The wilful child
by Brothers Grimm
The Stubborn Little Girl
Lina was a little girl. She did not like to listen. It was time for soup. Lina did not listen. It was time for her coat. Lina did not listen. It was time to come inside. Lina did not listen.
One day it rained. The rain was cold. Lina had no coat. She played in the rain. She jumped in puddles. She splashed in the water. Rain ran down her hair. Her dress was wet too. She got very wet. She got very cold. Her nose was red. Her hands were cold. Her feet were cold too. She did not feel good. She gave a small cough. She had a cold.
Lina was very tired. She did not want to play. She did not want to eat. She sat on the floor. She put her head down. Mama picked her up. Mama put her in bed. The bed was soft. The blanket was warm. Lina did not like bed. But she was too tired.
Mama pulled the blanket up. She tucked it under Lina's chin. "Good night, Lina," Mama said. "Stay in bed," Mama said. Mama turned off the light. She closed the door. The room was still.
But Lina was still stubborn. Her hand came out. It came out from the blanket. She reached for her toys. They were on the shelf. They looked fun and bright. She wanted to play. She did not want to stay. She did not want to rest.
Papa came in. He tucked her hand back. He pulled the blanket up. He tried to make her cozy. But the hand came out again. Big brother came in. He tucked her hand back. He pulled the blanket up. He tried to make her cozy. But the hand came out again!
Then Mama came back. She sat on the bed. She saw the small hand. It stuck out from the blanket. Mama was not angry. Mama was not upset. She smiled a little. She looked at Lina's face.
Mama took Lina's hand. She held it in her hand. "Lina, it is time to rest now." "Close your eyes." Her voice was soft. Her hand was warm. Lina felt safe. Lina felt loved. She did not pull away.
Lina's hand was soft now. It was not stubborn now. Mama put it back. She tucked it under the blanket. The hand stayed. Lina did not reach out. The room was quiet. She felt warm and safe. Her eyes grew heavy.
Lina closed her eyes. She slept. She slept very well. In the morning, Lina woke up. She sat up with a smile. The sun was out. She felt good. She ate her soup. She put on her coat. She came when Mama called. And Mama smiled.
Original Story
The wilful child A fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm Once upon a time there was a child who was willful, and would not dowh at her mother wished. For this reason God had no pleasure in her, and let her become ill, and no doctor could do her any good, and in a short time she lay on her death-bed. When she had been lowered into her grave, and the earth was spread over her, all at once her arm came out again, and stretched upwards, and when they had put it in and spread fresh earth over it, it was all to no purpose, for the arm always came out again. Then the mother herself was obliged to go to the grave, and strike the arm with a rod, and when she had done that, it was drawn in, and then at last the child had rest beneath the ground. * * * * *
Moral of the Story
Disobedience to parents, especially to one's mother, can lead to divine displeasure and prevent even the dead from finding peace.
Characters
The Wilful Child ★ protagonist
Her arm, which repeatedly emerged from her grave after death.
Attire: Burial shroud, implied by being in a grave.
Wilful, disobedient, stubborn.
The Mother ◆ supporting
Undescribed, but implied to be a grieving mother.
Attire: Period-appropriate peasant dress, likely dark for mourning.
Grieving, authoritative (eventually), desperate.
God ⚔ antagonist
Invisible, omnipresent.
Attire: None.
Punitive, righteous, displeased by disobedience.
Locations
The Child's Death-bed
The place where the child lay ill and eventually died, with no doctor able to help her.
Mood: somber, tragic, helpless
The child's illness and death.
The Grave
A burial site where the child was lowered and earth was spread over her. Her arm repeatedly emerged from the ground.
Mood: eerie, unsettling, supernatural, finality
The child's burial and the supernatural emergence of her arm, followed by the mother's intervention.
Story DNA
Moral
Disobedience to parents, especially to one's mother, can lead to divine displeasure and prevent even the dead from finding peace.
Plot Summary
A willful child disobeys her mother, leading to divine displeasure, illness, and death. After her burial, her arm repeatedly emerges from the grave, preventing her rest. Only when her mother strikes the arm with a rod does it retract, allowing the child to finally find peace beneath the ground.
Themes
Emotional Arc
defiance to suffering to final, reluctant peace
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Reflects a pre-modern, religiously influenced worldview where disobedience to authority (parents, God) was seen as a grave sin with tangible, often supernatural, repercussions. The mother's role as the enforcer of final peace is significant.
Plot Beats (10)
- A child is characterized as willful and disobedient to her mother.
- God, displeased by her behavior, causes her to become ill.
- No doctor can cure her, and she soon dies.
- She is buried in her grave, and earth is spread over her.
- Her arm inexplicably emerges from the grave.
- People try to rebury the arm, but it keeps reappearing.
- The mother is compelled to go to the grave herself.
- The mother strikes the child's protruding arm with a rod.
- The arm retracts into the grave.
- The child finally finds rest beneath the ground.
