# A Moral Little Tale explained — Fifty-One Tales

> Chapter companion for Fifty-One Tales by Lord Dunsany.

## What happens

A Puritan who opposes dancing and mirth is visited by the Devil in a dream, who reveals that God created love and joy, and that the Puritan's efforts have actually served Hell. The Puritan realizes his mistake but is dragged into Hell, condemned to know that his followers will continue his misguided work.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Role of the Poet

The tale critiques rigid moralism and champions the value of joy, dance, and fanciful poetry, aligning with the poet's role to defend imagination and mirth.

### Death and the Human Condition

The Puritan's punishment is an eternal damnation in Hell, highlighting the consequences of a life lived in denial of human joy and love.

## Character check-ins

### Puritan

An earnest man who opposes dancing and laughter, dressed in black, with a flowing white beard. He is tricked by the Devil and dragged into Hell.

### The Devil

Appears to the Puritan in a dream, claiming the Puritan has done his work by suppressing joy and mirth. He reveals that God created love, not evil.

## Key lines

> Have you not put apart the couples that would dance? Have you not checked their laughter and their accursed mirth?

You have separated dancing couples and suppressed their laughter and joy.

_The Devil accuses the Puritan of doing Hell's work by stifling happiness._

> He only made the silly colors, and useless dawns on hill-slopes facing South, and butterflies flapping along them as soon as the sun rose high, and foolish maidens coming out to dance, and the warm mad West wind, and worst of all that pernicious influence Love.

God created all the beautiful and joyful things in nature, including love, which the Devil considers harmful.

_The Devil reveals that God is the source of love and joy, not evil._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fifty_one_tales_se/chapters/a-moral-little-tale
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fifty_one_tales_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/fifty_one_tales_se/chapters