THE VANITY OF THE RAT
BRIEF SUMMARY
A long time ago, a couple with one-rat daughter searches
for the best husband for their only girl. They have known many rats, but none of
them was good enough for their daughter. They asked Mr. Sun, Mr. Clouds, Mr.
Wind, and Mr. Stone Buddha, but all of them refuses to marry their daughter.
Then, Mr. Stone Buddha told them that
“You and your cousins are very strong. Why if you burrow under my feet, I'll
fall over and land on my head. I'm no match for you.” After a long journey
of searching for the best partner for their daughter, the rat’s daughter ended
marrying a rat as well.
REFLECTION AND LESSONS LEARNED
Parents
want the best for their children. They also have their pride that they want to
have the best husband for their daughter. This story also depicts the culture of
Korean people where parents arranged their child’s marriage. In my perspective,
the parent’s expectation was too high that it was not even possible for a rat
to marry a sun, wind, clouds, and a stone. The rat parents underestimated their
own kind for not being enough to their daughter. However, fate will humble down
a man of pride, letting them realize that they should not belittle their own
kinds.
Another thing is arranged marriage, for me, it is against a woman’s freedom of choosing who to love. Wealth and power should not be the main basis of choosing whom to marry, but attitude and hard work matter. The parents should allow their daughter to date whomever she wants because love is a covenant of two people who swear to commit to one another. Moreover, these are the lessons I have learned from the story:
- One should have a sense of responsibility in deciding on their own.
- Status in life is not the basis for marrying someone.
- Parents should be a supporter rather than being a dictator.
- Vanity should not be practiced since it is a ridiculous amount of pride.
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