Section 73
The Boy and the Nettles explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
A Boy was gathering berries from a hedge when his hand was stung by a Nettle. Smarting with the pain, he ran to tell his mother, and said to her between his sobs, "I only touched it ever so lightly, mother." "That's just why you got stung, my son," she said; "if you had grasped it firmly, it...
Read full original text in reading mode
Public-domain original
A Boy was gathering berries from a hedge when his hand was stung by a
Nettle. Smarting with the pain, he ran to tell his mother, and said
to her between his sobs, "I only touched it ever so lightly, mother."
"That's just why you got stung, my son," she said; "if you had grasped
it firmly, it wouldn't have hurt you in the least."
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
A boy touches nettles lightly and is stung, then learns to grasp them firmly.
Why this scene matters
This fable teaches that some difficulties must be handled decisively instead of timidly.
Characters in this scene
- Boy: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- the Nettles: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
A boy is hurt by nettles. His mother tells him that next time he must grasp them boldly.