# The Mule explained — Aesop's Fables

> Chapter companion for Aesop's Fables by Aesop.

## What happens

A mule, after eating too much and doing too little, boasts that his father was a high-spirited horse. However, after being forced to work hard all day carrying a heavy load, he becomes exhausted and dejectedly concludes that his father must have been an ass.

## Themes in this chapter

### Pride and Folly

The mule's pride in his imagined noble lineage is quickly humbled by the reality of his labor.

### Appearance vs. Reality

The mule's self-perception as the offspring of a horse contrasts with the truth revealed through his exhaustion.

## Character check-ins

### The Ass

The mule's father is implied to be an ass, reflecting the mule's humble origins.

## Key lines

> My father was undoubtedly a high-spirited horse and I take after him entirely.

The mule boasts that his father was a noble horse and that he inherits those fine qualities.

_The mule's arrogance is based on a false assumption about his lineage._

> I must have been mistaken about my father; he can only have been an ass after all.

After a hard day's work, the mule admits his earlier belief was wrong and that his father was actually a donkey.

_The mule's humility is forced by the evidence of his own limitations._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters/the-mule
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fables_se/chapters