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Aesop's Fables · Chapter

The Hare and the Hound explained

A Hound chases a Hare but gives up when the Hare outruns him.

What happens

A Hound chases a Hare but gives up when the Hare outruns him. A rustic taunts the Hound for losing to a smaller creature, but the Hound explains that the Hare was running for its life while he was only running for his dinner.

Themes in this chapter

  • Perseverance and Effort

    The Hare's desperate effort to survive contrasts with the Hound's lack of motivation, highlighting how stakes drive perseverance.

  • Human Nature and Vice

    The rustic's taunt and the Hound's rationalization reveal human tendencies to judge without understanding deeper motivations.

Characters to notice

  • The Hare

    The Hare is pursued by the Hound and escapes by running for its life.

  • The Hound

    The Hound chases the Hare but gives up, explaining the difference between running for dinner and running for life.

Key passages

  • “Ah, well, don’t forget it’s one thing to be running for your dinner, but quite another to be running for your life.”

    The Hound reminds the rustic that the stakes were different: the Hare fled to survive, while he only sought a meal.

    This moral underscores the theme of motivation and effort based on necessity.

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