"Once upon a time there were three little pigs who went out into the big world to build their homes and seek their fortunes. The first little pig did not like to work at all. He quickly built himself a house of straw. Then off he danced down the road, to see how his brothers were getting along." As he dances he plays a flute and his hat is bobbing off his head.
The second little pig is also a lazy musician. "He did not like to work any better than his brother, so he had decided to build a quick and easy house of sticks...It was not a very strong little house, but at least the work was done." Now these two danced down the road, to the tune of their fiddle and flute, to see how their brother was doing.
"The third little pig was a sober little pig. He was building a house, too, but he was building his of bricks. He did not mind hard work, and he wanted a stout little, strong little house, for he knew that in the woods nearby there lives a big bad wolf who liked nothing better than to catch little pigs and eat them up!"
In the Disney cartoon, this pigs name is "Practical and his joyless "nose to the grindstone" attitude ends up saving his lazy brothers' lives. The contrast between his hard-working humorlessness and their lazy laughter is made a gain and again.
"Ha ha ha!" laughed the first little pig, when he saw his brother hard at work. 'Ho ho ho!' laughed the second little pig. 'Come down and play with us! he called. But the busy little pig did not even pause. Slap, slosh, slap! went bricks on mortar as he called down to them:
"I build my house of stones.
I build my house of bricks.
I have no chance
To sing and dance,
For work and play don't mix."
Again the two lazy pigs laugh at their sensible brother. "You can laugh and dance and sing," he calls after them, "but I'll be sage and you'll be sorry when the wolf comes to the door."
And just to make sure that even the youngest child understands how foolish the first two pigs are, the book as them laugh at their brother yet again and disappear into the woods singing "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" immediately after which the wolf pops out of the woods to attack them.
The message here is obvious: we can have a good time, can laugh and dance and sing, but if we do, we are lazy jerks who can't provide for even our basic needs like shelter and safety. To be good people, we need to be like Practical Pig - humorless, joyless workaholics.
Humour Works, John morreall, Ph.D.
It is interesting to read something you have heard a thousand times and see something totally different. I don't think I will ever look at this fairy tale the same again.
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