Household Tales · Chapter
St. Joseph in the Forest explained
A mother sends her three daughters into the forest, where each encounters St.
What happens
A mother sends her three daughters into the forest, where each encounters St. Joseph. The youngest, pious and generous, is rewarded with a heavy bag of money. The second, somewhat selfish, receives a small sack of money. The eldest, rude and greedy, is punished with a second nose and, after lying to her mother, both are killed by lizards and snakes.
Themes in this chapter
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
The youngest daughter's piety and generosity are rewarded with a heavy bag of money, while the eldest's greed and rudeness result in a grotesque punishment and death.
Family Dynamics and Betrayal
The mother's favoritism toward the eldest daughter and her mistreatment of the youngest create a toxic family dynamic that ultimately leads to tragedy.
Characters to notice
- St. Joseph
The venerable old man who tests the three sisters with hospitality and generosity.
- the girl
The youngest daughter, pious and good, who shares her food and bed with St. Joseph and is rewarded with a heavy bag of money.
- the maiden
The second daughter, who shares her food but insists on sharing the bed, and receives a small sack of money.
- the rich man
The eldest daughter, rude and greedy, who refuses to share and is punished with a second nose.
Key passages
“But the guardian-angel which every good child has, did not forsake her, but always brought her into the right path again.”
The girl's guardian angel always guided her safely.
Highlights the protective role of the guardian angel for virtuous children.
“St. Joseph gave her the roots. The girl scraped them clean, then she brought a piece of pancake and the bread that her mother had given her to take with her; mixed all together in a pan, and cooked herself a thick soup.”
The girl prepared a soup from roots, pancake, and bread.
Shows the girl's resourcefulness and the simple meal she makes.
“The child was quite willing, and gave him more than she kept for herself, but God’s blessing was with her, so that she was satisfied.”
The girl generously shared her food with St. Joseph and was still satisfied.
Emphasizes her selflessness and divine blessing.
“In the morning when the child awoke and looked for St. Joseph, he had vanished, but behind the door she found a little sack of money that was about as long as a hand, and on it was written that it was for the child who had slept there last night.”
The second daughter found a small bag of money left by St. Joseph.
Illustrates the lesser reward for the second daughter's partial generosity.
“She looked behind the door for a moneybag. She fancied something was lying on the ground, but as she could not very well distinguish what it was, she stooped down, and examined it closely, but it remained hanging to her nose, and when she got up again, she saw, to her horror, that it was a second nose, which was hanging fast to her own.”
The eldest daughter found a second nose attached to her own instead of money.
Describes the grotesque punishment for the eldest daughter's greed.
“On the way, however, so many lizards and snakes broke loose on both of them, that they did not know how to save themselves. At last they stung the wicked child to death, and they stung the mother in the foot, because she had not brought her up better.”
Lizards and snakes attacked and killed the eldest daughter and injured the mother.
Final punishment for the wicked daughter and her mother.
