The Humble Peasant
by Ambrose Bierce · from Fantastic Fables
Adapted Version
A man was very sad. He walked away from the big city. His big wish did not come true. He felt very sad. He thought about his big wish. It was a bad day for him. He walked on a long road. He wanted to be happy. He did not know how. He felt tears in his eyes. His heart was heavy. He wished for a new life. He felt very lost.
The Man saw a farmer. The farmer worked in a field. He used a rake. The farmer looked calm. He looked very happy. The Man thought, "No worries." The farmer worked in the sun. He looked peaceful. The Man felt different. He had many worries. The farmer had none. The Man wished he was like him.
The Man walked closer. He wanted to talk. He wanted to feel better. The farmer looked so calm. The farmer looked so happy. The Man thought, "He can teach me." He went to him. He wanted to learn. He wanted to know about joy. He wanted to know about peace. He hoped for new ways. He hoped for answers.
The Man said, "Hello!" Farmer nodded. He did not speak. The Man felt sad. He spoke again. "I am sad. My job wish failed." He felt very bad. His big dream was gone. He worked so hard. Now he had nothing. He told the farmer his story. He hoped for comfort.
The Farmer stopped his work. He looked at the Man. He put down his rake. He spoke right away. His voice was clear. "You go back to the city?" he asked. He looked at the Man's clothes. He looked at his hands. He asked, "Help me get a good job. A job in the town. A job with good pay. I want a new life too."
The Man was very surprised. He looked at the Farmer. The Farmer had a wish too. The Man understood. He turned and walked away. He walked on the road. He felt a new thought. He was surprised. He learned a big thing. Everyone has a wish. Even the farmer. The farmer wanted a good job too. He was not alone.
Original Story
The Humble Peasant
An Office Seeker whom the President had ordered out of Washington was watering the homeward highway with his tears.
“Ah,” he said, “how disastrous is ambition! how unsatisfying its rewards! how terrible its disappointments! Behold yonder peasant tilling his field in peace and contentment! He rises with the lark, passes the day in wholesome toil, and lies down at night to pleasant dreams. In the mad struggle for place and power he has no part; the roar of the strife reaches his ear like the distant murmur of the ocean. Happy, thrice happy man! I will approach him and bask in the sunshine of his humble felicity. Peasant, all hail!”
Leaning upon his rake, the Peasant returned the salutation with a nod, but said nothing.
“My friend,” said the Office Seeker, “you see before you the wreck of an ambitious man—ruined by the pursuit of place and power. This morning when I set out from the national capital—”
“Stranger,” the Peasant interrupted, “if you’re going back there soon maybe you wouldn’t mind using your influence to make me Postmaster at Smith’s Corners.”
The traveller passed on.
Story DNA
Moral
Even those who appear content with a simple life often harbor their own ambitions.
Plot Summary
A rejected office seeker, tearfully leaving Washington, romanticizes the peaceful life of a peasant he observes tilling a field. He approaches the peasant, intending to bask in his humble felicity and lament his own ambitious downfall. However, the peasant abruptly interrupts him to ask for political influence to secure a Postmaster position, revealing his own hidden ambition and shattering the office seeker's romanticized view. The office seeker, disillusioned, continues on his journey.
Themes
Emotional Arc
self-pity to ironic realization
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Ambrose Bierce was known for his cynical and satirical view of human nature and society, often reflecting post-Civil War American disillusionment and political corruption.
Plot Beats (6)
- An office seeker, expelled from Washington, weeps over his failed ambitions.
- He observes a peasant tilling his field and idealizes his simple, contented life.
- He decides to approach the peasant to find solace in his perceived humility.
- The office seeker greets the peasant and begins to lament his own pursuit of power.
- The peasant, without preamble, asks the office seeker to use his influence to get him a Postmaster position.
- The office seeker, taken aback by the peasant's hidden ambition, walks away.
Characters
The Office Seeker ★ protagonist
A man of average height and build, likely somewhat disheveled from his recent emotional distress and travel. His face might show signs of weariness and disappointment, perhaps a slight stoop in his shoulders from defeat.
Attire: Though not explicitly stated, as an 'Office Seeker' in Washington, he would have worn respectable, if now somewhat rumpled, business attire of the late 19th century. This would include a dark wool suit (perhaps a frock coat or sack coat), a starched white shirt, a dark tie, and possibly a waistcoat. His shoes would be leather, likely dusty from travel.
Wants: To achieve a position of power and influence (initially), then to find solace and understanding (briefly), and ultimately to escape further disappointment.
Flaw: His idealism and self-absorption blind him to the true nature of others and the pervasive desire for ambition.
He begins in despair, seeking solace in the perceived simplicity of others, but quickly learns that ambition is universal, leading him to further disillusionment.
Self-pitying, naive, prone to grand pronouncements, easily disillusioned, somewhat out of touch with common people.
Image Prompt & Upload
A middle-aged man with a slightly disheveled dark wool frock coat, a rumpled white shirt, and a dark tie. His face shows weariness and disappointment, with a slight slump to his shoulders. He has short, dark hair parted to the side. He is walking away from the viewer, looking over his shoulder with a dejected expression. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
The Peasant ◆ supporting
A man of sturdy build, accustomed to physical labor. His hands would be calloused, and his skin weathered from working outdoors. He would likely be of average height for a rural American man of the late 19th century.
Attire: Simple, practical working clothes typical of a late 19th-century American farmer. This would include sturdy denim or canvas trousers, a plain cotton work shirt (perhaps plaid or a solid color), and worn leather boots. He might wear a wide-brimmed straw hat to protect from the sun.
Wants: To improve his social standing and financial situation through a government appointment.
Flaw: His own hidden ambition, which he initially conceals.
He reveals that even those seemingly content with a simple life harbor ambitions, serving as a foil to the Office Seeker's romanticized view.
Quiet, observant, pragmatic, surprisingly ambitious, direct.
Image Prompt & Upload
A sturdy adult man with a weathered face and calloused hands, wearing a plain blue cotton work shirt, sturdy denim trousers, and worn leather boots. He has a simple, practical haircut and a short beard. He is leaning casually on a wooden rake, holding it with both hands, with a shrewd, expectant expression. A wide-brimmed straw hat is on his head. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Homeward Highway
A dusty, unpaved road leading away from the national capital, likely flanked by fields or undeveloped land, with the Office Seeker's tears dampening its surface.
Mood: Melancholy and reflective for the Office Seeker, but otherwise mundane and open.
The Office Seeker begins his journey home, lamenting his ambition and observing the peasant.
Image Prompt & Upload
A wide, unpaved dirt road stretches into the distance, flanked by dry, golden fields under a clear, bright sky. The road surface shows faint tracks and is slightly damp in places, reflecting the overhead light. Sparse, low-lying scrub brush dots the field edges, and a gentle haze softens the distant horizon. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
Peasant's Field
An agricultural field where a peasant is tilling, likely with simple hand tools like a rake, under the open sky. It represents peace and contentment to the Office Seeker.
Mood: Initially perceived as peaceful and idyllic by the Office Seeker, but quickly revealed to be just as ambition-driven as the capital.
The Office Seeker approaches the peasant, seeking solace, only to find the peasant also harbors political ambitions.
Image Prompt & Upload
A sun-drenched agricultural field, freshly tilled earth showing rich, dark soil in neat furrows stretching towards a low horizon. A few scattered, hardy weeds grow along the field's edge. The air is clear and bright, with a vast, pale blue sky overhead. The ground texture is rough and clumpy from recent work. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
