The Jew Among Thorns explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished

  The honest servant is ultimately rewarded with freedom and the Jew's gold, while the Jew is hanged for his theft and deceit.

• Greed and Its Downfall

  The Jew's greed leads him to falsely accuse the servant, but his own crime is exposed, resulting in his execution.

• Magic and the Supernatural

  The dwarf grants the servant three magical wishes: a gun that always hits, a fiddle that compels dancing, and the power to have any request granted.

Characters to notice

• the servant

  A diligent and honest servant who works for three years without wages, receives only three farthings, and is granted three magical wishes by a dwarf.

• the rich man

  The miserly master who underpays his servant with three farthings for three years of work.

• the judge

  The judge who initially sentences the servant to death but is forced to dance and ultimately grants him his life.

• the dwarf

  A little man who appears from a thicket, receives the servant's three farthings, and grants him three wishes.

• the Jew

  A Jew with a long goat's-beard who is forced to dance in thorns, gives up a purse of gold, and is later hanged for theft.

Key passages

• “There was once a rich man, who had a servant who served him diligently and honestly: He was every morning the first out of bed, and the last to go to rest at night; and, whenever there was a difficult job to be done, which nobody cared to undertake, he was always the first to set himself to it.”

  A wealthy man had a servant who worked hard and faithfully, always being the first to start work and the last to finish, and he willingly took on any tough task others avoided.

  Introduces the servant's diligent character and the master's wealth.

• “When a year was ended, his master gave him no wages, for he said to himself, “That is the cleverest way; for I shall save something, and he will not go away, but stay quietly in my service.””

  After the first year, the master paid the servant nothing, thinking this would save money and keep the servant from leaving.

  Reveals the master's miserly and manipulative nature.

• “Then the little man said, “As I see you have a good heart I grant you three wishes, one for each farthing, they shall all be fulfilled.””

  The dwarf, recognizing the servant's kindness, grants him three wishes, one for each farthing given.

  The dwarf rewards the servant's generosity with magical gifts.

• “In a moment the Jew’s legs began to move, and to jump into the air, and the more the servant fiddled the better went the dance. But the thorns tore his shabby coat from him, combed his beard, and pricked and plucked him all over the body.”

  As the servant played, the Jew involuntarily danced, and the thorns ripped his clothes and scratched his skin.

  The servant uses the fiddle to torment the Jew, causing him to dance painfully in the thorns.

• “The Jew raised a great cry of “Murder! murder! for goodness’ sake do not allow it! Do not allow it!” But the judge said, “Why should I not let him have this short pleasure? it has been granted to him, and he shall have it.””

  The Jew screamed for the judge to forbid the servant from playing, but the judge allowed it, as the request had been granted.

  The judge unknowingly enables the servant's magical power, leading to the chaotic dance.

• “At length the judge cried, quite out of breath, “I will give you your life if you will only stop fiddling.””

  Exhausted from dancing, the judge offers to spare the servant's life if he stops playing.

  The judge's plea shows the overwhelming effect of the fiddle's magic.