Grimms' Fairy Tales, Part 20 summary
Part 20 of 62 · 3 min to read the part
In The Mouse, the Bird, and the Sausage, the bird demands a new division of household duties after another bird calls him a fool for doing the hardest work. The companions draw lots, but their exchanged tasks lead to the sausage being eaten, the mouse dying in the cooking pot, and the bird drowning.
What happens
- A mouse, a bird, and a sausage share a prosperous household, each with a regular task.
- Another bird mocks their arrangement, and the household bird insists that they draw lots to exchange duties.
- The sausage goes for wood, but a dog eats him and claims that false credentials justify his death.
- The bird returns with wood, and he and the mouse agree to remain together.
- The mouse tries the sausage's cooking method by jumping into the pot and dies.
- While searching for the mouse, the bird scatters wood that catches fire, then falls into the well while fetching water and drowns.
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What to notice
The narrator links comfort with discontent. This claim frames the bird's demand to change a working arrangement.
Quick check
How do the companions decide their new duties?
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