The Old Woman And Her Pig
by Joseph Jacobs
The Old Woman and Her Pig
Once, an old woman found a shiny coin. "What shall I do with this?" she said. She went to the market. She bought a little pig.
She walked home with her pig. They came to a stile over a fence. The pig would not go over.
She met a dog. "Please, Dog," she said. "Nudge my pig gently." But the dog said, "No."
She met a stick. "Please, Stick," she said. "Tap the dog gently." But the stick said, "I can't."
She met a fire. "Please, Fire," she said. "Warm the stick gently." But the fire said, "I won't."
She met some water. "Please, Water," she said. "Cool the fire gently." But the water said, "No."
She met an ox. "Please, Ox," she said. "Drink the water." But the ox said, "I can't help."
She met a butcher. "Please, Butcher," she said. "Scare the ox." But the butcher said, "No."
She met a rope. "Please, Rope," she said. "Tie up the butcher." But the rope said, "I can't."
She met a rat. "Please, Rat," she said. "Chew the rope lightly." But the rat said, "No."
She met a cat. "Please, Cat," she said. "Scare the rat away." "Yes, for milk," said the cat.
The old woman went to a cow. "Please, Cow," she said. "Give me some milk for my cat." "I will, for hay," said the cow.
The old woman went to a haystack. She brought hay to the cow. The cow gave her the milk.
She took the milk to the cat. The cat drank the milk. Then the cat scared the rat. The rat chewed the rope lightly. The rope tied up the butcher. The butcher scared the ox. The ox drank the water. The water cooled the fire. The fire warmed the stick. The stick tapped the dog. The dog nudged the pig gently. The little pig jumped over the stile!
And so, she got home safe and sound.
Original Story
THE OLD WOMAN AND HER PIG An old woman was sweeping her house, and she found a little crooked sixpence. “What,” said she, “shall I do with this little sixpence? I will go to market, and buy a little pig.” As she was coming home, she came to a stile: but the piggy wouldn't go over the stile. She went a little further, and she met a dog. So she said to the dog: “Dog! bite pig; piggy won't go over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.” But the dog wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met a stick. So she said: “Stick! stick! beat dog! dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.” But the stick wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met a fire. So she said: “Fire! fire! burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.” But the fire wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met some water. So she said: “Water, water! quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.” But the water wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met an ox. So she said: “Ox! ox! drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.” But the ox wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met a butcher. So she said: “Butcher! butcher! kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.” But the butcher wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met a rope. So she said: “Rope! rope! hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.” But the rope wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met a rat. So she said: “Rat! rat! gnaw rope; rope won't hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.” But the rat wouldn't. She went a little further, and she met a cat. So she said: “Cat! cat! kill rat; rat won't gnaw rope; rope won't hang butcher; butcher won't kill ox; ox won't drink water; water won't quench fire; fire won't burn stick; stick won't beat dog; dog won't bite pig; piggy won't get over the stile; and I shan't get home to-night.” But the cat said to her, “If you will go to yonder cow, and fetch me a saucer of milk, I will kill the rat.” So away went the old woman to the cow. But the cow said to her: “If you will go to yonder hay-stack, and fetch me a handful of hay, I'll give you the milk.” So away went the old woman to the haystack and she brought the hay to the cow. As soon as the cow had eaten the hay, she gave the old woman the milk; and away she went with it in a saucer to the cat. As soon as the cat had lapped up the milk, the cat began to kill the rat; the rat began to gnaw the rope; the rope began to hang the butcher; the butcher began to kill the ox; the ox began to drink the water; the water began to quench the fire; the fire began to burn the stick; the stick began to beat the dog; the dog began to bite the pig; the little pig in a fright jumped over the stile, and so the old woman got home that night.
Moral of the Story
Persistence and understanding the chain of cause and effect can help overcome obstacles.
Characters
The Old Woman ★ protagonist
Implied to be frail enough to be inconvenienced by a pig not crossing a stile, but persistent.
Attire: Simple, practical peasant dress, likely a long skirt, blouse, and apron, suitable for sweeping and market trips.
Determined, persistent, resourceful.
The Pig ◆ supporting
A little pig, implied to be small and stubborn.
Stubborn, easily frightened.
The Dog ○ minor
A dog, no specific breed mentioned.
Initially uncooperative, but eventually compliant.
The Cat ◆ supporting
A cat, no specific breed or color mentioned.
Conditional, helpful once its needs are met.
The Cow ○ minor
A cow, no specific breed or color mentioned.
Conditional, helpful once its needs are met.
Locations
Old Woman's House
A house where an old woman lives, likely modest and kept clean, as she was sweeping it.
Mood: ordinary, domestic, starting point of a journey
The old woman finds the sixpence and decides to buy a pig.
The Stile
A structure allowing people to cross a fence or wall, but preventing animals, where the pig refuses to go over.
Mood: frustrating, stubborn, central obstacle
The pig's refusal to cross the stile initiates the entire chain of events.
The Haystack
A large pile of hay, likely in a field or near a farm, where the old woman gets hay for the cow.
Mood: rural, agricultural, helpful
The old woman obtains the hay needed to get milk from the cow, which then sets off the chain reaction.
Story DNA
Moral
Persistence and understanding the chain of cause and effect can help overcome obstacles.
Plot Summary
An old woman, after buying a pig, faces a dilemma when the pig refuses to cross a stile on her way home. Desperate to get home, she embarks on a long journey, asking a series of animals and inanimate objects for help, but they all refuse. Finally, a cat agrees to help if she gets milk from a cow, which in turn requires hay. After fulfilling these conditions, a chain reaction is set off, causing each entity to act, ultimately frightening the pig over the stile and allowing the old woman to return home.
Themes
Emotional Arc
frustration to relief
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Joseph Jacobs was a prominent collector and publisher of English fairy tales in the late 19th century, preserving many traditional stories.
Plot Beats (15)
- An old woman finds a sixpence and decides to buy a pig at the market.
- On the way home, the pig refuses to cross a stile.
- The old woman asks a dog to bite the pig, but the dog refuses.
- She asks a stick to beat the dog, but the stick refuses.
- She asks a fire to burn the stick, but the fire refuses.
- She asks water to quench the fire, but the water refuses.
- She asks an ox to drink the water, but the ox refuses.
- She asks a butcher to kill the ox, but the butcher refuses.
- She asks a rope to hang the butcher, but the rope refuses.
- She asks a rat to gnaw the rope, but the rat refuses.
- She asks a cat to kill the rat, and the cat agrees if she gets milk from a cow.
- The old woman asks a cow for milk, and the cow agrees if she gets hay from a haystack.
- The old woman fetches hay for the cow, the cow gives milk to the cat, and the cat kills the rat.
- This triggers a reverse chain reaction: rat gnaws rope, rope hangs butcher, butcher kills ox, ox drinks water, water quenches fire, fire burns stick, stick beats dog, dog bites pig.
- The pig, frightened, jumps over the stile, and the old woman gets home.
