The ungrateful son
by Brothers Grimm
The Ungrateful Son
One day, a man had a chicken. It was big and hot. It was so yummy. He sat at his table. He was ready to eat.
Then he looked out the door. He saw his old father. His father walked to the house. The old man looked tired. The old man looked sad.
The son did not want to share. He took the chicken fast. He put it under a cloth. He hid it from his father. "This is my food," he thought. "I will not share it."
His old father came inside. He was kind and gentle. "May I have some water?" The son gave him water. The old man drank it slow. He said, "Thank you, my son." Then he walked away. He did not ask for food.
The son smiled a big smile. Now he was all alone. He took the cloth off. He was so happy.
But the chicken was gone! A big green toad sat there. It looked at the son. It did not move at all. The son jumped back in shock.
The toad jumped up high. It sat on his arm. The son pushed it off. But the toad came right back. It sat on him again. He pushed it off once more. The toad came back again.
His friends tried to help him. They took the toad far away. But it came back each time. It jumped right back on him. No one could stop the toad. It always came back.
Now the son had to share. Each day, he gave food to it. If he did not share, it croaked. It croaked so very loud. It did not stop at all. He had to feed the toad.
The son was very sad now. He thought about his father. His father was kind to him. His father only wanted food. But the son did not share. Now the toad sat on him. It would not go away.
He wished he had been kind. He wished he had shared his food. He was sorry every day.
Share with the ones you love.
Original Story
The ungrateful son A fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm A man and his wife were once sitting by the door of their house, and they had a roasted chicken set before them, and were about to eat it together. Then the man saw that his aged father was coming, and hastily took the chicken and hid it, for he would not permit him to have any of it. The old man came, took a drink, and went away. Now the son wanted to put the roasted chicken on the table again, but when he took it up, it had become a great toad, which jumped into his face and sat there and never went away again, and if any one wanted to take it off, it looked venomously at him as if it would jump in his face, so that no one would venture to touch it. And the ungrateful son was forced to feed the toad every day, or else it fed itself on his face; and thus he went about the world without knowing rest. * * * * *
Moral of the Story
Those who are ungrateful and deny their parents will face a lasting and inescapable punishment.
Characters
The Ungrateful Son ★ protagonist
None explicitly mentioned, but implied to be a common man.
Attire: None explicitly mentioned, likely simple peasant attire.
Ungrateful, selfish, fearful.
The Wife ○ minor
None explicitly mentioned.
Attire: None explicitly mentioned, likely simple peasant attire.
Observant (witnesses the events), passive (does not intervene).
The Aged Father ◆ supporting
Aged, implying frailness or visible signs of old age.
Attire: None explicitly mentioned, likely simple, worn clothing.
Quiet, unassuming, perhaps a bit frail.
The Toad ⚔ antagonist
A great toad, venomously looking.
Attire: None (it's an animal).
Punishing, persistent, menacing.
Locations
House Doorway
The entrance to the man and his wife's house, where they were sitting with a roasted chicken.
Mood: Initially domestic and comfortable, then tense and secretive, finally cursed and inescapable.
The son hides the chicken from his father; the chicken transforms into a toad.
Story DNA
Moral
Those who are ungrateful and deny their parents will face a lasting and inescapable punishment.
Plot Summary
A man hides a roasted chicken from his aged father to avoid sharing. After his father leaves, the chicken transforms into a toad that jumps onto the son's face and permanently attaches itself. The ungrateful son is then condemned to a life of feeding the toad daily, never finding peace, as a punishment for his selfishness.
Themes
Emotional Arc
selfishness to perpetual torment
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Grimm's fairy tales often reflect traditional European moral codes and folk beliefs, where divine or magical justice is swift and often literal.
Plot Beats (10)
- A man and his wife prepare to eat a roasted chicken.
- The man sees his aged father approaching their house.
- The man hastily hides the chicken, unwilling to share it with his father.
- The old father arrives, takes a drink, and then leaves.
- The son retrieves the hidden chicken.
- The chicken has transformed into a large toad.
- The toad jumps onto the son's face and sticks there.
- No one can remove the toad because it looks venomous and threatens to jump at anyone who tries.
- The ungrateful son is forced to feed the toad daily, or it feeds on his face.
- The son lives a life of perpetual torment, wandering without rest.
