The Vanity of the Rat
This is the story of a rat couple who only have one daughter. One day, they realize that their daughter was ready for marriage. They thought of a possible man who will marry their daughter and decided that the sun is the best partner their daughter could marry. So they went to Mr. Sun and asked him if he would like to accept their offer of marrying their daughter. Mr. Sun was pleased with their offer but he refused saying that there was more powerful than him which is Mr. Cloud. So the rat couple went to Mr. Cloud and said the same thing. Mr. Cloud refused saying that there is more powerful than him, which is Mr. Wind. The rat couple went to Mr. Wind and said the same thing again, but Mr. Wind refused the marriage offer, saying that there is more powerful than him and that is Mr. Rock. Then they went to Mr. Stone Buddha and said the same thing, but Mr. Stone Buddha said that he is not suitable for their daughter because there is stronger than him, and it is their own kind and their moles cousins. After searching for too long they finally found the right man suitable for their daughter which is a rat. Their daughter then got married to the rat.
The themes of the story include marriage, refusal, and parents making decisions for their child. The characters include the daughter, the rat couple, Mr. Sun, Mr. Cloud, Mr. Wind, Mr. Stone Buddha, the mole cousins, and the rat who married the daughter.
While reading and summarizing the story, I realized that the characters in the story can be compared to real life people. Here in this story, I think the rat couple can be compared to poor parents because rats usually live in a dumpster, so I think the rat couple is poor that is why they wanted that their daughter should marry a strong and capable man. In the whole story, Mr. Sun was referred to being "bright," who I think he shines among others. Mr. Sun has the color of yellow which is closer to gold, so I think Mr. Sun is rich. Mr. Cloud, as described by Mr. Sun to be more powerful than him because if Mr. Cloud covers him, he no longer shines, so I think Mr. Cloud is an officer, a police, or someone who works in an army. Mr. Wind, as described by Mr. Cloud, is more powerful because if he blows Mr. Cloud has to go, so I think Mr. Wind can be compared to someone who works in a government or a government official because government officials usually has the power to control or to let an officer go away. Mr. Stone Buddha is, I think a religious man. I think Mr. Stone Buddha, from the word "stone," is also a strong man. Therefore, I think Mr. Stone Buddha in real life, is a man who is strong and religious.
What I learned from the story is that, when it comes to marriage, you cannot choose the partner you like based on their status because marriage is a sacred event in life that involves love not status. I realized that, this story is somehow relatable to the present because there are some parents who set standards and decides what type of man their child should marry.
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