Section 105
The Man and the Image explained simply
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Original excerpt
Excerpt preview
A poor Man had a wooden Image of a god, to which he used to pray daily for riches. He did this for a long time, but remained as poor as ever, till one day he caught up the Image in disgust and hurled it with all his strength against the wall. The force of the blow split...
Read full original text in reading mode
Public-domain original
A poor Man had a wooden Image of a god, to which he used to pray daily
for riches. He did this for a long time, but remained as poor as ever,
till one day he caught up the Image in disgust and hurled it with all
his strength against the wall. The force of the blow split open the
head and a quantity of gold coins fell out upon the floor. The Man
gathered them up greedily, and said, "O you old fraud, you! When I
honoured you, you did me no good whatever: but no sooner do I treat
you to insults and violence than you make a rich man of me!"
Public-domain original text shown for study context.
What happens here
A man prays to an image but only finds treasure after breaking it.
Why this scene matters
This fable criticizes empty devotion when action reveals the real result.
Characters in this scene
- Man: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
- the Image: A central figure in the fable’s conflict and lesson.
Simple story version
A man receives no answer from an image. In anger he breaks it and discovers treasure inside.