Foolishness and Folly
The poem absolutely touches upon the theme of foolishness and folly through the irrational fly. The fly is quite aware of the spider’s plans but goes ahead to draw near his home. In the first four stanzas, the fly counters every trick employed by the spider because she knows he will eat her. Eventually, the charming words used by the spider clouds the fly’s mind. The fly draws near the spider’s home and is held firmly. The spider drags the fly into his parlor, and the fly never comes out. The act represents the foolishness of the fly.
Vanity
The spider uses pride to entice the fly. First, the spider praises his house by saying that it is the “prettiest little parlor” ever. The spider employs tricks to lure the fly into a trap. When the fly shows that she is disinterested in the parlor, the spider uses another tactic. He tells the fly about his comfortable bed, fine sheets, and pretty curtains drawn all over the place. The fly does not buy into the spider’s story. Finally, the fly is confused by the spider’s flattery words. The spider compliments her eyes and wings and allows her to step into his house to look herself through his mirror. All this is vanity to lure the fly into a trap. The fly’s vanity stimulates her to get into the spider’s house.
Power of Persistence
Success is based on an individual’s enthusiasm to never give up. The spider seems to be aware that persistence is the key to success. When the fly resists his attempts to get her into his parlor, he keeps persisting. The spider does not give up, and eventually, he is successful. Partly, this tale's moral lesson is that one should not give up on their mission. The spider’s mission was to lure the fly into his house. Finally, his persistence bears fruits, and the fly falls into a trap.
The Consequences of Succumbing to Flattery Words
As revealed in the last stanza, the poet's main objective is to caution people against giving in to flattery words. The flattery words lead to the fly’s death. This cautionary tale points out the consequences of succumbing to flattery words. The story serves as a lesson to those people who are manipulated by flattery. The author allows readers to see the consequences brought by giving in to flattery.
Deception and Manipulation
The spider uses lies to manipulate the fly. He speaks about the beauty of his parlor and deceptively praises the fly’s wings and eyes to entrap her. The spider knows that without the use of deception, the fly would never fall into his trap. Weak people are easily manipulated by deception. The fly represents weak people in society who are vulnerable to deception.
