Reading Notes: Week 2 Anthology

Title: The Tiger, the Brahman, and the Jackal
Author: Joseph Jacobs (1912)
Link: Story link.

The Jackal pretends to be bewildered by the Tiger's retelling of events. Source: UnTextbook.

Plot:

• A poor, kind man is duped by a conniving tiger who is then subsequently duped by the chaotic-good Jackal.
• There are also nihilistic elements (i.e. the Road telling the poor man to get used to the thankless masses walking all over him) but because the Jackal ends up helping the man, this worldview is somewhat refuted.
• Morals: 
• Good things/luck come to those who do good things.
• The selfish and conniving eventually end up back where they started, even if they get ahead in the short term.
• Do your duty in life -- no one is going to give you charity pity.
• Can be refuted based on the actions of the Jackal vs. the advice of the other animals.

Setting:

• India (unspecified)
• Setting really isn't super important here; we're more worried about communicating the message and the character-driven plot.
• Specific settings can add elements of intrigue or relatability to a story (i.e. I know that place! This is a great story! or Wow, a summer camp for demigods? I'm listening!) but it can also make a story niche. By eliminating a specific setting, it can 1. Take place anywhere, making it universal and 2. Keep the focus on the actions of the Jackal.

Characters:

• Jackal: Chaotic-good, trickster, clever, scheming
• Tiger: Chaotic-neutral, selfish, scheming
• Brahman: Lawful-good, trusting, piteous, "everyman"

Writing Style:

• Detached, descriptive third-person style for vast majority of piece
• My favorite chunk was the dialogue-driven exchange at the end. It adds comedic timing while lending personality to otherwise flat-ish characters.