Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Old Man and His Grandson

I've had a difficult week. I needed a little something to pull me out of the doldrums. I went back to my good ol' Grimm collection looking for a fun, little shorty to spotlight for my second blog this week. I found one in "The Old Man and His Grandson."

This story is more of a lesson-based story. It does not include any fairy creatures or magic at all. What it does include is the hilarious and candid innocence of a child. Because of its brevity, I will include the entire story below. Enjoy.

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"The Old Man and His Grandson" by the Brothers Grimm

There was once a very old man, whose eyes had become dim, his ears dull of hearing, his knees trembled, and when he sat at table he could hardly hold the spoon, and spilt the broth upon the table-cloth or let it run out of his mouth. His son and his son’s wife were disgusted at this, so the old grandfather at last had to sit in the corner behind the stove, and they gave him his food in an earthenware bowl, and not even enough of it. And he used to look towards the table with his eyes full of tears. Once, too, his trembling hands could not hold the bowl, and it fell to the ground and broke. The young wife scolded him, but he said nothing and only sighed. Then they brought him a wooden bowl for a few half-pence, out of which he had to eat.

They were once sitting thus when the little grandson of four years old began to gather together some bits of wood upon the ground. ’What are you doing there?’ asked the father. ’I am making a little trough,’ answered the child, ’for father and mother to eat out of when I am big.’

The man and his wife looked at each other for a while, and presently began to cry. Then they took the old grandfather to the table, and henceforth always let him eat with them, and likewise said nothing if he did spill a little of anything.

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Obviously this is a "respect your elders" story. We've all seen and heard them before. They are your elders and you ought to respect them simply because they are older than you. I find it convenient that they left out the drooling old man's vast criminal record, but whatever.

The real awesomeness of the story surrounds the actions of the "helpful" grandson. This kid was not actually trying to make a point. He was a wonderful little idiot that wanted dearly to save his parents trouble in there drippier years. I gotta hand it to him. He really cared!

Even though the boy's altruistic plan was thwarted by a sudden rush of empathy, the image still brings to mind a middle aged fellow sitting in the kitchen while he watched his aging mother and father shoving their face into a trough full of slop. Oh, how generous he is! This story made me laugh.

I still have no proof that the old man had actually earned his reverence. There seems to be an unwritten rule that we should look up to them. The story advises the reader to blindly look up and care for your elders no matter who they are, especially if they are your relatives. I don't agree with it, but I do like the story for its hilarious imagery. Children can really say and do things like that. You should meet my nephew sometime. (Sorry Josh.)

Thank you for reading this blog! Did you enjoy it? Did it offend you? Either way, I want to hear what you think. You can comment below, or you can email me at tkwadeauthor@gmail.com. Thanks!