Reading Notes: Japanese Fairy Tales (Part A)

The second story for this reading, "The Stonecutter", was one of those fables in the same vein as the moon's origin story read for the second week of class. I was happy to find out that this one had a happy ending, as the stonecutter was able to return to his work with a newfound appreciation. Ordinarily I think these kinds of stories end up with a greedy character ending up worse off than when they started.

Statue of a stonecutter (Flickr)

A consistent theme in the stories for Part A was the relationship between emotional and physical health. When the stonecutter was envious of another man's riches, he felt weaker and his work seemed more tedious. When the helmet-headed girl's father lamented his misfortunes, he's said to have slowly died from grief. I think this theme reflects an understanding of the importance of well-being in more than just the physical sense.

Bibliography: The Violet Fairy Book and The Crimson Fairy Book by Andrew Lang. Web Source.