# The Farmer and the Stork explained — Aesop's Fables

> Chapter companion for Aesop's Fables by Aesop.

## What happens

A farmer sets traps to catch cranes that are eating his newly sown corn. He catches several cranes along with a stork, which pleads for its release by claiming it is harmless and honest. The farmer refuses, stating that since it was found with the cranes, it must share their fate. The moral warns that associating with bad company makes one presumed guilty by association.

## Themes in this chapter

### Justice and Consequence

The farmer's rigid justice punishes the stork for its company, illustrating that consequences follow from associations, not just individual actions.

### Appearance vs. Reality

The stork's claim of being harmless and honest is disregarded because its appearance among cranes overrides its true nature in the farmer's eyes.

## Character check-ins

### The Farmer

Sets traps to protect his corn and judges the stork by its company.

### The Stork

Caught among cranes; pleads innocence based on its own nature but is condemned for its associations.

## Key lines

> If you choose bad companions no one will believe that you are anything but bad yourself.

If you associate with wrongdoers, people will assume you share their faults.

_The moral of the fable, emphasizing the power of association over individual character._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters/the-farmer-and-the-stork
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters