The Devoted Friend (Wilde): Difference between revisions

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🐀

The Devoted Friend

1888

Summary of the Short Story

Microsummary: A wealthy miller exploited a poor gardener's kindness, promising a wheelbarrow for endless favors. The gardener drowned helping the miller, who only regretted losing his source of free labor.

Short Summary

A Water-rat asked a Linnet to tell a story about friendship. The Linnet narrated the tale of Hans, a poor gardener, and Hugh, a wealthy miller who claimed to be Hans' devoted friend.

👨‍🌾

Hans — young man, poor gardener, kind-hearted, naive, hardworking, with a round good-humoured face, lives alone in a tiny cottage.

The Miller frequently took flowers from Hans' garden but never gave anything in return. He constantly asked Hans for favors, promising to give him an old wheelbarrow. Hans always obliged, neglecting his own work and selling his possessions to survive the winter.

🧔

Hugh the Miller — middle-aged man, rich miller, selfish, manipulative, talks about friendship but takes advantage of Hans, owns a mill, cows, and sheep.

One stormy night, the Miller asked Hans to fetch a doctor for his injured son. Hans got lost in the moor and drowned. At Hans' funeral, the Miller lamented the loss of his 'friend.'

«Little Hans is certainly a great loss to every one,» said the Blacksmith... «A great loss to me at any rate,» answered the Miller; «why, I had as good as given him my wheelbarrow, and now I really don't know what to do with it.»

The Water-rat, unimpressed by the story's moral, retreated to his hole. The Linnet concluded that telling stories with morals was dangerous, and the Duck agreed.

Detailed Summary

The division of the summary into chapters is conditional.

The Water-rat and the Linnet Discuss Friendship

One morning, the old Water-rat emerged from his hole and observed a Duck teaching her ducklings to stand on their heads in the water. The Water-rat criticized the ducklings' disobedience, but the Duck defended her children's efforts.

🐀

Water-rat — animal character, bright beady eyes, stiff grey whiskers, tail like black india-rubber, opinionated, fond of fiction.

The Water-rat then proclaimed his views on love and friendship, stating that friendship was nobler and rarer. A Green Linnet overheard the conversation and asked the Water-rat about his idea of a devoted friend's duties.

🐦

Linnet — bird character, storyteller, perceptive, tells the story of Hans and the Miller.

The Water-rat replied that he expected a devoted friend to be devoted to him. When questioned about what he would do in return, the Water-rat expressed confusion. The Linnet offered to tell a story on the subject, which the Water-rat agreed to listen to, claiming to be fond of fiction.

«I am afraid you don't quite see the moral of the story,» remarked the Linnet. «The what?» screamed the Water-rat. «The moral.» «Do you mean to say that the story has a moral?»

The Story of Hans and Hugh the Miller

The Linnet began the story of little Hans, a kind-hearted gardener with a beautiful garden full of flowers. Hans had many friends, but his most devoted friend was Hugh the Miller, a rich man who often took flowers and fruits from Hans' garden without giving anything in return.

The Miller often spoke about the unselfishness of true friendship, which pleased Hans greatly. However, during the winter, when Hans had no flowers or fruits to sell, he suffered from cold and hunger. The Miller never visited Hans during this time, claiming it was best to leave people alone when they were in trouble.

«Real friends should have everything in common,» the Miller used to say, and little Hans nodded and smiled, and felt very proud of having a friend with such noble ideas.

The Miller's Exploitation of Hans

When spring arrived, the Miller visited Hans and asked for a large basket of primroses in exchange for his old, broken wheelbarrow. Hans agreed, despite needing to sell the flowers to buy back his own wheelbarrow. The Miller also took a plank of wood from Hans, promising it was a fair exchange for the wheelbarrow.

«I think that, considering that I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, it is rather unfriendly of you to refuse.» ... «Oh, don't say that,» cried little Hans, «I wouldn't be unfriendly for the whole world»

The next day, the Miller asked Hans to carry a heavy sack of flour to the market. Despite being busy with his garden work, Hans agreed out of fear of being unfriendly. Hans completed the task, returning home exhausted but glad he hadn't refused his friend.

«Anybody can say charming things and try to please and to flatter, but a true friend always says unpleasant things, and does riot mind giving pain. Indeed, if he is a really true friend he prefers it, for he knows that then he is doing good.»

The Miller continued to exploit Hans' kindness, making him work on his barn roof and run errands, always using the promise of the wheelbarrow as leverage. Hans was often unable to tend to his own garden due to the Miller's demands.

«Little Hans was very much distressed at times, as he was afraid his flowers would think he had forgotten them, but he consoled himself by the reflection that the Miller was his best friend.»

The Tragic Fate of Hans

One stormy night, the Miller asked Hans to fetch a doctor for his injured son. Despite the dangerous conditions, Hans agreed to go. He got lost on the moor and drowned in a pool of water. The next day, goatherds found his body and brought it back to the cottage.

At Hans' funeral, the Miller was the chief mourner, claiming it was only fair as he was Hans' best friend. After the funeral, the Miller complained about the wheelbarrow being in his way and regretted being so generous, saying one always suffers for being generous.

The Water-rat's Reaction and the Linnet's Lesson

After the Linnet finished the story, the Water-rat asked about what happened to the Miller. The Linnet replied that he didn't know and didn't care. The Water-rat accused the Linnet of lacking sympathy, to which the Linnet responded that the Water-rat had missed the moral of the story.

Offended by the idea that the story had a moral, the Water-rat shouted 'Pooh' and retreated to his hole. The Duck, who had been listening, commented on the dangers of telling stories with morals, and the narrator agreed with her assessment.

@@ Line 3: / Line 3: @@
 {{Summary
 | Title = The Devoted Friend
+| Subtitle =
+| Original Title =
 | Author = Oscar Wilde
 | Literary form = short story
-| Year of publication =
+| Year of publication = 1888
-| Microsummary = A naive man was taken advantage of by a selfish friend who claimed to be generous, ultimately leading to the naive man's death due to his blind loyalty and the friend's lack of true compassion.
+| Microsummary = A wealthy miller exploited a poor gardener's kindness, promising a wheelbarrow for endless favors. The gardener drowned helping the miller, who only regretted losing his source of free labor.
+| Emoji = 🐀
 }}
 {{Start of text}}
-One morning, an old Water-rat and a Duck were discussing the importance of teaching their children to stand on their heads in water. A Green Linnet, who overheard their conversation, asked the Water-rat about his idea of a devoted friend.
+== Short Summary ==
+A Water-rat asked a Linnet to tell a story about friendship. The Linnet narrated the tale of Hans, a poor gardener, and Hugh, a wealthy miller who claimed to be Hans' devoted friend.
+{{Character
+| Name = Hans
+| Description = young man, poor gardener, kind-hearted, naive, hardworking, with a round good-humoured face, lives alone in a tiny cottage
+| Emoji = 👨‍🌾
+}}
+The Miller frequently took flowers from Hans' garden but never gave anything in return. He constantly asked Hans for favors, promising to give him an old wheelbarrow. Hans always obliged, neglecting his own work and selling his possessions to survive the winter.
 {{Character
-| Name = The Water-rat
+| Name = Hugh the Miller
-| Description = listener of the story; initially admires the Miller but becomes angry upon learning the story's moral
+| Description = middle-aged man, rich miller, selfish, manipulative, talks about friendship but takes advantage of Hans, owns a mill, cows, and sheep
+| Emoji = 🧔
+}}
+One stormy night, the Miller asked Hans to fetch a doctor for his injured son. Hans got lost in the moor and drowned. At Hans' funeral, the Miller lamented the loss of his 'friend.'
+{{Quote|
+«Little Hans is certainly a great loss to every one,» said the Blacksmith... «A great loss to me at any rate,» answered the Miller; «why, I had as good as given him my wheelbarrow, and now I really don't know what to do with it.»
+}}
+The Water-rat, unimpressed by the story's moral, retreated to his hole. The Linnet concluded that telling stories with morals was dangerous, and the Duck agreed.
+== Detailed Summary ==
+''The division of the summary into chapters is conditional.''
+=== The Water-rat and the Linnet Discuss Friendship ===
+One morning, the old Water-rat emerged from his hole and observed a Duck teaching her ducklings to stand on their heads in the water. The Water-rat criticized the ducklings' disobedience, but the Duck defended her children's efforts.
+{{Character
+| Name = Water-rat
+| Description = animal character, bright beady eyes, stiff grey whiskers, tail like black india-rubber, opinionated, fond of fiction
 | Emoji = 🐀
 }}
-The Water-rat replied that he expected his devoted friend to be devoted to him, of course. The Linnet then told them a story about a devoted friendship between a kind-hearted man named Hans and a rich Miller.
+The Water-rat then proclaimed his views on love and friendship, stating that friendship was nobler and rarer. A Green Linnet overheard the conversation and asked the Water-rat about his idea of a devoted friend's duties.
 {{Character
-| Name = Little Hans
+| Name = Linnet
-| Description = honest, kind-hearted gardener; naive and easily manipulated; hardworking, generous
+| Description = bird character, storyteller, perceptive, tells the story of Hans and the Miller
-| Emoji = 👨🏼‍🌾
+| Emoji = 🐦
 }}
-{{Character
+The Water-rat replied that he expected a devoted friend to be devoted to him. When questioned about what he would do in return, the Water-rat expressed confusion. The Linnet offered to tell a story on the subject, which the Water-rat agreed to listen to, claiming to be fond of fiction.
-| Name = The Miller
-| Description = Hans' supposed best friend; selfish, manipulative, and hypocritical; talks about friendship but doesn't practice it
+{{Quote|
-| Emoji = 👨🏻‍🦳
+«I am afraid you don't quite see the moral of the story,» remarked the Linnet. «The what?» screamed the Water-rat. «The moral.» «Do you mean to say that the story has a moral?»
 }}
-Hans had a beautiful garden and the Miller, claiming to be his best friend, would often take flowers and fruits from it. The Miller never gave Hans anything in return, but Hans didn't mind as he believed in the Miller's idea of unselfish friendship.
+=== The Story of Hans and Hugh the Miller ===
+The Linnet began the story of little Hans, a kind-hearted gardener with a beautiful garden full of flowers. Hans had many friends, but his most devoted friend was Hugh the Miller, a rich man who often took flowers and fruits from Hans' garden without giving anything in return.
+The Miller often spoke about the unselfishness of true friendship, which pleased Hans greatly. However, during the winter, when Hans had no flowers or fruits to sell, he suffered from cold and hunger. The Miller never visited Hans during this time, claiming it was best to leave people alone when they were in trouble.
-{{Quote
+{{Quote|
-| Text = I know of nothing in the world that is either nobler or rarer than a devoted friendship.
+«Real friends should have everything in common,» the Miller used to say, and little Hans nodded and smiled, and felt very proud of having a friend with such noble ideas.
-| Context = The Miller says this to the Water-rat and the Duck, expressing his belief in the importance of friendship, though his actions throughout the story contradict his words.
 }}
-During winter, Hans struggled with hunger and cold, but the Miller didn't visit him, saying that people in trouble should be left alone.
+=== The Miller's Exploitation of Hans ===
-When spring arrived, the Miller visited Hans and offered him his old, broken wheelbarrow in exchange for Hans' help in various tasks. Hans agreed, thinking it was a generous offer.
+When spring arrived, the Miller visited Hans and asked for a large basket of primroses in exchange for his old, broken wheelbarrow. Hans agreed, despite needing to sell the flowers to buy back his own wheelbarrow. The Miller also took a plank of wood from Hans, promising it was a fair exchange for the wheelbarrow.
-{{Quote
+{{Quote|
-| Text = I think that generosity is the essence of friendship, and, besides, I have got a new wheelbarrow for myself.
+«I think that, considering that I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, it is rather unfriendly of you to refuse.» ... «Oh, don't say that,» cried little Hans, «I wouldn't be unfriendly for the whole world»
-| Context = The Miller says this to little Hans when he offers to give Hans his old, broken wheelbarrow, making it seem like a generous act, but in reality, he is only doing it because he has a new one.
 }}
-However, the Miller kept asking for more favors, leaving Hans with no time to tend to his own garden. Despite this, Hans continued to help the Miller, believing in the value of their friendship.
+The next day, the Miller asked Hans to carry a heavy sack of flour to the market. Despite being busy with his garden work, Hans agreed out of fear of being unfriendly. Hans completed the task, returning home exhausted but glad he hadn't refused his friend.
+{{Quote|
+«Anybody can say charming things and try to please and to flatter, but a true friend always says unpleasant things, and does riot mind giving pain. Indeed, if he is a really true friend he prefers it, for he knows that then he is doing good.»
+}}
-One stormy night, the Miller asked Hans to fetch a doctor for his injured son. Hans agreed, but got lost in the storm and drowned in a deep hole on the moor. The Miller attended Hans' funeral as the chief mourner, but later complained about the loss of his wheelbarrow, saying that he would never be generous again.
+The Miller continued to exploit Hans' kindness, making him work on his barn roof and run errands, always using the promise of the wheelbarrow as leverage. Hans was often unable to tend to his own garden due to the Miller's demands.
-{{Character
+{{Quote|
-| Name = The Linnet
+«Little Hans was very much distressed at times, as he was afraid his flowers would think he had forgotten them, but he consoled himself by the reflection that the Miller was his best friend.»
-| Description = narrator; a bird who tells the story of Hans and the Miller to the Water-rat
-| Emoji = 🐦
 }}
-The Water-rat, upon hearing the story, was annoyed that it had a moral and went back into his hole, while the Duck agreed that telling stories with morals could be dangerous.
+=== The Tragic Fate of Hans ===
+One stormy night, the Miller asked Hans to fetch a doctor for his injured son. Despite the dangerous conditions, Hans agreed to go. He got lost on the moor and drowned in a pool of water. The next day, goatherds found his body and brought it back to the cottage.
+At Hans' funeral, the Miller was the chief mourner, claiming it was only fair as he was Hans' best friend. After the funeral, the Miller complained about the wheelbarrow being in his way and regretted being so generous, saying one always suffers for being generous.
+=== The Water-rat's Reaction and the Linnet's Lesson ===
+After the Linnet finished the story, the Water-rat asked about what happened to the Miller. The Linnet replied that he didn't know and didn't care. The Water-rat accused the Linnet of lacking sympathy, to which the Linnet responded that the Water-rat had missed the moral of the story.
+Offended by the idea that the story had a moral, the Water-rat shouted 'Pooh' and retreated to his hole. The Duck, who had been listening, commented on the dangers of telling stories with morals, and the narrator agreed with her assessment.
 {{End of text}}