The Nurse and the Wolf
“BE quiet now,” said an old Nurse to a child sitting on her lap. “If you make that noise again I will throw you to the Wolf.”
Now it chanced that a Wolf was passing close under the window as this was said. So he crouched down by the side of the house and waited. “I am in good luck today,” thought he. “It is sure to cry soon, and a daintier morsel I haven’t had for many a long day.” So he waited, and he waited, and he waited, till at last the child began to cry, and the Wolf came forward before the window, and looked up to the Nurse, wagging his tail. But all the Nurse did was to shut down the window and call for help, and the dogs of the house came rushing out. “Ah,” said the Wolf as he galloped away,
“ENEMIES’ PROMISES WERE MADE TO BE BROKEN.”
Interpretations and Insights:
“The Nurse and the Wolf” is a fable that delivers valuable lessons about trust, threats, and manipulation. In addition to its main theme of skepticism towards enemy promises, it contains many hidden lessons and subtleties that enhance its depth.
The main lesson conveyed by this fable, as expressed in the Wolf’s concluding remark, is that promises made by enemies are unreliable and should not be trusted: “ENEMIES’ PROMISES WERE MADE TO BE BROKEN.”
Hidden Insights:
Misinterpretation and Miscommunication: The Wolf misinterprets the Nurse’s idle threat as a genuine promise. This demonstrates the potential for misunderstanding in communication and the problems it can cause.
Idle Threats: The Nurse’s threat to the child serves as a warning against making empty threats. Although she does not intend to carry out the threat, it’s overheard and taken seriously by the Wolf, causing unexpected trouble.
Patience and Misplaced Expectations: The Wolf waits patiently, expecting his meal, which mirrors situations where individuals wait for something based on misplaced expectations, only to be disappointed.
The Danger of Assumptions: The Wolf assumes the Nurse will keep her word without considering their relationship as natural enemies. This illustrates the danger of making assumptions, especially without taking all factors into account.
Manipulation and Deception: The fable underscores the strategies often used in manipulation and deception. The Wolf, a symbol of cunning, is ironically deceived because of his own greed and manipulation.
Unforeseen Consequences: The Nurse’s idle threat has the unforeseen consequence of attracting a real danger, the Wolf. This can be seen as a caution against making statements without considering possible repercussions.
Subtle Details:
The characterization of the Wolf as patient and the Nurse as a threat-maker adds depth to their roles. The Wolf’s tail-wagging as he expects his meal adds a touch of irony to the story. It’s also interesting to note the power dynamics at play, with the Nurse unintentionally wielding power over the Wolf through her idle threat. Additionally, the fable leaves the reader guessing as to whether the Nurse was aware of the Wolf’s presence and her threat’s effect. This ambiguity adds another layer of interpretation to the tale.
Additional Interpretations and Insights:
Situational Irony: The fable is marked by a significant situational irony where the wolf, usually a symbol of deception, falls victim to a misunderstanding that leads to its disappointment. This serves as a reminder that anyone can fall prey to false hopes, regardless of their usual roles or characteristics.
Unintended Power: Without intending to do so, the Nurse attracts a Wolf and then drives it away, displaying a certain amount of unintentional power. This might indicate that our words and actions can have more impact than we realize, and we should therefore use them wisely.
Children and Fear: The Nurse uses the threat of the Wolf to quiet the child, reflecting a common practice of using fear as a tool to control behavior, particularly in children. However, the narrative does not comment on the effect of this tactic on the child, leaving it open to interpretation.