The Monkey And The Cat Flashcards
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Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Monkey And The Cat
What is the moral of The Monkey and the Cat?
<p>The moral is <strong>"The flatterer seeks some benefit at your expense."</strong> The fable warns that people who use flattery and praise are often manipulating you to serve their own interests. The Monkey compliments the Cat’s skill only to trick her into pulling chestnuts from the fire while he eats every one. <a href="/author/aesop/" class="al-author">Aesop</a> teaches that genuine friendship never requires one person to bear all the risk while the other reaps all the reward.</p>
What does "cat's-paw" mean and where does the phrase come from?
<p>A <strong>"cat’s-paw"</strong> is a person who is used as a tool or dupe by someone else. The phrase comes directly from this fable, in which the Monkey uses the Cat’s paw to pull hot chestnuts from the fire for his own benefit. The expression has been in use since the mid-17th century and appears in both English and French (<i>tirer les marrons du feu</i>). In American law, the <strong>"cat’s-paw doctrine"</strong> describes a situation where an employer is held liable for the discriminatory intent of a subordinate who influenced an employment decision.</p>
Who originally wrote The Monkey and the Cat?
<p>Although commonly included in collections of <a href="/author/aesop/" class="al-author">Aesop’s</a> fables, there is no evidence the story existed before the 15th century. The best-known version was published by <strong>Jean de La Fontaine</strong> in his second collection of <em>Fables</em> in 1679, where the monkey is called Bertrand and the cat is called Raton. La Fontaine’s retelling popularized the tale across Europe and gave rise to the "cat’s-paw" idiom in several languages.</p>
What is the Perry Index number for The Monkey and the Cat?
<p><span class="al-title">The Monkey and the Cat</span> is <strong>not included in the Perry Index</strong>, the standard classification system for Aesop’s fables created by scholar Ben Edwin Perry. This is because the tale has no confirmed ancient Greek or Roman source. It entered the Aesopic tradition through later European retellings, most notably La Fontaine’s 1679 version. Despite lacking a Perry Index number, it remains one of the most widely recognized and culturally influential fables in the collection.</p>
What is the meaning of the chestnuts in the fable?
<p>The chestnuts represent something <strong>desirable but dangerous to obtain</strong>—a reward that comes at real personal cost. They are roasting in hot embers, so retrieving them means risking injury. The Monkey wants the chestnuts but refuses to take any risk himself, instead flattering the Cat into doing the painful work. The image captures a universal dynamic: situations where one party enjoys the benefits while another bears all the consequences. This is why "pulling chestnuts out of the fire" became a lasting metaphor for doing someone else’s risky work.</p>
What lesson does The Monkey and the Cat teach children?
<p>For young readers, the fable teaches three important lessons. First, <strong>flattery is not the same as friendship</strong>—when someone compliments you only when they want something, their praise is not sincere. Second, <strong>true friends share both the work and the reward</strong>—the Monkey promised to divide the chestnuts but ate them all himself. Third, <strong>it is wise to learn from mistakes</strong>—the Cat walks away at the end, wiser for the experience, and resolves never to be tricked again. The fable encourages children to recognize when they are being used and to value fairness in their relationships.</p>
How does The Monkey and the Cat compare to other Aesop fables about trickery?
<p>Several of Aesop’s fables warn about manipulation and the consequences of misplaced trust:</p><ul><li><a href="/author/aesop/short-story/the-fox-and-the-lion/" class="al-title">The Fox and the Lion</a> — familiarity can breed false confidence around dangerous creatures</li><li><a href="/author/aesop/short-story/the-fox-and-the-goat/" class="al-title">The Fox and the Goat</a> — a fox tricks a goat into a well and escapes using him as a stepping stone</li><li><a href="/author/aesop/short-story/the-ass-and-his-purchaser/" class="al-title">The Ass and His Purchaser</a> — you can judge others by the company they keep</li><li><a href="/author/aesop/short-story/the-bear-and-the-bees/" class="al-title">The Bear and the Bees</a> — acting on impulse without thinking leads to painful consequences</li></ul>