Short Fiction · Chapter
What! No Children? explained
A king and queen, long ago, are distressed by their lack of children.
What happens
A king and queen, long ago, are distressed by their lack of children. The king grows cross with the queen, who bears his reproaches patiently. Eventually, the queen gives birth to a lovely princess.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Sacrificial Love
The king and queen's longing for a child and the queen's patient endurance of the king's crossness highlight the theme of family and the sacrifices made for it.
Characters to notice
- The Princess
Born at the end of the chapter as the long-desired child of the king and queen.
Key passages
“Once upon a time, so long ago that I have quite forgotten the date, there lived a king and queen who had no children.”
In a distant, forgotten time, a king and queen were childless.
Sets the fairy-tale tone and introduces the central problem of the chapter.
“And the king said to himself, “All the queens of my acquaintance have children, some three, some seven, and some as many as twelve; and my queen has not one. I feel ill-used.””
The king compared his queen unfavorably to other queens who had many children, feeling personally wronged by her childlessness.
Reveals the king's sense of entitlement and his initial lack of empathy.
“She was, indeed, a very nice queen, and heartily sorry that she could not oblige the king immediately.”
The queen was kind and genuinely regretted not being able to give the king a child right away.
Emphasizes the queen's gentle nature and her desire to please her husband.