The Young Thief and His Mother
A YOUNG Man had been caught in a daring act of theft and had been condemned to be executed for it. He expressed his desire to see his Mother, and to speak with her before he was led to execution, and of course this was granted. When his Mother came to him he said: “I want to whisper to you,” and when she brought her ear near him, he nearly bit it off. All the bystanders were horrified, and asked him what he could mean by such brutal and inhuman conduct. “It is to punish her,” he said. “When I was young I began with stealing little things, and brought them home to Mother. Instead of rebuking and punishing me, she laughed and said: ‘It will not be noticed.’ It is because of her that I am here today.”
“He is right, woman,” said the Priest: the Lord hath said:
“TRAIN UP A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO; AND WHEN HE IS OLD HE WILL NOT DEPART THEREFROM.”
Interpretations and Insights:
“The Young Thief and His Mother” is a fable that primarily highlights the important role of upbringing and guidance in a child’s life and the lasting impact of moral education. It also underscores the concept of responsibility, the repercussions of ignoring small misdemeanors, and the law of cause and effect.
The primary lesson is clearly indicated in the Priest’s quote at the end: a child must be guided and nurtured properly from a young age, and any deviance from morality should be corrected immediately to prevent further misdeeds in the future.
Hidden Insights:
Importance of Early Intervention: The mother’s ignorance of her son’s early wrongdoings allowed his bad habits to escalate. The lesson here is that it’s critical to intervene and correct wrongful behavior early on to prevent it from developing into severe misbehavior.
Neglect Equals Approval: By laughing off her son’s early acts of theft, the mother implicitly approved of his actions, teaching him that such behavior is acceptable. This brings out the subtle lesson that ignoring wrongdoing can be viewed as approving it.
Parental Responsibility: The story puts a clear emphasis on the mother’s responsibility in her son’s descent into criminality. This underlines the significant role of parents in shaping their children’s moral compass and character.
Causal Chain: The fable provides a clear chain of events showing how minor acts of theft escalated into a capital offense. This offers a sobering insight into how small misdemeanors can lead to serious consequences if left unchecked.
Retribution and Blame: The son’s act of biting his mother’s ear off can be seen as a misguided attempt at retribution. It highlights the tendency of individuals to blame others, even those they love, for their own downfall, especially when they feel let down by those individuals.
Power of Early Habits: The story underscores the impact of early habits on a person’s character and future actions, reinforcing the importance of nurturing good habits and attitudes early on.
Subtle Details:
The brutality of the son’s act towards his mother can be seen as a metaphor for the harsh consequences that can result from poor upbringing. The use of a priest to deliver the moral emphasizes the societal belief in divine justice and moral duty. Finally, the mother’s reaction to her son’s behavior is not mentioned, leaving it to the reader’s imagination and thus emphasizing the moral of the fable.
Additional Interpretations and Insights:
Victim Blaming: The young thief blaming his mother for his downfall is an instance of victim blaming. Even though his mother was wrong in not correcting his initial misdemeanor, the thief’s decision to continue stealing was ultimately his own. This highlights that while others can influence our actions, the ultimate responsibility for those actions lies with us.
Severity of Small Wrongs: The fable points out that no wrong deed is too small to ignore. Small wrong actions, when ignored or encouraged, can snowball into much more serious problems.
The Cycle of Negativity: The young thief’s mother’s reaction to his minor thefts paved the way for his future criminal behavior. When he finally faced the consequences of his actions, he retaliated with another negative act. This could suggest a larger theme of how negativity can breed more negativity if not interrupted with positive guidance and action.
Shifting Moral Responsibility: The young man’s act of punishing his mother is a misguided attempt to shift moral responsibility onto her. He fails to recognize that while she didn’t discourage his early thievery, he was the one who chose to continue down that path. This illustrates the importance of accepting responsibility for one’s actions rather than shifting blame onto others.