these amenities, little Hans “suffer[s] a good deal from cold and hunger, and often ha[s] to go to bed without any supper but a few dried pears or some hard nuts.” From this, readers see that little Hans earns his bread from day to day, while the Miller is wealthy enough to enjoy periods of leisure.

The Miller, despite his wealth, still manipulates the poor Hans into giving up property and labor, and Hans receives no compensation for his efforts. At the beginning of the fairytale, the Miller takes freely from Hans’s garden: “Indeed, so devoted was the Miller to little Hans, that he would never go by his garden without leaning over the wall and plucking a large nosegay, or a handful of sweet herbs, or filling his pockets with plums and cherries if it was the fruit season.” Later on, the Miller takes a plank from Hans to repair the roof of the Miller’s own barn as well as a basketful of flowers that Hans was going to sell at the market. The Miller, despite his many possessions, always wants more. His greediness leads him to take even from those who are much less fortunate than he is. The Miller also manipulates Hans into giving free labor throughout the course of the fairytale. Hans takes the Miller’s sack of flour to the market, mends his barn-roof, drives his sheep to the mountain, and, quite fatally, fetches the doctor for his son during a storm. The Miller “was always coming round and sending [Hans] off on long errands, or getting him to help at the mill,” so little Hans never has time to look after his flowers. The Miller promises Hans a broken wheelbarrow as payment—a useless form of compensation, considering that he took the plank of wood Hans would need to repair the wheelbarrow—but the Miller never follows through on this meager act of generosity.

The Miller is not punished for his unjust treatment of Hans. Through this, Wilde shows that those belonging to the upper classes can often manipulate the lower classes for their own benefit and remain at ease about their actions. Although the Miller’s actions lead to the death of little Hans, he still serves the honorable role of chief mourner at Hans’s funeral. He even declares, “As I was [Hans’s] best friend […] it is only fair that I should have the best place.” No one in the village appears to dispute this claim. The Miller also evades punishment on an emotional level, as he shows no guilt regarding Hans’s death. Indeed, there is even a sentiment of blame in the Miller’s last words in the fairytale. When the Blacksmith remarks that “Little Hans is certainly a great loss to everyone,” the Miller makes a heartless reply: “A great loss to me at any rate […] why, I had as good as given him my wheelbarrow, and now I really don’t know what to do with it. It is very much in my way at home, and it is in such bad repair that I could not get anything for it if I sold it. I will certainly take care not to give away anything again. One certainly suffers for being generous.” It is as if the Miller blames Hans for dying and not taking the unwanted wheelbarrow. There is no hint of a guilty conscience anywhere in his words—the Miller has not the vaguest inclination of towards remorse.

Ultimately, the fairytale stands as a matter-of-fact portrayal of how the upper classes (represented by the Miller) can manipulate the lower classes (represented by Hans), with neither party aware of the exploitation that is happening. The story ends on a bleak note, as Wilde resists from providing any sort of solution. There is neither guilt nor punishment for the rich manipulator—such is the way things are in this world.