Recall the tales of Gauf: "Little Muk" (summary)

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Wilhelm Hauff is a famous German novelist and writer. We know him for his wonderful stories. The history of their creation is interesting: he wrote them when he worked as a tutor in the family of the Minister of Defense. The fairy tale "Little Muk", a summary of which is given here, was included in his collection "Märchen", which he wrote for the minister's children. The author's works quickly became popular in many countries.

Wilhelm Hauff. "Little Muck". Summary. Intro

The story of little Muk is told by a man who met him as a child. At that time, the main character was already an old man. He looked ridiculous: a huge head sticking out on a thin neck, very small in stature. Children laughed at him, shouting insulting rhymes after him, and stepped on his long shoes. The dwarf lived alone andrarely left the house. Once the narrator offended little Muck. He complained to his father, who, having punished his son, revealed to him the story of the poor dwarf.

Wilhelm Hauff. "Little Muck". Summary. Developments

Once Muk was a child and lived with his father, a poor man, but very revered in the city. The dwarf rarely left the house. His father did not love him for his ugliness and did not teach his son anything. When Muk was 16 years old, he was left all alone. His father died leaving nothing to his son. The dwarf took only the clothes of the parent, shortened them to fit his height and went around the world to seek his fortune. He had nothing to eat, and he would certainly have died of hunger and thirst if he had not met an old woman who fed all the cats and dogs in the area. After listening to his sad story, she invited him to stay and work for her. Muk looked after her pets, who soon became very spoiled: as soon as the mistress left the house, the animals began to smash the dwelling. Once, when one of the pets broke an expensive vase in the old woman's room, Muk entered there and found magic shoes and a wand. Since the mistress offended him and did not pay his salary, the dwarf decided to run away, taking miracle things with him.

In a dream, he saw that the shoes could take him anywhere in the world, if he only turned three times on his heel, the wand would help him find the treasure. Where gold is hidden, it will hit the ground three times, and where silver is, twice. Soon, little Muk reached a large city and was hired there to serve as a runner to the king. He carried out all the assignments quickly and well, but the city did not like the dwarf and laughed at him. To earn the respect and sympathy of the people, Mook began to distribute to everyone the gold coins that he found with a stick. Soon he was convicted of stealing the royal treasury and thrown into prison. Little Muk admitted that magic shoes and a wand helped him. He was released, but these things were taken away.

Wilhelm Hauff. "Little Muck". Summary. Ending

The dwarf again went on a long journey and found two trees with dates. After eating the fruit of one of them, he discovered that he had donkey ears and a big nose. When he tasted dates from another tree, his ears and nose became the same again. Having collected the fruits from which ears and nose grew, he goes to the city to the market. The royal cook takes all the goods from him and returns to the palace satisfied. Soon, all the subjects and the king grow ugly ears and a big nose. Disguised as a scientist and taking with him the fruits from the second tree, Muk goes to the palace. There he relieves one of the king's associates from deformities. Everyone gasps and begs the dwarf to heal everyone. The king opens his treasury in front of him, offering to choose any treasure, but Muk takes only his shoes and wand. Having done this, he throws off the clothes of a scientist, and everyone recognizes in him the former royal runner. Despite the king's pleas, Muk does not give him dates and leaves, and the king remains a freak. This is the end of Little Muk.

Summary of the work is unlikely to be able to convey all the singularityadventures of the protagonist. The shortcomings of his appearance were more than compensated for by his sharpness and ingenuity. We advise you to read the work in the original. Gauf wrote surprisingly good tales: "Little Muk", a summary of which is given here, is a work about the triumph of justice, about the fact that evil is always punished.