# XXVIII explained — The Golden Ass

> Chapter companion for The Golden Ass by Apuleius.

## What happens

Lucius, now an ass, is forced to haul wood from a high hill daily, tormented by a cruel boy who beats him relentlessly, loads him with excessive burdens, and even sets his load on fire. Lucius escapes the fire by plunging into a puddle, but the boy lies to the neighbors, claiming the ass deliberately jumped into the fire.

## Themes in this chapter

### Fortune and Suffering

Fortune continues to torment Lucius with new pains, yet also provides a chance escape from the fire, highlighting the capricious nature of fate.

### Violence and Cruelty

The boy's relentless beatings, overloading, and setting the wood on fire exemplify extreme cruelty toward the helpless ass.

## Character check-ins

### Lucius

As an ass, Lucius endures brutal treatment from a boy, including beatings, overloading, and a fire set on his back.

## Key lines

> I was appointed to bring home wood every day from a high hill, and who should drive me thither and home again, but a boy that was the veriest hangman in all the world

I was assigned to carry wood daily from a steep hill, and the boy who drove me was the cruelest tormentor imaginable.

_Lucius describes his daily task and the boy's extreme cruelty._

> he stole a burning coal out of a man’s house of the next village, and put it into the middle of the rubble; the rubble and shrubs being very dry, did fall on a light fire and burned me on every side

The boy stole a hot coal from a nearby house and placed it in the middle of the dry brush on my back, which quickly caught fire and burned me all over.

_The boy's malicious act of setting the load on fire to torment Lucius._

> I espied a great hole full of rain water that fell the day before, thither I ran hastily and plunged myself therein, in such sort that I quenched the fire

I spotted a large puddle left by yesterday's rain, ran to it, and plunged in, putting out the fire.

_Lucius escapes the fire by rolling in a rainwater puddle._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters/xxviii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_golden_ass_se/chapters