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Aesop's Fables · Chapter

The Mouse and the Bull explained

A Bull is tormented by a Mouse that bites him and escapes into a hole.

What happens

A Bull is tormented by a Mouse that bites him and escapes into a hole. Despite the Bull's fury and repeated charges, he cannot catch the Mouse, who ultimately taunts him, illustrating that size and strength do not guarantee victory.

Themes in this chapter

  • Wisdom and Foolishness

    The Mouse's cleverness and patience overcome the Bull's brute strength and foolish rage.

  • Perseverance and Effort

    The Mouse's persistent biting and the Bull's relentless but futile charges highlight different forms of effort.

Characters to notice

  • The Mouse

    Bites the Bull and cleverly evades capture, taunting the Bull from safety.

  • The Bull

    Charges the wall in rage but exhausts himself, unable to catch the Mouse.

Key passages

  • “You big fellows don’t always have it your own way, you see: sometimes we little ones come off best.”

    The small and weak can triumph over the large and strong through wit and persistence.

    The Mouse's moral sums up the fable's lesson about the power of the underdog.

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