The Story of the Three Little Pigs study guide
by L. Leslie Brooke · 1904 · the whole book: 0 h 4 min to read
The Story of the Three Little Pigs follows three siblings sent away by a mother who cannot support them, and a wolf who destroys two of their homes and eats them. The third little pig survives through brick walls and clever escapes, making secure shelter, cleverness against force, and the reversal of danger its central themes.
The story in brief
The old sow cannot support her three pigs, so she sends them away. The first little pig receives straw from a man and builds a house with it. The wolf destroys the house and eats him.
The third little pig receives bricks from a man and builds a house that the wolf cannot bring down. The wolf huffs and puffs, but the walls hold. The third little pig also repeatedly escapes the wolf, who names Mr. Smith's home field as a place for gathering turnips. Finally, the third little pig eats the wolf, reversing the danger that destroys the other pigs. Read the 15-minute summary.
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Quick answers
What is The Story of the Three Little Pigs about?
The Story of the Three Little Pigs follows three pigs whose mother sends them away because she cannot support them. A wolf destroys two pigs' houses and eats them, but the third pig's brick house withstands his attack.
Why does the mother send the pigs away in The Story of the Three Little Pigs?
The old sow sends her three pigs away because she cannot support them. After leaving their mother, the pigs build houses from materials supplied by men.
What are the houses made of in The Story of the Three Little Pigs?
The first little pig builds with straw, and the second pig builds with furze, both supplied by men. The third little pig receives bricks from a man and uses them to build a house that withstands the wolf's attack.
What happens to the first two pigs in The Story of the Three Little Pigs?
The wolf destroys the straw house and the furze house, then eats the pigs who built them. Neither shelter protects its builder from the wolf's attack.
How does the third pig survive in The Story of the Three Little Pigs?
The third little pig builds a brick house that the wolf cannot blow down, even with repeated huffing and puffing. He also repeatedly escapes the wolf, showing that his survival depends on more than strong walls.
How does The Story of the Three Little Pigs end?
The third little pig finally eats the wolf, who had eaten the other pigs. This reverses the danger, turning the creature that threatened the pigs into the surviving pig's food.
What are the main themes of The Story of the Three Little Pigs?
The main themes are secure shelter, cleverness against force, and the reversal of danger. The failed straw and furze houses contrast with the strong brick house, while the third pig's escapes show the limits of the wolf's force.
Characters
old sow
The old sow is the mother of the three pigs, but she cannot support them.
first little pig
The first little pig builds his house with straw that a man gives him. The wolf destroys the house and eats him, showing that this shelter cannot protect him.
second pig
The second pig builds his house with furze supplied by a man.
third little pig
The third little pig builds a brick house that withstands the wolf's attack. He repeatedly escapes the wolf and finally eats him, turning survival into a reversal of danger.
wolf
The wolf destroys two houses and eats the pigs who build them, but the brick house resists him. He ends as the third little pig's food, suggesting that force does not guarantee victory.
Themes
Cleverness against force
The wolf's force fails against the brick house, while the third little pig repeatedly escapes him. These escapes and the final defeat of the wolf suggest that survival depends on more than the ability to overpower an opponent.
Secure shelter
The straw and furze houses fail to protect their builders, while the brick house withstands the wolf's attack. This contrast shows that having a house is not the same as having safety, since the strength of the shelter matters.
Reversed danger
The wolf begins as the eater of pigs, but the third little pig finally eats him instead. This reversal shows danger changing direction, as the creature who threatens others becomes the one who cannot survive the encounter.
Limits of force
The wolf can blow down the furze house, but repeated huffing and puffing cannot bring down the brick house. The contrast suggests that a method that succeeds against one obstacle does not necessarily work against a stronger one.
Symbols
Straw house
The straw house works as an image of shelter that fails. Its destruction shows that a home does not automatically provide protection.
Furze house
Its collapse shows the wolf's force overcoming the protection the house provides.
Brick house
The brick house works as an image of effective protection. Its resistance shows a firm limit to the wolf's destructive force.
Famous lines explained
The narrator, Part 1. The narrator describes the wolf's failed attack on the third little pig's house. The repeated effort shows the limit of force against secure shelter.
Setting
The named places also include Mr. Smith's home field, which the wolf identifies for gathering turnips, and Merry-garden.
Questions for discussion
- Which matters more to the third little pig's survival, strong shelter or cleverness?
- How does the ending change your response to the wolf's earlier victories?
- How does the old sow's inability to support the pigs shape your understanding of their need for shelter?
- Does the wolf's repeated effort seem threatening, foolish, or both?
- What does the contrast between the three houses suggest about the meaning of safety?
Essay topics
- Shelter. Compare the three houses and explain how their different outcomes develop the theme of secure shelter.
- Cleverness. Explain how the third little pig's survival suggests the value of cleverness against force.
- Reversal. Analyze how the ending reverses the relationship between the wolf and the pigs.
- Repetition. Explain how the repeated effort in the narrator's account emphasizes the wolf's failure and the house's strength.
Quick quiz
Question 1 of 1Score 0
How does the third pig escape from the apple tree?
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