Week 13 Reading Notes: Russian Fairy Tales Part A

The Dead Mother is a spooky story that sounds like it would be a hellish nightmare for the widowed father. I think it was interesting that once the ghost mother was discovered, she was never heard from again, and the baby died. She was keeping it alive, but it still screamed all day. That sounds awful. The poor old man in The Treasure loses his wife and gains riches, albeit in a roundabout way, but it is really a story of man's greed being his own destruction. I was quite surprised at the end when the goat skin had fused to the pope's body, but I find it to be a fitting punishment. It was even more curious that the pope could not shed the goat skin even after returning the money to the poor old man. No one gets away with wrongdoing in Russia, I suppose.
I laughed so hard at The Bad Wife. It is almost like a dream sequence that plays out in old married couples' heads. This was taking marital problems to the extreme, and I found it hilarious. Now I am just assuming that is how all Russian men think about their wife. It's so funny that she is so terrible that even the demons are scared of her. She must have been the devil himself. While the first story might be a Russian man's nightmare, this could be a Russian man's dream.
The Three Copecks is an epic adventure that ultimately leads to a happy engagement. I think this story is a metaphor for life; if you are patient, confident and trusting, good things will come to you. The long story reminded me of Homer's Odyssey, especially because it followed the cat far and wide, and ultimately the protagonist reaped benefits after a long time.
The Miser is a good representation of how far a greedy man will go to not pay back a debt. This makes me think of rich people in power evading taxes whilst mocking the poor and needy.


Rhus Tomentosa, The Wild Currant Tree. Photo taken by Abu Shawka, found on Wikimedia, here.
To represent the currant bush in The Bad Wife.

Bibliography: Stories from Russian Fairy Tales by W.R.S. Ralston, found here.