Household Tales · Chapter
The Peasant and the Devil explained
A cunning peasant outwits the Devil in a bargain over the harvest from his field.
What happens
A cunning peasant outwits the Devil in a bargain over the harvest from his field. The peasant sows turnips first, giving the Devil the above-ground leaves, then sows wheat, giving the Devil only the stubble. The Devil, outraged, leaves the treasure behind, and the peasant claims it.
Themes in this chapter
Greed and Its Downfall
The Devil's greed for the fruits of the earth leads him to be outwitted by the peasant, who uses the Devil's own desire against him.
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
The peasant's cleverness and honesty (in keeping his word while exploiting loopholes) is rewarded with the treasure, while the Devil's deceitful nature is punished with loss.
Characters to notice
- the Devil
The Devil appears sitting on a treasure in the peasant's field and makes a bargain for half the harvest, but is tricked twice by the peasant's clever sowing choices.
- the peasant
A farsighted, crafty peasant who outsmarts the Devil by sowing turnips and wheat to keep the valuable parts of the harvest for himself.
Key passages
“Thou dost indeed sit upon a treasure!”
You are sitting on a treasure, aren't you?
The peasant recognizes the Devil's position over hidden wealth.
“That is the way to cheat the Devil”
That's how you trick the Devil.
The peasant's concluding remark, celebrating his successful deception.