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Hans in Luck
Hans in Luck
Characters:
Here are the following characters in the Fairy Tale/Folk Tale:
Hans: The protagonist of the story. He is a simple-minded and
optimistic fellow who embarks on a journey after trading his
possessions for something he considers more valuable at each step,
ultimately ending up with nothing but a piece of gold.
Hans's mother: Although she is not present throughout the story,
Hans mentions her several times. She's the one who sends him off
with a lump of gold.
The butcher: Hans first trades his lump of gold to the butcher for
something he finds more valuable—a piece of meat.
The horse dealer: He trades his meat for a horse, as he believes
the horse would be a better possession to have.
The farmer: The next trade is made with the farmer, who takes the
horse and gives Hans a cow in return.
The shepherd: In exchange for the cow, Hans receives a pig from
the shepherd.
The shepherdess: Finally, Hans trades the pig to a shepherdess for
a goose, which he considers his greatest acquisition yet.
The grinding mill: In the end, Hans loses the goose when it gets
caught in the wheel of a grinding mill.
Plot:
Hans is a somewhat simple young man who considers himself to be
very lucky.
After seven years of hard work, Hans tells his employer that he
wants to go home to see his mother. Hans' employer pays him by
giving him a lump of silver as big as his head. Hans wraps the
lump of silver in a cloth and begins his long walk home. When he
sees a man on a horse, Hans says aloud that he wishes he had a
horse too. The horseman agrees to sell Hans the horse in exchange
for his lump of silver.
Hans rides the horse slowly for some time. When he decides to make
the horse go faster, Hans falls off it. Cursing the horse, Hans
says that wishes he were rid of it. At that moment, a farmer with
a cow happens to be passing. The farmer says that he will take
Hans' horse in exchange for his cow. Hans is delighted to have a
cow that he thinks will provide him with milk, butter and cheese.
When he gets thirsty, Hans attempts to milk the cow. No milk comes
out of its udder. A butcher with a pig happens to be passing. The
butcher tells Hans that he will never get any milk from the cow
because it is too old and is now fit for nothing but slaughtering.
Hans complains that he does not like the taste of beef and says
that he much prefers pork. The butcher says that he will swap his
pig for Hans' cow.
A peasant carrying a goose sees Hans. The peasant says that a local
landowner's pig has recently been stolen and that the authorities
are looking for the thief. He says that Hans runs the risk of being
arrested if he is seen with a pig. The peasant agrees to take the
pig from Hans and gives him the goose in return.
Hans comes across a grinder, who sharpens knives and other such
implements. The grinder is happily singing. He explains to Hans
that he is doing that because, like all grinders, he is rich. The
grinder admires Hans' goose and asks him where he got it. Hans
tells the grinder the whole story of how he started off with a
lump of silver as big as his head and how through a series of
exchanges he came to have a goose. The grinder congratulates Hans
on his good fortune and says that if he wants to stay lucky, he
should become a grinder too. The grinder agrees to sell Hans a
used grindstone in exchange for his goose. The stone that he gives
Hans is just an ordinary rock that he picked up off the ground.
The rock is very heavy and carrying it slows down Hans' progress
considerably. When he is not far from home, Hans feels thirsty
again and stops at a river to drink. The rock falls into the river
and is lost. Hans is delighted to be rid of the heavy stone.
Feeling luckier than ever, Hans continues his journey home and
looks forward to telling his mother all about his good fortune.