Household Tales · Chapter
Sharing Joy and Sorrow explained
A quarrelsome tailor repeatedly abuses his good, industrious wife, is imprisoned and forced to promise to share joy and sorrow with her, but continues his violent behavior, twisting the promise in court to claim he shares joy when he hits h
What happens
A quarrelsome tailor repeatedly abuses his good, industrious wife, is imprisoned and forced to promise to share joy and sorrow with her, but continues his violent behavior, twisting the promise in court to claim he shares joy when he hits her and sorrow when he misses, for which the judges give him his deserved punishment.
Themes in this chapter
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
The tailor's vice of abuse is punished by imprisonment and ultimately by the judges' final judgment.
Promises and Their Consequences
The tailor's promise to share joy and sorrow is twisted and broken, leading to his punishment.
Characters to notice
- the judge
The judge hears the tailor's case and ultimately gives him the reward he deserves.
Key passages
“I have shared joy and sorrow with her also, for whenever I hit her I was full of joy, and she of sorrow, and if I missed her, then she was joyful, and I sorry.”
The tailor claims that his violence fulfills the promise to share joy and sorrow, as he feels joy when he hurts her and she feels sorrow, and vice versa when he misses.
This twisted logic highlights the tailor's refusal to accept responsibility and the perversion of the marital vow.