What do you think?
Rate this book
The devoted friend
The two main characters in "The Devoted Friend" are a poor man known as little Hans and a rich Miller. The Miller claims to be a devoted friend of little Hans. In truth, he selfishly takes advantage of little Hans at every opportunity. Little Hans' desire to remain the Miller's friend ultimately proves fatal for him.
16 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1888
About the author
Oscar Wilde
5,769 books40k followersOscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is best remembered for his epigrams and plays, his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, and his criminal conviction for gross indecency for homosexual acts.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.
Wilde's parents were Anglo-Irish intellectuals in Dublin. In his youth, Wilde learned to speak fluent French and German. At university, he read Greats; he demonstrated himself to be an exceptional classicist, first at Trinity College Dublin, then at Magdalen College, Oxford. He became associated with the emerging philosophy of aestheticism, led by two of his tutors, Walter Pater and John Ruskin. After university, Wilde moved to London into fashionable cultural and social circles.
Wilde tried his hand at various literary activities: he wrote a play, published a book of poems, lectured in the United States and Canada on "The English Renaissance" in art and interior decoration, and then returned to London where he lectured on his American travels and wrote reviews for various periodicals. Known for his biting wit, flamboyant dress and glittering conversational skill, Wilde became one of the best-known personalities of his day. At the turn of the 1890s, he refined his ideas about the supremacy of art in a series of dialogues and essays, and incorporated themes of decadence, duplicity, and beauty into what would be his only novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890). Wilde returned to drama, writing Salome (1891) in French while in Paris, but it was refused a licence for England due to an absolute prohibition on the portrayal of Biblical subjects on the English stage. Undiscouraged, Wilde produced four society comedies in the early 1890s, which made him one of the most successful playwrights of late-Victorian London.
At the height of his fame and success, while An Ideal Husband (1895) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895) were still being performed in London, Wilde issued a civil writ against John Sholto Douglas, the 9th Marquess of Queensberry for criminal libel. The Marquess was the father of Wilde's lover, Lord Alfred Douglas. The libel hearings unearthed evidence that caused Wilde to drop his charges and led to his own arrest and criminal prosecution for gross indecency with other males. The jury was unable to reach a verdict and so a retrial was ordered. In the second trial Wilde was convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour, the maximum penalty, and was jailed from 1895 to 1897. During his last year in prison he wrote De Profundis (published posthumously in abridged form in 1905), a long letter that discusses his spiritual journey through his trials and is a dark counterpoint to his earlier philosophy of pleasure. On the day of his release, he caught the overnight steamer to France, never to return to Britain or Ireland. In France and Italy, he wrote his last work, The Ballad of Reading Gaol (1898), a long poem commemorating the harsh rhythms of prison life.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 312 reviews
February 24, 2018
The Devoted Friend is a satirical fairy tale about friendship. With Wilde I have since learnt there is method behind the madness in the infuriating stories he tells.
A pompous and opinionated old water-rat is heard to be waxing lyrical about the rarity and nobility of a devoted friendship. When asked by a linnet bird to define the duties of a devoted friend, he scornfully dismisses it as a silly question and quips, “I should expect my devoted friend to be devoted to me, of course.” The linnet tells him the story of Little Hans, a poor but kind gardener, who has the most devoted friend of all, big Hugh the wealthy miller. The latter makes lofty statements about the unselfishness of true friendship. Hans feels proud to have a friend who cherishes such noble ideas.
In true Wilde fashion, the linnet tells a maddening story of the miller’s idea of charity. This includes not visiting Hans during the winter months when he has no flowers to sell for food because ‘when people are in trouble they should be left alone and not be bothered by visitors.’ A series of preposterous demands follows where the miller exploits Hans’ goodness and Hans continues to make appalling sacrifices until there is none left to lay on the altar of friendship.
At the end of the linnet’s tale, the water-rat says “Pooh”, whisks his tail and goes back to his hole. And I sat in awe of Wilde’s craft and held counsel with myself on what constitutes true friendship.
A pompous and opinionated old water-rat is heard to be waxing lyrical about the rarity and nobility of a devoted friendship. When asked by a linnet bird to define the duties of a devoted friend, he scornfully dismisses it as a silly question and quips, “I should expect my devoted friend to be devoted to me, of course.” The linnet tells him the story of Little Hans, a poor but kind gardener, who has the most devoted friend of all, big Hugh the wealthy miller. The latter makes lofty statements about the unselfishness of true friendship. Hans feels proud to have a friend who cherishes such noble ideas.
In true Wilde fashion, the linnet tells a maddening story of the miller’s idea of charity. This includes not visiting Hans during the winter months when he has no flowers to sell for food because ‘when people are in trouble they should be left alone and not be bothered by visitors.’ A series of preposterous demands follows where the miller exploits Hans’ goodness and Hans continues to make appalling sacrifices until there is none left to lay on the altar of friendship.
At the end of the linnet’s tale, the water-rat says “Pooh”, whisks his tail and goes back to his hole. And I sat in awe of Wilde’s craft and held counsel with myself on what constitutes true friendship.
July 26, 2026
This was an interesting and witty tale that can be interpreted on several levels. The first level is meant for children. It’s about a boy Hans, who is too gullible, and a hypocritical and selfish miller who pretends to be Hans’ friend. But in fact the miller exploits the boy’s devotion to him and at the end causes Hans’ ruin.
Another level deals with psychology. Hans is lonely, he craves affection and the miller uses the boy’s weaknesses to his advantage. Hans allows bad things to happen to him. No one forces him to make bad choices, but he can’t do otherwise. The miller is still the villain and Hans the victim, but I’m far from sure that Hans is so easily manipulated by a much older man because the boy is kind. Hans’ motives are complex.
The third level may be personal for the author. Somewhere in the story the characters mention a talk between some writer and a literary critic. This reference looks almost as a side note, nevertheless it may be a clue. Perhaps Wilde in his portrayals of Hans and the miller was alluding to real people he knew. Perhaps he is intended to mock them.
Anyway, this short story undoubtedly has satirical undertones. And I think it can be interesting for readers of all ages.
Another level deals with psychology. Hans is lonely, he craves affection and the miller uses the boy’s weaknesses to his advantage. Hans allows bad things to happen to him. No one forces him to make bad choices, but he can’t do otherwise. The miller is still the villain and Hans the victim, but I’m far from sure that Hans is so easily manipulated by a much older man because the boy is kind. Hans’ motives are complex.
The third level may be personal for the author. Somewhere in the story the characters mention a talk between some writer and a literary critic. This reference looks almost as a side note, nevertheless it may be a clue. Perhaps Wilde in his portrayals of Hans and the miller was alluding to real people he knew. Perhaps he is intended to mock them.
Anyway, this short story undoubtedly has satirical undertones. And I think it can be interesting for readers of all ages.
September 5, 2024
‘The Devoted Friend’ by Oscar Wilde is both hilarious and ridiculous. I had not realized before beginning to read Wilde’s short stories how he uses hyperbole to disguise the double and sometimes triple meanings in his tales.
I have copied the book blurb:
”The two main characters in "The Devoted Friend" are a poor man known as little Hans and a rich Miller. The Miller claims to be a devoted friend of little Hans. In truth, he selfishly takes advantage of little Hans at every opportunity. Little Hans' desire to remain the Miller's friend ultimately proves fatal for him.”
For thirty pages, the Miller proclaims and expounds on what being a good friend is, in homilies and in examples given at great length, to teach (and threaten) little Hans. All the while, he takes everything he can get out of Hans. In return for taking all of Hans’ flowers almost every day without paying (Hans is a flower salesman, selling his gardening goods at a local market), and for Hans’ unpaid backbreaking labor, he bestows his friendship on Hans. Full stop. For some examples on the one-sided ‘transactional’ relationship, the Miller puts him to work fixing his roof one day, and on the next to delivering the Miller’s flour to a market six miles away carrying the flour on his back, which Hans successfully bargains to be sold for at a good price, on a journey that takes him most of the day to walk there to the market and home. The Miller comes again to Hans’ hut the next day, after months of convincing Hans again and again day after day that Hans’ unpaid labor for the Miller and the gardening products he is forced to give to the Miller for free, is normal for the Miller’s priceless friendship. When the Miller finds poor wornout Hans still in bed sleeping off exhaustion, he precedes to lecture Hans on the evils of laziness. Hans is very grateful to the Miller, and takes notes on the Miller’s lectures on friendship.
The satire is incredibly thick in this particular short story by Wilde. But I am learning after having read a number of Wilde’s stories that figuring out whether the apparent bad guy is really a bad guy is difficult to parse out. Wilde writes mostly tales seemingly with a commonly known moral to process by readers on the surface, a moral which is frequently understood by society that if adhered to it is a Good. These morals are taught to children by parents everywhere, and lectured on by ministers from pulpits in every church.
But every time when I think about what Wilde’s fiction is showing about that moral for the second and third times, I’m more and more certain that Wilde is also tweaking the reader’s sense of morality sideways and upside down. On one hand, readers will think the Miller is despicable in his treatment of Hans. On the other hand, Hans is incredibly socially needy, someone who is happy to help the Miller destroy him without complaint because he is willing to buy the Miller’s goodwill and so-called social support through the acceptance of being socially blackmailed into poverty and personal devastation. I find myself as disgusted with Hans as I am with the Miller. Other readers, maybe most readers, will sympathize with Hans, praising his kind giving nature and condemning the Miller. But I believe it is the second suggestion I have made about people selling their souls willingly, allowing themselves to be socially blackmailed to gain social capital is really the moral of almost 100% of Wilde’s stories.
I have copied the book blurb:
”The two main characters in "The Devoted Friend" are a poor man known as little Hans and a rich Miller. The Miller claims to be a devoted friend of little Hans. In truth, he selfishly takes advantage of little Hans at every opportunity. Little Hans' desire to remain the Miller's friend ultimately proves fatal for him.”
For thirty pages, the Miller proclaims and expounds on what being a good friend is, in homilies and in examples given at great length, to teach (and threaten) little Hans. All the while, he takes everything he can get out of Hans. In return for taking all of Hans’ flowers almost every day without paying (Hans is a flower salesman, selling his gardening goods at a local market), and for Hans’ unpaid backbreaking labor, he bestows his friendship on Hans. Full stop. For some examples on the one-sided ‘transactional’ relationship, the Miller puts him to work fixing his roof one day, and on the next to delivering the Miller’s flour to a market six miles away carrying the flour on his back, which Hans successfully bargains to be sold for at a good price, on a journey that takes him most of the day to walk there to the market and home. The Miller comes again to Hans’ hut the next day, after months of convincing Hans again and again day after day that Hans’ unpaid labor for the Miller and the gardening products he is forced to give to the Miller for free, is normal for the Miller’s priceless friendship. When the Miller finds poor wornout Hans still in bed sleeping off exhaustion, he precedes to lecture Hans on the evils of laziness. Hans is very grateful to the Miller, and takes notes on the Miller’s lectures on friendship.
The satire is incredibly thick in this particular short story by Wilde. But I am learning after having read a number of Wilde’s stories that figuring out whether the apparent bad guy is really a bad guy is difficult to parse out. Wilde writes mostly tales seemingly with a commonly known moral to process by readers on the surface, a moral which is frequently understood by society that if adhered to it is a Good. These morals are taught to children by parents everywhere, and lectured on by ministers from pulpits in every church.
But every time when I think about what Wilde’s fiction is showing about that moral for the second and third times, I’m more and more certain that Wilde is also tweaking the reader’s sense of morality sideways and upside down. On one hand, readers will think the Miller is despicable in his treatment of Hans. On the other hand, Hans is incredibly socially needy, someone who is happy to help the Miller destroy him without complaint because he is willing to buy the Miller’s goodwill and so-called social support through the acceptance of being socially blackmailed into poverty and personal devastation. I find myself as disgusted with Hans as I am with the Miller. Other readers, maybe most readers, will sympathize with Hans, praising his kind giving nature and condemning the Miller. But I believe it is the second suggestion I have made about people selling their souls willingly, allowing themselves to be socially blackmailed to gain social capital is really the moral of almost 100% of Wilde’s stories.
May 18, 2020
You can never get tired of a story within in a story.
I really like some of the morals Wilde has about friendship and love in his tales. I think I should have heeded and needed some of these morals when I was younger. I think we underestimate the importance of friendship and love - but we also definitely underestimate how important it is to distinguish between a healthy or toxic relationship AND a healthy or toxic friendship. I really liked this message.
Also, the closing lines of this story are iconic. A story with a moral is always the most dangerous of them all ;)
I really like some of the morals Wilde has about friendship and love in his tales. I think I should have heeded and needed some of these morals when I was younger. I think we underestimate the importance of friendship and love - but we also definitely underestimate how important it is to distinguish between a healthy or toxic relationship AND a healthy or toxic friendship. I really liked this message.
Also, the closing lines of this story are iconic. A story with a moral is always the most dangerous of them all ;)
February 23, 2021
The Devoted Friend is a story-within-a-story about a distorted "friendship", actually a caricature of society. While the story of the Miller and Little Hans is sad, the frame narrative is quite funny and sarcastic.
"I am rather afraid that I have annoyed him," answered the Linnet. "The fact is that I told him a story with a moral."
"Ah! that is always a very dangerous thing to do," said the Duck.
And I quite agree with her.
March 6, 2015
This was a good story. But unfortunately, I can only give it four stars out of hatred for the miller. Also it was very depressing. I kept hoping that some fairy would come and punish the miller and free Hans from this abusive friendship. Of course, this is Wilde, so nothing of the sort happened. All I really took from this story is that there are manipulative a******s with lots of money that try to con hard working people out of their labour and measly worldly belongings while all the time making them believe that they should be grateful for being allowed to do these things. (So it pretty much describes our capitalist society). Anyway, manipulative, selfish, rich people are evil.
August 17, 2019
Me gustó! Pero no es mí favorito del autor!
De todos modos, me encanta como escribe y ya quiero leer más de sus libros.
De todos modos, me encanta como escribe y ya quiero leer más de sus libros.
December 14, 2015
Wilde is always a delightful writer. His method of taking simple everyday examples and to showcase them in a different light altogether is indeed a fantastic creativity. This story talks about how a generous and ignorant person toils for his so-called friend but eventually loses everything and his life too for the sake of this friend. Though a children's read, the story suffices to play with a sensitive adult's mind!
November 13, 2015
Eğer çocuklarınıza/yeğenlerinize vefa, sadakat, bağlılık, fedakarlık gibi kavramları masallarla anlatmak istiyorsanız, Oscar Wilde'ın masalları tam da aradığınız gibi. Pek çoğunu kendi çocukları için yarattığı, sonrasında kitaplaştırdığı bu masalların yaşı yok; büyük küçük herkesin zevkle okuyacağı türden masallar.
İyi okumalar...
"Ahlaksız olarak nitelendirilen kitaplar, dünyanın utancını bizlere gösteren kitaplardır." Oscar Wilde
January 8, 2021
Es un cuento en apariencia sencillo pero lo que nos enseña es único.
June 7, 2016
This story set in a fairytale setting focuses on two best friends; Little Hans the gardener, and Hugh the Miller. It's about 'devoted friendship' and what it means to people.
It's beautifully written and is a short, simple story, yet it holds such a heavy meaning. It reflects on how much blinded by our own pride we can be that we start despising correcting ourselves (like the water rat gets mad at discovering the story had a moral), and the wrong values we impose on our children (like when the Miller scolded his son when he suggested they'd invite Little Hans over in the winter), and the true value of innocence in this materialistic world:
This story is really special and close to my heart.
It's beautifully written and is a short, simple story, yet it holds such a heavy meaning. It reflects on how much blinded by our own pride we can be that we start despising correcting ourselves (like the water rat gets mad at discovering the story had a moral), and the wrong values we impose on our children (like when the Miller scolded his son when he suggested they'd invite Little Hans over in the winter), and the true value of innocence in this materialistic world:
This story is really special and close to my heart.
December 3, 2025
I always look forward to literature classes. They're both exciting and thought-provoking. Today -or yesterday, depending on the time zone-, one of the primary grades covered this story, and we ended up having a really great discussion about it.
Despite some students' frustration with Miller's character, I tried to dissuade them, explaining that we shouldn't judge someone's behavior or traits, especially if it's the first time they act strangely.
By the second chapter, they got even more upset with Miller. I watched their reactions with a smile. They’re so young and innocent! Shouting at Miller's replies, making angry faces, and their annoyance at Hans's naivety took me back to when most of us were like that too: when we only saw the good side of life and couldn’t imagine that the kind of evil we read about in stories could ever feel so real.
To be honest, I felt a little bad, but I kept making excuses; only for Hans, though. It's said he'd never met anyone like Miller before; that may be why he thought that Miller seemed to care about him, thus he could be a good friend to him. Anyway, it's definitely a hard lesson to learn. But if someone gets through something like that and stand strong, maybe -just maybe- that one comes out a little wiser In Shaa' Allah :D
By the end of the story, my hand was clenched into a fist, as if I were about to slap Miller myself, if only I could. Finally, the discussion ended with a clear rule: trust actions, not just words.
Despite some students' frustration with Miller's character, I tried to dissuade them, explaining that we shouldn't judge someone's behavior or traits, especially if it's the first time they act strangely.
By the second chapter, they got even more upset with Miller. I watched their reactions with a smile. They’re so young and innocent! Shouting at Miller's replies, making angry faces, and their annoyance at Hans's naivety took me back to when most of us were like that too: when we only saw the good side of life and couldn’t imagine that the kind of evil we read about in stories could ever feel so real.
To be honest, I felt a little bad, but I kept making excuses; only for Hans, though. It's said he'd never met anyone like Miller before; that may be why he thought that Miller seemed to care about him, thus he could be a good friend to him. Anyway, it's definitely a hard lesson to learn. But if someone gets through something like that and stand strong, maybe -just maybe- that one comes out a little wiser In Shaa' Allah :D
By the end of the story, my hand was clenched into a fist, as if I were about to slap Miller myself, if only I could. Finally, the discussion ended with a clear rule: trust actions, not just words.
June 11, 2025
عن طيبة القلب حين تُستنزف باسم الصداقة..
القصة تبدو كأنها حكاية أطفال، لكنها في العمق مرآة لواقع مؤلم: كم من العلاقات تبدأ بكلمة "صديقي"، وتنتهي بخسارة طرف واحد لكل شيء،،،إلا طيبته....
وايلد يسخر بذكاء لا يضحكنا، بل يوقظنا. يجعلنا نسأل:
هل الطيبة فضيلة؟ أم ضعف حين لا تعرف متى تتوقف؟
____________////
اقتباسات:
*الطحين شيء والصداقة شيء آخر, ولا مجال للخلط بينهما....
*لن يُصبح لكم قطّ أي شأن في مجتمع البطّ مالم يكن بإمكانكم الوقوف على رؤوسكم في الماء ...
*لا يجوز أن يفتقر الأهل إلى الحلم, هناك مرّة أولى لكل شيء...
القصة تبدو كأنها حكاية أطفال، لكنها في العمق مرآة لواقع مؤلم: كم من العلاقات تبدأ بكلمة "صديقي"، وتنتهي بخسارة طرف واحد لكل شيء،،،إلا طيبته....
وايلد يسخر بذكاء لا يضحكنا، بل يوقظنا. يجعلنا نسأل:
هل الطيبة فضيلة؟ أم ضعف حين لا تعرف متى تتوقف؟
____________////
اقتباسات:
*الطحين شيء والصداقة شيء آخر, ولا مجال للخلط بينهما....
*لن يُصبح لكم قطّ أي شأن في مجتمع البطّ مالم يكن بإمكانكم الوقوف على رؤوسكم في الماء ...
*لا يجوز أن يفتقر الأهل إلى الحلم, هناك مرّة أولى لكل شيء...
February 25, 2015
I read this growing up -- and just once, because it was so depressing. I may or may not have cried. Think "The Giving Tree" meets a Bronte tragedy. I probably would have given it 1 star if asked to rate it at the time.
But it really stuck with me all these years. The theme of unrequited friendship -- manipulation or abuse justified by "love" and even religious ideals -- seems important to be exposed to. I might just make my kids read it.
Best lines:
"And what, pray, is your idea of the duties of a devoted friend?"
"What a silly question! I should expect my devoted friend to be devoted to me, of course."
"And what would you do in return?"
"I don't understand you."
"Let me tell you a story on the subject"
"Is the story about me? If so, I will listen to it, for I am extremely fond of fiction."
"How well you talk! Really I feel quite drowsy. It is just like being in church."
"Lots of people act well, but very few people talk well, which shows that talking is much the more difficult thing of the two, and much the finer thing also."*
*FAVE!
I am sure he must have been right, for he had blue spectacles and a bald head, and whenever the young man made any remark, he always answered "Pooh!"
But it really stuck with me all these years. The theme of unrequited friendship -- manipulation or abuse justified by "love" and even religious ideals -- seems important to be exposed to. I might just make my kids read it.
Best lines:
"And what, pray, is your idea of the duties of a devoted friend?"
"What a silly question! I should expect my devoted friend to be devoted to me, of course."
"And what would you do in return?"
"I don't understand you."
"Let me tell you a story on the subject"
"Is the story about me? If so, I will listen to it, for I am extremely fond of fiction."
"How well you talk! Really I feel quite drowsy. It is just like being in church."
"Lots of people act well, but very few people talk well, which shows that talking is much the more difficult thing of the two, and much the finer thing also."*
*FAVE!
I am sure he must have been right, for he had blue spectacles and a bald head, and whenever the young man made any remark, he always answered "Pooh!"
June 30, 2010
How bizarre. I love Wilde and this was entertaining and not the ending you expect.
July 17, 2012
(Read as a part of the Complete Works of Oscar Wilde.)
Be careful who your friends are.
Be careful who your friends are.
May 5, 2022
2.5 stars
Always water your own garden before trying to maintain others gardens! The book was okay. Just wasn't my favorite short story by him.
Always water your own garden before trying to maintain others gardens! The book was okay. Just wasn't my favorite short story by him.
January 5, 2026
A clever little parable, formed as a story within a story. It provides a useful message for modern audiences who are increasingly more aware of how to set boundaries around how they are treated by others, while also making a sharp point about the unfairness of class systems and wealth inequality. Which is really rather clever!
April 20, 2013
This tale was included in William Bennet's Book of Virtues-an anthology of tales with moral lessons for children and adults. One of those tales with a lesson we often don't learn completely until we've lived it. A great story for parents to share with their teen age children, about what friendship is, and what it isn't. In today's fast paced world, it's easy to get so busy doing that we lose sight of what and why we are here. As much as we all want to be liked, and respected, it's a good idea to remind ourselves along with our kids, the importance of giving to others, but also of receiving from others, in kindness, thoughtfulness and effort; to learn to look for those efforts that reflect reciprocal thoughtfulness, kindness, and friendship from the people we would call friend. We cannot call friend those people who only talk but never do, or do with resentment only because they "have" to. Sometimes, especially teens, look just to fit in, and be part of a group, not realizing the price they pay for admittance is to give, and follow-rather than be accepted for who they are.
July 30, 2020
Muchas veces tenemos la ilusión de contar con la presencia de un “amigo fiel” o un “mejor amigo”, cuando en realidad no es así. Me gustó mucho la moraleja de este cuento, ya que muchas veces nos venden una historia, una ilusión disfrazada por lo que supuestamente es bueno para nosotros. Esta pequeña historia nos enseña lo que no es un amigo. Es triste pensar que la gente abuse de corazones buenos y nobles como el del pequeño Hans.
La rata del agua también nos enseña que hay personas que no quieren ver y que tampoco quieren escuchar.
Al final el molinero es quien se auto sabotea al decir que la carretilla ni siquiera estaba en condiciones para dársela a alguien. Lo irónico es que supuestamente se la iba a dar a su “mejor amigo”.
La rata del agua también nos enseña que hay personas que no quieren ver y que tampoco quieren escuchar.
Al final el molinero es quien se auto sabotea al decir que la carretilla ni siquiera estaba en condiciones para dársela a alguien. Lo irónico es que supuestamente se la iba a dar a su “mejor amigo”.
September 3, 2021
A nice short story by Oscar Wilde. I know that this is a children's story, but it does text life lessons about true and false friends. Plot of short, and it's like a story inside a story. It was fun reading it.
June 7, 2016
Very good fairy tale everyone should read! What kind of friend are you?
January 31, 2018
Very cute little story. It was like seeing a mirror and I guess that's a forte of a good book.
I loved the writing style, the concept, the progress, and the characters. Lovely story.
I loved the writing style, the concept, the progress, and the characters. Lovely story.
July 6, 2025
oooooo the absolute rage this stupid little story made me feel 😤🥊
Read
October 27, 2025j'espère que le meunier a pogné la tuberculose 😡
Hans 🫂
Hans 🫂
April 12, 2026
This done PISS me off
December 19, 2023
Токсичні стосунки 101. Найнеприємніше - згадувати певні ситуації з власного життя, коли читаєш от такі казочки.
October 14, 2023
I'll be honest, I didn't realise Wilde did any children's stories, stumbled on this little one and gave it a go.
How things are going right now this just screams capitalism, parliament and the greediest of wealthy.
I wonder if Wilde new a children's book from 1888 would resenate still today on much bigger things than just kindness
- The fact is, that I told him a story with a moral.” “Ah! that is always a very dangerous thing to do,'
How things are going right now this just screams capitalism, parliament and the greediest of wealthy.
I wonder if Wilde new a children's book from 1888 would resenate still today on much bigger things than just kindness
- The fact is, that I told him a story with a moral.” “Ah! that is always a very dangerous thing to do,'
February 12, 2022
my favourite short story of his
July 22, 2016
This fairytale by Osacr Wilde deals on the theme of friendhip, and how much it can mean to some and little to others. The story is told by a green linnet to a water rat who is igmorant of his own vanity. The tale the linnet tells has two main characters, a little man called Hans, and the Miller who takes advantage of Hans good nature. During the tale we see how far some people will go for a true friend, and how blind we can be to a one sided friendship. The miller uses guilt and other methods to manipulate Hans, who in the end sacrifices everything.
This is a good moral story for children in Primary School, Wilde uses good detail to explain the characters and sets up many conflicts in the tale.
Recommended age 9-11.
This is a good moral story for children in Primary School, Wilde uses good detail to explain the characters and sets up many conflicts in the tale.
Recommended age 9-11.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 312 reviews