A Son of Adam
by Unknown · from Tales of Laughter: A third fairy book
Adapted Version
Leo works in the sun. He feels very hot. "Oh, this is hard work!" he says. He digs and digs. He is very tired. He thinks, "This is not fair. It is all because of an old mistake. Someone else made it!" He complains a lot.
Mr. Wise hears Leo. Mr. Wise is Leo's boss. He walks to Leo. "Why do you blame others?" Mr. Wise asks. "You would do the same. You would too. Leo says, "No!"
Mr. Wise has an idea. He smiles a little. "Come to my house," he says. "Come for dinner. Let us see. Can you be good? We will see tonight." Leo agrees.
Dinner time comes. Leo goes to Mr. Wise's house. The table is full of food. Yummy food is all around! Mr. Wise points to one dish. It has a lid. "Eat any food," he says. "But do not touch this dish. Do not touch the covered dish."
Mr. Wise leaves the room. He closes the door. Leo is all alone now. He is with all the food.
Leo eats some yummy food. It tastes very good. But he looks at the covered dish. It sits in the middle. He thinks, "What is inside? What is in there?" He feels very eager. He wants to know.
Leo thinks some more. "Just a little peek," he says. "No one will know. It is not touching. I will just look. There is no harm. It is okay."
Leo lifts the lid. He lifts it a tiny bit. He sees nothing inside. He lifts it a little more. POP! A little mouse jumps out! It runs very fast. The mouse is very quick. Leo is surprised. "Oh no!" he thinks.
The Little Mouse runs fast. Leo jumps up. He tries to catch it. He runs around the room. The mouse runs under the table. Leo runs after it. He makes a big noise. Crash! Bang!
Mr. Wise hears the noise. He comes back inside. He sees Leo running. He sees the mess. He sees the Little Mouse. Mr. Wise sees it all.
Mr. Wise smiles. "See, Leo?" he says. "It is easy to make a mistake. It is easy to want things. At times we want what we cannot have. Do not blame others. All can make mistakes." Leo knows now. He feels a little shy. He learned a lesson.
Original Story
A Son of Adam
A man was working one day. It was very hot, and he was digging. By and by he stopped to rest and wipe his face; and he grew very angry to think he had to work so hard just because of Adam’s sin. So he complained bitterly, and said some very hard words about Adam.
It happened that his master heard him, and he asked: “Why do you blame Adam? You’d ha’ done just like Adam, if you’d a-been in his place.”
“No, I shouldn’t,” says the man. “I should ha’ know’d better.”
“Well, I’ll try you,” says his master. “Come to me at dinner-time.”
So come dinner-time, the man came, and his master took him into a room where the table was a-set with good things of all sorts. And he said: “Now, you can eat as much as ever you like from any of the dishes on the table; but don’t touch the covered dish in the middle till I come back.” And with that the master went out of the room and left the man there all by himself. So the man began to taste some o’ this dish and some o’ that, and enjoyed himself finely. But after a while, as his master didn’t come back, he began to look at the covered dish, and to wonder whatever was in it. And he wondered more and more, and he says to himself: “It must be something very nice. Why shouldn’t I just look at it? I won’t touch it. There can’t be any harm in just peeping.” So at last he could hold back no longer, and he lifted up the cover a tiny bit; but he couldn’t see anything. Then he lifted it up a bit more, and out popped a mouse. The man tried to catch it; but it ran away and jumped off the table 245and he ran after it. It ran first into one corner, and then, just as he thought he’d got it, into another, and under the table, and all about the room. And the man made such a clatter, jumping and banging and running round after the mouse, a-trying to catch it, that at last his master came in.
“Ah!” he said; “never you blame Adam again, my man!”
Story DNA
Moral
It is easy to blame others for their mistakes, but human nature makes us all susceptible to temptation.
Plot Summary
A man complains bitterly about having to work hard because of Adam's sin, believing he would have acted more wisely. His master challenges him and sets a test: the man can eat anything at a feast except for a single covered dish. Overcome by curiosity, the man peeks under the cover, releasing a mouse and causing a frantic chase. The master returns, witnessing the chaos, and uses the incident to prove that the man is no different from Adam, thus teaching him a lesson about human nature and humility.
Themes
Emotional Arc
anger to realization
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
The story draws on the Judeo-Christian concept of original sin and the human tendency to blame others, a common theme in moralistic folk tales.
Plot Beats (11)
- A man is digging in the heat and complains bitterly about Adam's sin, blaming him for his hard work.
- His master overhears him and challenges his self-righteousness, claiming the man would have done the same.
- The master proposes a test and invites the man to dinner.
- At dinner, the master sets a table with many dishes, allowing the man to eat anything except a specific covered dish in the middle.
- The master leaves the man alone in the room.
- The man enjoys the available food but grows increasingly curious about the forbidden covered dish.
- He rationalizes that there's no harm in just peeking.
- He lifts the cover slightly, sees nothing, then lifts it more, releasing a mouse.
- The man frantically chases the mouse around the room, making a loud commotion.
- The master returns, witnessing the chaos caused by the man's disobedience.
- The master tells the man never to blame Adam again, implying the man's actions mirrored Adam's original sin.
Characters
The Working Man
A man of average height and sturdy build, accustomed to manual labor. His skin is tanned and weathered from working outdoors in the sun. He likely has calloused hands and a strong, practical physique.
Attire: Simple, practical working clothes suitable for digging in hot weather. Likely a coarse linen or wool tunic, possibly a sleeveless vest, and sturdy trousers or breeches in muted, earthy tones like brown, grey, or undyed linen. His clothes would be functional and worn, perhaps with some dirt from his labor.
Wants: To avoid hard labor, to prove his moral superiority over Adam, to satisfy his curiosity.
Flaw: Impulsiveness, lack of self-control, pride, curiosity that overrides good judgment.
Starts as self-righteous and judgmental, blaming Adam for his woes. Through a simple test, he learns humility and realizes his own susceptibility to temptation, changing from accusatory to understanding.
Complaining, self-righteous, easily frustrated, curious, impulsive, ultimately humbled.
The Master
A man of authority, likely well-dressed and perhaps a bit older than the working man, suggesting experience and wisdom. He would have a composed demeanor.
Attire: Refined but not overly ostentatious clothing, indicative of his status as a master or landowner. Perhaps a well-tailored wool doublet or tunic in a deep color like forest green or dark blue, with fine linen undergarments. He might wear simple, polished leather shoes. His attire would be clean and well-maintained, contrasting with the laborer's clothes.
Wants: To teach his employee a lesson in humility and understanding, rather than simply punishing him.
Flaw: None apparent in the story; he acts as a figure of wisdom.
Remains consistent as a wise mentor figure, facilitating the protagonist's growth.
Wise, observant, patient, insightful, a good teacher, slightly mischievous.
The Mouse
A small, quick, common house mouse. Its fur would be a typical grey-brown, with a slender body and a long, thin tail.
Attire: None (animal).
Wants: To escape capture.
Flaw: Small size, vulnerability.
Serves as the catalyst for the Working Man's downfall in the test; remains unchanged.
Instinct-driven, fearful, evasive.
Locations
The Field
A sun-baked, open field where a man is toiling, digging in the hard earth under a scorching sun.
Mood: Tiring, frustrating, oppressive
The man is working and complains bitterly about Adam's sin, setting up the central conflict of the story.
The Master's Dining Room
A well-appointed, private dining room in a modest, sturdy English manor house, featuring a large wooden table laden with various dishes. The room has solid timber walls and perhaps a stone hearth, typical of a comfortable, yet not overly opulent, rural dwelling.
Mood: Tempting, quiet at first, then chaotic
The master tests the man's self-control by leaving him alone with a forbidden dish, leading to the man's failure and the story's moral.