The Fisherman and His Wife
About the Story
This story is by the BROTHERS GRIMM — Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, who collected many famous folk tales in Germany. It is a story about GREED and why being CONTENT with what you have is IMPORTANT.
'The Fisherman and His Wife teaches us a valuable lesson: "Be careful what you wish for" — and when you have ENOUGH, be HAPPY.'
The Story
The Poor Fisherman
Once upon a time, a kind FISHERMAN lived with his WIFE in a TINY, dirty HUT near the sea.
Every day, the fisherman went to the sea with his FISHING ROD. He would sit and fish. His wife would COMPLAIN.
'This hut is too SMALL! It is too DIRTY! I want a BETTER house!' she would shout.
The fisherman would sigh. He did not know what to DO.
The Magic Fish
One day, the fisherman caught something STRANGE. It was a beautiful, GOLDEN FISH!
But the fish SPOKE!
'Please let me GO!' said the fish. 'I am a MAGIC fish. If you free me, I will grant you ANY wish!'
The kind fisherman was SURPRISED. But he felt SORRY for the fish. He gently removed the hook and put the fish back in the water.
'Go, swim FREE,' said the fisherman.
He went home EMPTY-HANDED.
The Wife's First Wish
'Did you catch ANYTHING?' asked his wife angrily.
'I caught a MAGIC fish,' said the fisherman. 'But I let it go.'
'A MAGIC FISH?' cried his wife. 'You FOOL! Go back and ask for a BETTER HOUSE! This hut is AWFUL!'
A Nice Cottage
The fisherman went back to the sea. The water was CLEAR and CALM.
'Magic fish, magic fish,' he called sadly. 'My wife wants a NICE COTTAGE.'
The fish appeared. 'Go HOME,' said the fish. 'Your wish is GRANTED.'
The fisherman went home. Instead of the dirty hut — there was a BEAUTIFUL COTTAGE with a garden, flowers, and fruit trees!
His wife was HAPPY. For a few days.
The Wife Wants More
'I want a BIG STONE HOUSE!' she shouted.
The fisherman went to the sea. The water was a little WAVY.
'Magic fish, magic fish. My wife wants a STONE HOUSE.'
'Go HOME,' said the fish. 'It is DONE.'
The fisherman went home. Now there was a HUGE stone house with servants AND a garden. His wife sat in SILK dresses.
But she was STILL not happy.
The Wishes Keep Growing
'I want to be KING!' she demanded.
The fisherman went to the sea. The water was DARK and STORMY.
'Magic fish, magic fish. My wife wants to be KING.'
'Go HOME,' said the fish sadly. 'It is DONE.'
But the wife was STILL not happy. She wanted to be EMPEROR. Then she wanted to be POPE. Each time, the sea got DARKER and MORE STORMY.
The Final Wish
'I want to be LIKE GOD!' screamed the wife. 'I want to control the SUN and the MOON!'
The fisherman knew this was TOO MUCH. But he was AFRAID of his wife. He went to the sea.
The sky was BLACK. The waves were MOUNTAIN-HIGH. Thunder ROARED. Lightning FLASHED. The wind HOWLED.
'Magic fish, magic fish. My wife wants to be LIKE GOD.'
The fish was SILENT for a long moment. Then it said:
'Go HOME.'
Back to the Beginning
The fisherman walked home with HEAVY steps.
When he arrived — the palace was GONE. The stone house was GONE. The cottage was GONE.
There was only the TINY, DIRTY HUT — just like BEFORE.
His wife was sitting on the floor, CRYING.
'What HAPPENED?' she sobbed.
'You wanted too MUCH,' said the fisherman gently. 'Now we have NOTHING.'
And they lived in the tiny hut for the REST of their lives.
New Words
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Fisherman | Someone who catches fish for a living |
| Hut | A small, simple house |
| Cottage | A small, cozy house |
| Greed | Wanting more than you need |
| Content | Happy with what you have |
| Grant | To give someone what they ask for |
Think and Discuss
- Why do you think the fisherman LET the magic fish go?
- Why was the wife NEVER happy with what she got?
- What did the fisherman's wife learn at the end?
- If you caught a magic fish, what would you wish for? Why?
Fun Activity
Draw a STORY MAP showing what happened to the fisherman's house each time the wife asked for something. Start with the hut and end with the hut!
Common Mistakes in Story Comprehension
- 'The story does NOT say the fish KEPT everything. It says everything returned to how it WAS. This is called POETIC JUSTICE.'
- 'The fisherman is NOT the main character in terms of wishes — his WIFE is. But the story is named after him.'
Self-Test
Q1: What did the fisherman catch in the sea?
Q2: What was the wife's FIRST wish? What was her FIRST improvement?
Q3: Why did the fisherman keep going back to the fish?
Q4: What was the wife's FINAL wish?
Q5: What happened at the end of the story?
Q6: What is the MORAL of this story?
Answers:
A1: A golden, MAGIC fish that could talk. A2: A better house. The dirty hut was replaced with a NICE COTTAGE. A3: Because his wife kept DEMANDING more. He was afraid of her anger. A4: To be LIKE GOD (to control the sun and the moon). A5: Everything DISAPPEARED. They ended up back in the TINY DIRTY HUT. A6: GREED leads to LOSING everything. Be CONTENT with what you have. When you keep wanting MORE, you may end up with NOTHING.
