Essay Questions

How does Hermann Hesse use the characters Margherita and Han Fook to develop the theme of regret in his book The Fairly Tales of Hermann Hesse?

Both Margherita and Han Fook are regretting their choices because life has not turned out to be as they expected. The decisions of Margherita are discussed in the story the Dwarf story in which she makes the wrong decision to marry the wrong man. She expects that her life marriage is going to be bliss and full of happiness but things turn out to be exactly the opposite because she marries the wrong person. Han Fook also decides to leave his family and go to search greener pastures in line with his dreams but he regrets this move because he misses his family too much.

Why the priest threatening to curse Kubu?

Everyone believes what the priest does except Kubu. Kubu believes that the priest is a liar and he is taking advantage of the innocent people to steal from them. The priest realizes that Kubu is suspicious of his activities when he shouts at him while piercing a woman. In the process, the piercing ritual goes wrong when Kubu shouts and disrupts him. The priest becomes very angry at Kubu and threatens to curse him because he is interfering with the work of the gods. Kubu tries to hide from the old priest but later he realizes that all those curses and tricks are just a lie to keep people scared and fearful.

What is the symbolic meaning of the boat?

The author has used the boat figuratively to represent the existence of life. At first, the author makes the reader believe that the boat is being sailed by a young boy but towards the end of the story it turns out to be an old man. The old man cannot make a u-turn because if he does, he will die. Therefore, the old man decides to continue sailing forward to secure his life. Therefore, the boat is his only savior at this moment and he has to continue moving forward.