# The Father and His Daughters explained — Aesop's Fables

> Chapter companion for Aesop's Fables by Aesop.

## What happens

A man visits his two daughters, one married to a gardener and the other to a potter. The gardener's wife wishes for rain to help the garden, while the potter's wife wishes for dry weather to dry the pottery. The father realizes he cannot pray for both wishes to be granted, as they are contradictory.

## Themes in this chapter

### Wisdom and Foolishness

The father wisely refrains from praying for both wishes, recognizing their incompatibility.

## Character check-ins

### The Old Man

The father who visits his two daughters and recognizes the impossibility of satisfying both their conflicting wishes.

## Key lines

> I was going to ask in my prayers that your wishes should be granted; but now it strikes me I had better not refer to the subject.

The father decides not to pray for his daughters' wishes because they are mutually exclusive.

_Highlights the father's realization of the conflict._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters/the-father-and-his-daughters
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters