Essay for Week 13: The Grimm Brothers' Dark Outlook on the World

Illustration by Walter Crane. Web Source: Un-Textbook

This week I read Ashliman's translation of some of the classic stories that came from the Brothers Grimm. One thing that almost every hears when they are told about these stories is that they are not as friendly as their Disney cousins. A lot of them are very gruesome and dark. People may get a happy ending, but the story is not going to be full of lollipops and gumdrops while getting there. Many of the stories I read this week had an especially negative outlook on the people of this world.

One such story is the Cat and Mouse in Partnership. In this story, a cat and mouse decide to live together, and they store a pot of fat in a church to save for the winter season. The cat, however, eats it all up before winter, then he eats the mouse. The story ends with the line, “that is the way of the world.” My jaw just dropped when I read that. How horrible! The little guy is going to get screwed over by the fat cats of the world and all we are left with is “that’s just the way it is.” However, the mouse should know not to trust a cat. Cats are the natural predator of mice. The moral could be salvaged and made into something like: be careful who you get into bed with; don’t partner someone who is known to be an enemy. This moral, however, could lead children to be overly distrusting of people.

Again, in The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids, the wolf was trying to deceive seven young kids (baby goats). He goes to the miller for help. The miller is scared of the wolf, so he agrees, even though he knows it is wrong. The story says “that is the way people are.” I again object to this moral. The miller feared the consequences of doing the right thing, so he helped the wolf. People cannot live that way; they must do what is right because it is right.

Perhaps these stories were written in this way on purpose. Perhaps the Brothers Grimm intended on me to find the moral disgusting. That way, I object strongly to them and do not become like the characters in their story. In this way, reading their stories could create a better world.

 

Storytelling for Week 13: The Fox and the Cat

 Reynard the Fox Web Source: Wikipedia

One day, the cat ran into a childhood friend of his, Mr. Fox. The fox had been away for several years, during which he devoted his time to his education. The cat approached the fox, who was carrying a large sack on his back, and greeted his old friend. However, the fox looked upon the cat with contempt. The fox considered himself to be greater than the cat, for he had spent his time learning hundreds of tricks for escaping predators. He the cat that he would consider the cat lucky if he knew but one of these tricks.

Indeed, the cat did know one trick. If ever he found himself fleeing from a predator, he would simply run up a tree and hide in the branches. He told this to the fox. The fox laughed and showed the cat the sack he had been carrying on his back. He explained that inside that sack were nearly a thousand tricks he could use, all of which would outperform the cat’s simple trick.

The cat became angry. He did not consider himself overly prideful, but he did not like the way his old friend had spoken to him. He decided to challenge the fox. The next day, they would open up the farmer’s fence that kept his many dogs from escaping. The dogs would immediately chase after the cat and the fox, and whoever demonstrated their trick the greatest would be the victor. The fox agreed and said that he would bring his sack and chose one at random to show that any of his tricks would be greater than the cat’s. The fox then went on his way.

The next morning, the fox and the cat met at the farmer’s fence. Already, the dogs were barking wildly at the two. They stood ten yards away while the rabbit, a mutual friend, waited for the cat’s signal to unlock the fence. The fox tried to open his sack to choose a trick, but could not untie the knot. What he did not know, was that, during the previous night, the cat snuck over and tied a knot around the bag so that it could not be opened. As the fox struggled with the sack, the cat told him to simply think of a trick from memory. However, the fox had not committed any of his tricks to memory; he only wrote them down and put them in his sack.

The cat then gave the rabbit the signal to unlock the fence. Immediately, the dogs began their chase. The cat found a nearby tree, ran up its trunk, and hid amongst its branches. As he looked down, he saw the fox still fumbling with his sack. He called out to the fox to hurry up and choose a trick, but it was too late. The fox could not think of a trick and was eaten by the dogs.

Author’s Note:

This story is based on The Fox and the Cat from the Brothers Grimm unit. The original story is basically the same as mine. However, I did add the part about the cat tying a knot around the sack. I like this story because it gives value to experience over education. Education is very important, but it is useless if not applied. The fox “knew” hundreds of tricks, but never did use any enough to commit to memory. The cat knew only one trick, but he practiced it often.

Bibliography

“The Fox and the Cat” from The Grimm Brothers’ Children’s and Household Tales translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).

Reading Diary for Week 13 Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)

Brothers Grimm (Ashliman)


Cat and Mouse in Partnership: Wow, what a tough lesson for the mouse. The reader would like to see justice done to the cat, but the writer instead instructs the reader that the world doesn't always work that way.


The Wolf and the Seven Young Kids: Agh! Again! The reader would like to see the Miller stand up to the wolf, but he was frightened and did not. The Brothers Grimm have a dark outlook on the people of this world. At least the kids ended up alright and the wolf met his doom


The Seven Ravens: This story was very odd and trippy. I'm glad the family was reunited, though

Rumpelstiltskin: It's always fun to read this story. But now I think of Once Upon a Time when I read his name.

The Fox and the Cat: Interesting story. The fox was pretty arrogant in his thinking. The story started with him metaphorically looking down on the cat, but the story ended with the cat literally looking down on him. This could be a fun one to rewrite, but it would need to be lengthened.

Death's Messengers: I read this story interested in how they would portray death. I wasn't a fan. He just seemed like a bully who picked on the little guy. However, he did say that he favors no one. Also, people don't understand death most of the time, so it makes sense that the man did not recognize death's messengers.

The Hare and the Hedgehog: "And if they have not died, then they are still alive." Haha, what a fantastic line. I really like this story. The Hedgehog should be kinder to his wife, but, overall, it is a fun tale.