The Tongue-Cut Sparrow

Like this, only magic.

Hello, reader. This week, we look to Japan for our story. The Tongue-Cut Sparrow is a story about learning to not be a jerk, but only to a point. Follow the link in the previous sentence to read the story, and then continue below to look past the surface with me.

This story really just has three characters: the old man, the old woman, and the sparrow. I'm not sure why the old man didn't realize his sparrow was a fairy when she started talking to him, but maybe he thought that was normal for pet sparrows. The sparrow really does act as a fairy godmother in this story. She takes on a mortal to take care of, and rewards him for his good deeds. Then she punishes another mortal for that woman's wicked deeds. What intrigues me is that the sparrow only uses her fairy powers after her tongue is cut. Clearly, she's been a fairy this whole time, and she's had time to raise daughters as fairy sparrows as well. However, not once did this fairy reward the old man until after her tongue was cut out. It almost seems like she was going to pretend to be a regular talking sparrow until the old woman forced her hand, so to speak.

As for the old woman, I have to wonder why the old man married her in the first place. She's always been like that, so why does such a nice, spineless man still live with someone who's so mean? I'm going to have to assume they didn't meet until they were married. However much we might dislike the old woman for being so mean and awful, she is the only reason this story even happens. Otherwise, it's the story of a man with an awesome pet sparrow. Because of her, the sparrow is revealed as a fairy and the old man and the old woman benefit from it. Only from this brutal, over-the-top punishment do good things come into both of their lives. In a similar fashion, it's only because the old woman got a box of demons that she finally mended her ways and stopped being so cross all the time. Good things only come after bad in this story.

I really feel sorry for the old man. He's pretty much just blown around by others in his life. His wife's and sparrow's actions are what drive him, not his own actions. He has a bond with this sparrow, so after his wife attacks the sparrow, he goes to find her. He doesn't stay with the sparrow too long because he wants to get home to his wife. He only gets gold because the sparrow decides to give it to him. He actually comes into his own at the very end of the story in the paragraph where he convinces his wife not to be so mean anymore. This gets much less time than the sparrow's or old woman's actions. While the old man may be what moves the plot along, this story only happens because of the old woman and the sparrow.

The moral of this story would have to be: be just the right amount of rude and life will be great.

Want a pet sparrow now? Have another moral for this story? Want me to look at a different tale? Comment below!