Section 49
The Crab and His Mother explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
An Old Crab said to her son, "Why do you walk sideways like that, my son? You ought to walk straight." The Young Crab replied, "Show me how, dear mother, and I'll follow your example." The Old Crab tried, but tried in vain, and then saw how foolish she had been to find fault with her child. Example...
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Public-domain original
An Old Crab said to her son, "Why do you walk sideways like that, my
son? You ought to walk straight." The Young Crab replied, "Show me
how, dear mother, and I'll follow your example." The Old Crab tried,
but tried in vain, and then saw how foolish she had been to find fault
with her child.
Example is better than precept.
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
A mother crab tells her child to walk straight, but cannot do it herself.
Why this scene matters
This fable warns that advice loses force when the adviser does not practice it.
Characters in this scene
- Crab: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- Mother: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
The mother crab criticizes her child’s sideways walk. The child asks her to show the right way first.