An old man and an old woman live in an old shack by the blue sea. The old man earns his living by fishing, and his wife spins yarn all day. One day, returning from an unsuccessful fishing trip, the old man talks about a wonderful fish who asked to be released into the wild, promising to fulfill any wishes in return. Out of surprise, or out of pity, the old man does not ask for anything, and releases the fish into the sea for nothing.

In “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish,” what the wise fish teaches children is that wealth cannot give happiness.

Having heard her husband's amazing story, the old woman begins to scold him, demanding that he return to the sea, call the fish and ask her for a new trough. The old man obediently goes to the sea to fulfill his wife’s request.

But the miraculous appearance of a new trough in the old hut only provokes the old woman. She begins to ask for more and more, not wanting to stop - a new beautiful house, a noble title, a royal throne in the underwater kingdom. When she demands that the fish be on her parcels, she shows the old woman its place - in an old shack near a broken trough.

What is the essence of the fairy tale?

Each person interprets the essence of a fairy tale in his own way. Someone tries it on with Eastern philosophy, seeing human egoism in the image of a greedy old woman, and in the old man a pure soul, content with life and submissive to an evil will.

Some people imagine the England of Pushkin’s times, and Russia is turning into a Goldfish, leaving the British with nothing. Still other fans of Pushkin’s work see in the fairy tale a clear example of unsuccessful marital relationships. They suggest looking at the old woman to understand how a good wife should not behave.

From a psychological point of view, a fairy tale is a unique work that subtly characterizes human nature, its gluttony, greed, submission to evil, irresponsibility, and poverty.

Cool! 38

Fairy tales of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin accompany us from a very early age. Their stories provide comfort in the most difficult moments, amuse and lift spirits, and also teach wisdom by sharing people’s experience and knowledge. Each fairy tale is a real diamond of Russian literature.

But I highlight one fairy tale by Pushkin in particular. This is a magical and very wise “Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish.” It’s not for nothing that both adults and children love this fairy tale. It is with her instructive lines that one usually begins one’s acquaintance with the works of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin.

Why is this story so popular and loved by me and readers around the world? The secret is that this fairy tale has always raised questions of real honesty and justice.

A childless elderly couple lives on the seashore. They live poorly, the old man fishes in the sea, and the old woman runs their simple household. One day, a magical goldfish is caught in a fisherman’s net, and begs the old man to release it back into the sea, for any of his wishes. The fisherman is kind and quite satisfied with his life, so he releases the fish without demanding anything in return. The old woman, having learned about this, forces him to return to the sea and ask the fish for at least a new trough. But the old woman's greed knows no bounds. Having received the trough, the old woman’s desires and self-esteem grow hour by hour, and she wants more and more, not only wealth, but also power. It all ends when the crazy old woman orders her to be made the mistress of the sea, and the Goldfish herself to go into her service. The angry fish takes away everything it gave, leaving the old woman with a broken trough.

Even today, there is not a single story that could so clearly and accurately depict the main flaws of human character. The image of the old woman is a living illustration of greed, stupidity and ingratitude.

The old fisherman is often accused of weakness and lack of will, shifting a certain share of the blame onto him. But, it seems to me, his actions and submission to the whims of his wife speak rather of kindness and faith in the nobility of the soul. No wonder, every time after his wife’s wish was fulfilled, the fisherman asked whether she was happy now or not. This suggests that the old man loved his old woman and hoped that she would finally become content and happy, after so many years of poverty.

In my opinion, undeservedly little attention is paid to the Goldfish itself. Who is she and why did the fish, capable of fulfilling any wish, so stupidly fall into the leaky nets of the poor fisherman? Isn't the Goldfish herself a powerful sea mistress? The very one whose place the old woman dreamed of taking. Perhaps the sea queen had been watching the hard work of the fisherman’s family for many years, and finally decided to reward the old man for an honest life, for which purpose, turning into a fish, she agreed to fulfill any of his wishes. After all, even the sea, which is inseparable from its mistress, very accurately conveys the mood of the Goldfish, becoming darker and more restless with each request.

The magic and wise lesson of the fish taught not only the old woman, but also everyone who read the fairy tale not to abuse a kind attitude, to know when to stop and to be sincerely grateful for any selfless service.

The fairy tales of A. S. Pushkin are an example of how a common plot can become a masterpiece of high literary language. The poet was able to convey in poetic form not only the characters of the characters, but also a prerequisite for any such narrative - teaching, that is, what the fairy tale teaches. “About a Fisherman and a Fish” is a story about human greed. The fairy tale “About Tsar Saltan” is about how evil and deceit are punishable, but good always wins. So in the plots of all fairy tales written by the poet.

When teachers explain to schoolchildren what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” (2nd grade) teaches, they rely on the plot of the work. This is correct, since children must understand what basic categories drive people's actions: good and evil, generosity and greed, betrayal and forgiveness, and many others. Fairy tales help children understand them and make the right choice in favor of good.

In the fairy tale about the Golden Fish, the plot begins with the fact that on the shore of the blue sea there lived an old man and an old woman. He fished and she spun yarn, but their shack was old and even the trough was broken.

The old man was lucky to catch a Goldfish, who begged him to return it to the sea and even offered a ransom for himself.

The kind fisherman let her go, but the old woman did not like his noble deed, so she demanded that he return to the sea and ask the fish for at least a trough. The old man did just that. The fish gave what the old woman wanted, but she wanted more - a new hut, then to be a pillar noblewoman, then a free queen, until she decided to become the Lady, who has the fish herself on her errands.

The wise fish fulfilled the old woman's requests until she demanded the impossible. So the old woman was left again with nothing.

Children, reading about the old man’s story, understand what Pushkin’s “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” teaches. Power and wealth changed the old woman every time, making her angrier. Schoolchildren make the correct conclusion that greed is punishable, and they can again be left with nothing.

Fairy tale of the Brothers Grimm

If we take as a basis the philosophical categories of what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” teaches, the analysis should begin with It was with their story about a greedy old woman who, starting with little desires, went so far as to want to become the Pope of Rome, that the poet was familiar with .

It seems that the plot of the instructive story is about ordinary human greed, but if you pay attention to the symbolism embedded in it, what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” teaches takes on a completely different meaning. As it turned out, the Brothers Grimm, and after them Pushkin, were far from the first to use this theme.

Vedic wisdom

In the treatise Matsya Purana it is presented in the form of an allegory. For example, the old man in it is the real “I” of a person, his soul, which is in a state of peace (nirvana). In Pushkin’s fairy tale, the fisherman appears exactly like this to the readers. He has lived with an old woman in a shack for 33 years, fishes and is happy with everything. Isn't this a sign of enlightenment?

This is what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” teaches: the true purpose of man is to be in harmony with his soul and the surrounding reality. The old man coped well with the huge and full of temptations of the material world, which symbolizes the blue sea.

He throws a net with his desires into it and gets what he needs for his daily day. Another thing is the old woman.

Old woman

She personifies human egoism, which is never completely satisfied, and therefore does not know what happiness is. Egoism wants to consume as much material wealth as possible. That is why, starting with the trough, the old woman soon wanted to dominate the fish itself.

If in the ancient treatise her image is a symbol of a person’s renunciation of his spiritual nature in favor of false consciousness and the material world, then in Pushkin it is an evil egoistic principle that forces the old man (a pure soul) to indulge her whims.

The Russian poet very well describes the submission of the soul to egoism. Every time the old man goes to bow to the Goldfish with a new demand from the old woman. It is symbolic that the sea, which is the prototype of the vast material world, becomes more and more formidable every time. By this, Pushkin showed how great the separation of a pure soul from its purpose is, when each time it sinks deeper and deeper into the abyss of material wealth.

Fish

In Vedic culture, the fish represents God. It is no less powerful in Pushkin’s work. If you think about what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” teaches, the answers will be obvious: a false egoistic shell cannot give a person happiness. For this, he does not need material wealth, but the unity of the soul with God, which manifests itself in a harmonious state of peace and receiving joy from being.

The fish appears to the old man three times to fulfill his selfish desires, but, as it turns out, even the sea sorceress cannot fill the false shell.

The struggle between spiritual and egoistic principles

Many philosophical, religious, artistic and psychological books have been written about this struggle. Both principles - the pure soul (in Pushkin's fairy tale, the old man) and egoism (the old woman) are fighting among themselves. The poet showed very well what humility and indulgence in selfish desires lead to.

His main character did not even try to resist the old woman, but each time he obediently went to bow to the fish with a new demand from her. Alexander Sergeevich just showed what such connivance with one’s own egoism leads to, and how his false, insatiable needs end.

Today, the phrase “being left with nothing” is used at the everyday level when talking about human greed.

In philosophy its meaning is much broader. It is not material goods that make people happy. The old woman's behavior speaks to this. As soon as she became a pillar noblewoman, she wished to be a queen, and then - more. She did not radiate happiness and contentment with the advent of new types of power and wealth.

This is what “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” teaches: to remember the soul, that it is primary, and the material world is secondary and insidious. Today a person can be in power, but tomorrow he will become poor and unknown, like the old woman at that ill-fated trough.

Thus, the Russian poet’s children’s fairy tale conveys the depth of the eternal confrontation between the ego and the soul, which people knew about in ancient times.

Main characters: Goldfish, Old Man and Old Woman.

Summary: A brief summary of the fairy tale about the fisherman and the fish, and even in 5 - 6 sentences (for the reader's diary, 2nd grade). The task is certainly not easy, but it is doable. First, the student needs to read the work and discuss it with his parents. And then state the main thoughts. Let's start:

There lived an old man and an old woman near the blue sea. The old man went fishing every morning and caught fish with nets. One day he caught not an ordinary fish, but a talking goldfish. She asked to be released in exchange for a fulfilled wish. The old man told the old woman about the miracle and she began to demand wish after wish. It all ended with the old man and the old woman left at the same broken trough.

This educational fairy tale says that you need to appreciate what you have. And if fate gives you gifts, rejoice at them. And don't become greedy.

An old man lived with his old woman
By the bluest sea;
They lived in a dilapidated dugout
Exactly thirty years and three years.
The old man was catching fish with a net,
The old woman was spinning her yarn.
Once he threw a net into the sea -
A net arrived with nothing but mud.
Another time he cast a net -
A net came with sea grass.
For the third time he threw the net -
A net came with one fish,
With not just any fish—golden fish.
How the goldfish prays!
He says in a human voice:
“You, elder, let me go to sea!
Dear, I will give a ransom for myself:
I’ll pay you back with whatever you want.”
The old man was surprised and frightened:
He fished for thirty years and three years
And I never heard the fish speak.
He released the goldfish
And he said a kind word to her:
“God be with you, goldfish!
I don’t need your ransom;
Go to the blue sea,
Walk there in the open space."

The old man returned to the old woman,
He told her a great miracle:
“Today I caught a fish,
Goldfish, not an ordinary one;
In our opinion, the fish spoke,
I asked to go home to the blue sea,
Bought at a high price:
I bought whatever I wanted
I didn’t dare take a ransom from her;
So he let her into the blue sea.”
The old woman scolded the old man:
“You fool, you simpleton!
You didn’t know how to take ransom from a fish!
If only you could take the trough from her,
Ours is completely split.”

So he went to the blue sea;
He sees that the sea is a little rough.

A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”

“Have mercy, lady fish,
My old woman scolded me,
The old man gives me no peace:
She needs a new trough;
Ours is completely split.”
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God.
There will be a new trough for you."

The old man returned to the old woman,
The old woman has a new trough.
The old woman scolds even more:
“You fool, you simpleton!
You begged for a trough, you fool!
Is there a lot of self-interest in the trough?
Turn back, fool, you are going to the fish;
Bow to her and beg for a hut.”

So he went to the blue sea
(The blue sea has become cloudy).
He began to click on the goldfish.

“What do you want, elder?”

“Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman scolds even more,
The old man gives me no peace:
A grumpy woman is asking for a hut.”
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God,
So be it: you’ll have a hut.”

He went to his dugout,
And there is no trace of the dugout;
In front of him is a hut with a light,
With a brick, whitewashed pipe,
With oak, plank gates.
The old woman is sitting under the window,
What the world stands on scolds her husband:
“You are a fool, you are a simpleton!
The simpleton begged for a hut!
Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a black peasant girl,
I want to be a pillar noblewoman.”

The old man went to the blue sea
(Restless blue sea).
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
The old man answers her with a bow:
“Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman became more foolish than ever,
The old man gives me no peace:
She doesn't want to be a peasant
She wants to be a high-ranking noblewoman.”
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God.”

The old man returned to the old woman,
What does he see? High tower.
His old woman is standing on the porch
In an expensive sable jacket,
Brocade kitty on the crown,
Pearls weighed down the neck,
There are gold rings on my hands,
Red boots on her feet.
Before her are diligent servants;
She beats them and drags them by the chuprun.
The old man says to his old woman:
“Hello, madam noblewoman!
Tea, now your darling is happy.”
The old woman shouted at him,
She sent him to serve at the stables.

One week goes by, another goes by
The old woman became even more foolish;
Again he sends the old man to the fish:
“Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a high-ranking noblewoman.
But I want to be a free queen.”
The old man got scared and prayed:
“What, woman, have you eaten too much henbane?
You can neither step nor speak.
You will make the whole kingdom laugh."
The old woman became even more angry,
She hit her husband on the cheek.
“How dare you, man, argue with me,
With me, a pillar noblewoman?
Go to the sea, they tell you with honor;
If you don’t go, they will lead you willy-nilly.”

The old man went to the sea
(The blue sea turned black).
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
The old man answers her with a bow:
“Have mercy, lady fish!
My old woman is rebelling again:
She doesn't want to be a noblewoman,
She wants to be a free queen."
The goldfish answers:
“Don’t be sad, go with God!
Good! the old woman will be queen!”

The old man returned to the old woman,
Well? before him are the royal chambers,
In the chambers he sees his old woman,
She sits at the table like a queen,
Boyars and nobles serve her,
They pour her foreign wines;
She eats printed gingerbread;
A formidable guard stands around her,
They hold axes on their shoulders.
When the old man saw it, he was scared!
He bowed to the old woman's feet,
He said: “Hello, formidable queen!
Well, is your darling happy now?”
The old woman did not look at him,
She just ordered him to be driven out of sight.
The boyars and nobles ran up,
They pushed the old man backwards.
And the guards ran up at the door,
Almost chopped me up with axes,
And the people laughed at him:
“Serves you right, you old ignoramus!
From now on, science for you, ignoramus:
Don’t sit in the wrong sleigh!”

One week goes by, another goes by
The old woman became even more furious:
The courtiers send for her husband.
They found the old man and brought him to her.
The old woman says to the old man:
“Turn back, bow to the fish.
I don't want to be a free queen,
I want to be the mistress of the sea,
So that I can live in the ocean-sea,
So that the goldfish may serve me
And she would be on my errands.”

The old man did not dare to contradict
I didn’t dare say a word.
Here he goes to the blue sea,
He sees a black storm at sea:
So the angry waves swelled,
That's how they walk and howl and howl.
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
“What do you want, elder?”
The old man answers her with a bow:
“Have mercy, lady fish!
What should I do with the damned woman?
She doesn't want to be a queen,
Wants to be the mistress of the sea:
To live in the Okiyane-sea,
So that you yourself serve her
And I would have been on her errands.”
The fish didn't say anything
Just splashed her tail in the water
And went into the deep sea.
He waited for a long time by the sea for an answer,
He didn’t wait, he returned to the old woman
Lo and behold, there was a dugout in front of him again;
His old woman is sitting on the threshold,
And in front of her is a broken trough.

“The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish” is a work in verse by A.S. Pushkin, beloved by children for two centuries. It tells about the extraordinary luck of a simple fisherman, which his wife took advantage of. A fisherman has been fishing with a seine for more than 30 years, and one day a goldfish gets caught in the net. She asks the old man to let her go, for which she is ready to fulfill any of his wishes. The fisherman releases the fish in peace and does not ask for anything. When he told his old woman about this, she scolds him that he couldn’t even ask for a trough. The old man returns to the sea, calls the fish and asks for a trough. More than once the fisherman will go to the sea with requests from his wife, until the patience of the mistress of the sea runs out. The fairy tale teaches gratitude, moderation, and condemns greed and pride.

An old man lived with his old woman
By the bluest sea;
They lived in a dilapidated dugout
Exactly thirty years and three years.
The old man was catching fish with a net,
The old woman was spinning her yarn.
Once he threw a net into the sea -
A net arrived with nothing but mud.
Another time he cast a net -
A net came with sea grass.
For the third time he cast the net -
A net came with one fish,
With not just a simple fish - a gold one.
How the goldfish prays!
He says in a human voice:
"Let me go to sea, old man!
Dear, I will give a ransom for myself:
I'll buy you anything you want."
The old man was surprised and frightened:
He fished for thirty years and three years
And I never heard the fish speak.
He released the goldfish
And he said a kind word to her:
"God be with you, goldfish!
I don’t need your ransom;
Go to the blue sea,
Walk there in the open space."

The old man returned to the old woman,
He told her a great miracle:
"Today I caught a fish,
Goldfish, not an ordinary one;
In our opinion, the fish spoke,
I asked to go home to the blue sea,
Bought at a high price:
I bought whatever I wanted
I didn’t dare take a ransom from her;
So he let her into the blue sea."
The old woman scolded the old man:
"You fool, you simpleton!
You didn’t know how to take ransom from a fish!
If only you could take the trough from her,
Ours is completely split."

So he went to the blue sea;
He sees that the sea is a little rough.

A fish swam to him and asked:
"What do you want, old man?"

"Have mercy, lady fish,
My old woman scolded me,
The old man gives me no peace:
She needs a new trough;
Ours is completely split."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God.
There will be a new trough for you."

The old man returned to the old woman,
The old woman has a new trough.
The old woman scolds even more:
"You fool, you simpleton!
You begged for a trough, you fool!
Is there a lot of self-interest in the trough?
Turn back, fool, you are going to the fish;
Bow to her and beg for a hut."

So he went to the blue sea
(The blue sea has become cloudy).
He began to click on the goldfish.

"What do you want, old man?"

"Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman scolds even more,
The old man gives me no peace:
A grumpy woman is asking for a hut."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God,
So be it: you will have a hut."

He went to his dugout,
And there is no trace of the dugout;
In front of him is a hut with a light,
With a brick, whitewashed pipe,
With oak, plank gates.
The old woman is sitting under the window,
What the world stands on scolds her husband:
"You're a fool, you're a simpleton!
The simpleton begged for a hut!
Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a black peasant girl,
I want to be a pillar noblewoman."

The old man went to the blue sea
(Restless blue sea).
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
"What do you want, old man?"
The old man answers her with a bow:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
The old woman became more foolish than ever,
The old man gives me no peace:
She doesn't want to be a peasant
She wants to be a high-ranking noblewoman."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God."

The old man returned to the old woman,
What does he see? High tower.
His old woman is standing on the porch
In an expensive sable jacket,
Brocade kitty on the crown,
Pearls weighed down the neck,
There are gold rings on my hands,
Red boots on her feet.
Before her are diligent servants;
She beats them and drags them by the chuprun.
The old man says to his old woman:
"Hello, madam noblewoman!
Tea, now your darling is happy."
The old woman shouted at him,
She sent him to serve at the stables.

One week goes by, another goes by
The old woman became even more foolish;
Again he sends the old man to the fish:
"Turn back, bow to the fish:
I don't want to be a high-ranking noblewoman.
But I want to be a free queen."
The old man got scared and prayed:
“What, woman, have you eaten too much henbane?
You can neither step nor speak.
You will make the whole kingdom laugh."
The old woman became even more angry,
She hit her husband on the cheek.
"How dare you, man, argue with me,
With me, a pillar noblewoman?
Go to the sea, they tell you with honor;
If you don’t go, they will lead you willy-nilly.”

The old man went to the sea
(The blue sea turned black).
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
"What do you want, old man?"
The old man answers her with a bow:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
My old woman is rebelling again:
She doesn't want to be a noblewoman,
She wants to be a free queen."
The goldfish answers:
"Don't be sad, go with God!
Good! The old woman will be a queen!"

The old man returned to the old woman,
Well? before him are the royal chambers,
In the chambers he sees his old woman,
She sits at the table like a queen,
Boyars and nobles serve her,
They pour her foreign wines;
She eats printed gingerbread;
A formidable guard stands around her,
They hold axes on their shoulders.
When the old man saw it, he was scared!
He bowed to the old woman's feet,
He said: “Hello, formidable queen!
Well, is your darling happy now?"
The old woman did not look at him,
She just ordered him to be driven out of sight.
The boyars and nobles ran up,
They pushed the old man backwards.
And the guards ran up at the door,
Almost chopped me up with axes,
And the people laughed at him:
"Serves you right, you old ignoramus!
From now on, science for you, ignoramus:
Don’t sit in the wrong sleigh!”

One week goes by, another goes by
The old woman became even more furious:
The courtiers send for her husband.
They found the old man and brought him to her.
The old woman says to the old man:
"Turn back and bow to the fish.
I don't want to be a free queen,
I want to be the mistress of the sea,
So that I can live in the ocean-sea,
So that the goldfish may serve me
And she would be on my errands."

The old man did not dare to contradict
I didn’t dare say a word.
Here he goes to the blue sea,
He sees a black storm at sea:
So the angry waves swelled,
That's how they walk and howl and howl.
He began to click on the goldfish.
A fish swam to him and asked:
"What do you want, old man?"
The old man answers her with a bow:
"Have mercy, lady fish!
What should I do with the damned woman?
She doesn't want to be a queen,
Wants to be the mistress of the sea:
To live in the Okiyane-sea,
So that you yourself serve her
And I would be on her errands."
The fish didn't say anything
Just splashed her tail in the water
And went into the deep sea.
He waited for a long time by the sea for an answer,
He didn’t wait, he returned to the old woman
Lo and behold, there was a dugout in front of him again;
His old woman is sitting on the threshold,
And in front of her is a broken trough.