Reading Notes: Jewish fairy Tales Part A

                (Etching by Hendrik Hondius)

   

 My favorite story from Part A of the Jewish Fairy Tales was The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog. I love that of all the things that someone could have taken the time to explain they chose to explain why cats and dogs don't like each other. It was endearing and fun to read. 

    The basic plot of the story is pretty simple. The cat and the dog start out as friends. They're having a grand old time and everything is great. Then, winter comes around and suddenly food and warmth starts to get scarce. The cat decides that they would be better off if they separated because they could each hunt for their own food instead of sharing. The dog initially goes against this idea but gives in. The cat decides that it will go live in Adam's house and hunt mice. The cat then makes the dog swear to never cross paths with it again. The dog agrees and they separate. The cat lives a comfortable, easy life with Adam and gets fat. The dog is starving out in the cold. He goes from animal to animal trying to help in exchange for food and shelter. Each time, he somehow manages to mess it up and leaves. Eventually, he comes to a house and is given food and shelter. In return, he warns the man that lives their of incoming wild animals. The man thanks him and tells him he must stay with him from now on. It just so happens that this man is Adam. The cat gets pissed and tells Adam the dog has to go. Adam insists and the dog stays for a bit. The cat and dog fight constantly. Eventually, the dog gets sick of it all and leaves to go live with someone else. Cats and dogs have never been friends since.

    I really like the way the characters are handled in this story. Unlike a lot of fairy tales, the author doesn't just tell you that cats are sneaky and mean or that dogs are kind and helpful. The author shows us through their actions. The cat obviously never thought splitting up would be best for both of them. The cat just wanted to have the food and shelter to itself. The dog tried really hard to be kind and helpful to everyone he met, including the cat. Every time he failed he blamed himself and did his best to not cause anymore harm. When they were forced to cross paths, the cat was an ass and selfish. The dog just tried to get along and do what it could. The stereotypical personality traits of cats and dogs to this day are put on display for the reader as the reason that they haven't gotten along since the beginning.

Bibliography. The Quarrel of the Cat and Dog from Jewish Fairy Tales and Legends by Gertrude Landa (1919)