The Hare and the Hedgehog Flashcards
by The Brothers Grimm — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Hare and the Hedgehog
What is the hedgehog doing at the beginning of the story?
Standing by his door with arms akimbo, enjoying the morning breeze and singing a little song to himself on a Sunday morning.
Why does the hedgehog decide to walk to the field?
While his wife washes and dries the children, he decides to check on his turnips.
What insult from the hare provokes the hedgehog into challenging him?
The hare mocks the hedgehog's short, crooked legs, saying he should "use them for a better purpose" than walking.
What are the stakes of the race between the hare and the hedgehog?
A golden louis-d'or and a bottle of brandy.
What is the hedgehog's trick for winning the race?
He stations his wife -- who looks identical to him -- at the opposite end of the furrow, so one of them is always waiting at the finish line.
How many times does the hare run the race before collapsing?
Seventy-four times. He completes seventy-three re-runs but collapses and dies in the middle of the field on the seventy-fourth.
What happens to the hare at the end of the story?
He falls to the ground in the middle of the field, blood streaming from his mouth, and dies from exhaustion.
What does the hedgehog do after winning the race?
He collects the gold louis-d'or and bottle of brandy, calls his wife out of the furrow, and they go home together in great delight.
How does the hare treat the hedgehog when they first meet in the field?
He is contemptuous and haughty, refusing to return the hedgehog's friendly greeting and instead mocking his legs.
What is the hedgehog's greatest sensitivity?
Remarks about his legs -- the narrator says "he can bear anything but an attack on his legs, just because they are crooked by nature."
How does the hedgehog's wife react when told about the race?
She questions his sanity and protests, but ultimately obeys because she has no choice.
Why does the hare keep demanding rematches instead of accepting defeat?
His pride and stubbornness prevent him from accepting that the hedgehog could beat him, and he insists the race was unfair.
Why can't the hare tell the hedgehog and his wife apart?
The narrator states that the hedgehog's wife "looked just like her husband," so the hare assumes it is the same hedgehog each time.
How does the story illustrate the theme that cleverness can defeat physical superiority?
The hedgehog cannot outrun the hare, so he uses his wits and his wife's identical appearance to create the illusion of speed, outsmarting the faster animal.
How does the hare's arrogance contribute to his downfall?
His contempt for the hedgehog blinds him to the possibility of trickery, and his stubborn pride drives him to run himself to death rather than concede.
What role does class snobbery play in the story?
The hare sees himself as a "distinguished gentleman" and looks down on the hedgehog as an inferior, which motivates the hedgehog's desire to humble him.
What is the significance of the hedgehog and his wife working as a team?
Their partnership shows that cooperation within a marriage can overcome challenges that neither could handle alone -- the trick only works because they look alike and coordinate.
What type of irony is at work in the repeated phrase "I am here already"?
Dramatic irony -- the reader knows the hedgehog's wife is at the other end, but the hare believes it is the same hedgehog who has somehow outrun him.
What narrative framing device does the story use in its opening lines?
A frame narrative in which the storyteller claims the tale comes from his grandfather, who insisted "it must be true, or else no one could tell it to you."
How does the story use repetition as a literary device?
The phrase "I am here already" is repeated at both ends of the furrow across seventy-four races, building comic tension and emphasizing the hare's futile persistence.
What is darkly ironic about the hare's physical advantage in the race?
His greatest asset -- his speed and long legs -- becomes the instrument of his death, as it enables him to exhaust himself running the race over and over.
What does "louis-d'or" mean in the context of the story?
A French gold coin, used here as the monetary stake in the hedgehog and hare's wager.
What does "akimbo" mean when the hedgehog stands "with his arms akimbo"?
With hands on hips and elbows turned outward -- a posture of casual confidence and contentment.
What is a "furrow" and why is it important to the hedgehog's plan?
A long, narrow trench plowed in a field. The parallel furrows allow the hedgehog and hare to run side by side without seeing each other, hiding the swap.
What is the significance of the hare saying "That has not been done fairly"?
It reveals his suspicion that something is wrong, yet his pride overrides his judgment -- instead of investigating, he demands another race.
What does the narrator's stated moral say about mocking others?
"No one, however great he may be, should permit himself to jest at any one beneath him, even if he be only a hedgehog" -- warning against class-based ridicule.
What is the second moral the narrator draws from the story?
That "when a man marries, he should take a wife in his own position, who looks just as he himself looks" -- a humorous justification for why the trick worked.