The Wonder Working Lock

Now, imagine gently knocking on this.

Hello again, reader. In case you were curious, I won National Novel Writing month in November, with the sequel to the book I wrote last year.

For today's post, we turn to Croatia. The Wonder Working Lock is a tale about a young man, with a kind heart, who lives with his mother and tries to make their lives better. Click on the link above to read the tale, and then read on to dig into it with me below.

Firstly, I love the lock. It's the same kind of object as a genie's lamp, and similar to other ordinary objects that do extraordinary things like provide endless food, or armies, or such. I like the metaphor of a lock, which closes things down, opening things up for this young man. However, what I like the best is imaging this young man, dressed like a king, gently knocking on a small, metal lock.

Let's take a look at this young man. He works hard earning bread for himself and his mother, but three times he trades it away to save a puppy, a kitten, and then a snake from being killed by shepherds. I'm not sure why these shepherds are bent on killing things, but I'm glad our protagonist was there to save them. It is through his kindness that he is told how to get the wonder working lock and because of his kindness that he gets it back after it's stolen. All in all, a fairly upstanding young man. Now, if he had actually met the princess before he decided he wanted to marry her, we'd have a truly great hero.

How does his mother figure into all of this? She doesn't do too much in this story, but we know she raised a kind and compassionate young man. She also does not fly into a rage as some mothers would when their son comes back not once but three times without the food he was meant to get. All she asks is how they're going to support another mouth to feed. Then, when he finally brings back food, they share it among everyone. Later, she does not have faith in the wonder working lock her son brings home. When he is tasked to do impossible things by the king, she weeps because she doesn't want him to die and she doesn't think he can. After he accomplishes all three tasks, she disappears from the story, except to be terrified when their castle disappears overnight. I like to think that she went on an adventure of her own to find a way to get their home back and found something better instead.

The moral of this story is to show kindness to all. Either that or to listen to snakes when they talk to you.

Enjoyed this story? Thought of a better moral? Have a story you want me to talk about? Comment below!