Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

The Man in The Moon
The Blacksmith from The Man in the Moon is a character I found intriguing and all too familiar. His story has a rather unfortunate ending but his ungratefulness and desire for change are common to many people. As he wishes for kinder circumstances, he endures greater suffering.

As a character, the Blacksmiths fatal flaw is that he is insatiable and indecisive.

• He is first upset that his job is too hot. He is focused on the negative aspect of being a blacksmith and wants to be cool.
• He then becomes a stone and is hurt by a stone cutter. He then wishes to become a stone cutter.
• As a stone cutter he gets tired and his feet get sore. 
• As the sun, he is even hotter than he was as a blacksmith, so he wishes to be like the moon.
• As the moon he is exposed to all the heat of the sun and is hotter than ever before.

His predicament gets worse as he changes from job to job but he does not seem to learn that things are often harder than they first appear until it is too late and he becomes stuck as the moon.

He is easily deceived by appearances and wears easily when challenges arise. The Blacksmith becomes rather envious on several occasions when it appears someone or something else has it easier than he does. He longs for things he does not have but is disappointed when he becomes what he wishes for.

The Blacksmith fails to acquire a sense of gratitude until it is too late. He realizes his wishes only create more trouble and that his original state was the best one. He fails to appreciate what he has until it is gone and is given no opportunity to correct his mistake.

Moon (Image from Wikimedia Commons)

Story Link
Laos Folk-Lore by Katherine Neville Fleeson (1899)