The Devoted Friend Summary
The Devoted Friend is a short story written by Oscar Wilde. In this article, The Devoted Friend summary is discussed. Its components are:
A meeting of three animals:
The story is about the interaction among three animals. The animals are:
- Linnet
- Mother duck
- Rat
These three animals are present on the site of a pond. After listening to the topic of a devoted friend from the rat, the linnet tells a relevant story to him and the duck.
Inner story of Hans and Miller:
The story is about two best friends. One friend is called Hans, and the other one is called Miller. Hans had many friends, but his most so-called devoted friend was Miller. Hans was poor while Miller was rich. Besides, Hans had only a garden which he used to earn money by selling its items. Miller was the honour of a flour mill. Moreover, he had woolly sheep and milch cows. Both had different approaches to friendship.
Miller's pure selfishness and Hans' real devotion to friendship:
Miller only used to talk nicely about friendship while Hans used to act generously for this relationship. Also, Miller took benefits from the garden of Hans, but he never gave him anything in return. Further, he did not help him even in the worst conditions during winter when there was no source of income for Hans. There are many examples of the acute selfishness of Miller and severe simplicity of Hans in the story. For example, when Miller decided to give his broken wheelbarrow for Hans' gardening, then Hans gave him many things for his so-called generosity. So, Hans provided Miller with his plank, items of the garden, and much help now and then for that ungiven wheelbarrow and merely spoken care and talk of the duties of devoted friendship. Also, Hans repaired the roof of Miller's barn with that plank. Then, on another occasion, he took Miller's sheep to the mountain for their grazing.
Hans' death in helping Miller's son:
Later, Miller's son fell from some ladder, and he was hurt. Then, Miller went to Hans' hut for convincing him to bring a doctor for his son's treatment on a stormy night with heavy raining. Hans went to some doctor's home. So, Hans informed the doctor, and the doctor went on his horse. Hans was pursuing the doctor, but he got lost on the way. Then, he wandered on a moor which had big holes. At last, he drowned in some hole there. Some goatherds found his body in a big pool of water on the next day, and they brought the corpse to Hans' cottage.
The party after Hans' funeral:
The funeral of Hans took place. All attended the ceremony including Miller. Miller expressed his false grief over losing a faithful friend. All friends of Hans along with that insensitive Miller sat comfortably in a hotel, and they were drinking wine and eating cakes after the end of the funeral. The story was over.
Rat's annoyance for the story:
Also, the rat was in favour of the behaviour of Miller. Upon knowing this reality that the story has a moral lesson, the insensitive rat got very angry. Also, the linnet thought that he annoyed the rat. Then, the duck said that it is always an objectionable matter for many people to listen to moralistic stories. In the end, the author mentions his agreement with the duck's saying.
Introduction of Wilde:
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was a famous author, playwright, and poet of England. "The Importance of Being Earnest" is the most successful play by Wilde. He is also the writer of a famous short story, "The Devoted Friend". Lastly, he is known for his flamboyant style, excellent wit, and imprisonment for homosexuality.
Conclusion:
That's all about The Devoted Friend summary. Thanks for being here. Subscribe my blog for more updates.