# The Heavenly Wedding explained — Household Tales > Chapter companion for Household Tales by Jacob Grimm. ## What happens A poor peasant boy, believing that to enter heaven one must always go straight onward, walks without turning until he reaches a church where he thinks he has found heaven. He refuses to leave, shares his meals with a wooden image of the Virgin Mary and child Jesus, and the image grows strong. After an illness, the image tells him he will attend a wedding next Sunday. The priest asks to come but is refused. The boy receives communion, falls down dead, and goes to the eternal wedding. ## Themes in this chapter ### Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished The boy's innocent faith and generosity are rewarded with a place at the eternal wedding, while the priest's request is denied. ### Transformation and Redemption The boy's journey from poverty to heavenly union symbolizes spiritual transformation and redemption through simple devotion. ## Character check-ins ### the boy A poor peasant boy who believes he has reached heaven and stays in the church, sharing his food with the wooden image. ### the Virgin Mary The wooden image of Our Lady with the child Jesus that accepts the boy's food, grows strong, and speaks to him. ### the priest The priest who initially allows the boy to stay and later asks to attend the wedding but is refused. ## Key lines > A poor peasant-boy one day heard the priest say in church that whosoever desired to enter into the kingdom of heaven must always go straight onward. A poor farm boy heard the priest say that to get into heaven, you must never turn aside. _Sets up the boy's literal interpretation and journey._ > Dear God, how thin you are! The people must certainly let you starve; but every day I will give you half my dinner. The boy tells the wooden image that it looks starved and promises to share his food daily. _Shows the boy's compassionate and literal faith._ > Next Sunday thou shalt go with me to the wedding. The image tells the boy he will accompany her to a wedding next Sunday. _The divine promise that leads to the boy's death and eternal reward._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/household_tales_se/chapters/the-heavenly-wedding - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/household_tales_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/household_tales_se/chapters