Reading Notes: Jataka Tales, Part B

Plot Structure:

Exposition: Two merchants both have a lot of product to sell, but they plan to go to the same town. The clever merchant does not think it would be smart for both of them to go at the same time, so he asks the dumb merchant if he wants to go first or second. The dumb merchant reasons that it would be advantageous for him to go first because he will have access to the best grass and water along the way and because he will be able to set the prices of his choosing on his goods. Thus, he decides to go first. The clever merchant thinks going last is advantageous because he will get to use the water wells the first merchant digs and travel a path that has been cleared by the first merchant, so the order works out well for both of them.

Rising Action: The dumb merchant begins traveling and eventually finds himself nearing a desert. He is smart enough to pack water to last the entire way, but then the readers are introduced to a new character: a demon who inhabits the desert. This demon has some powerful magic because he turns himself into a gentleman with an ox-drawn carriage and ten more transformed demons riding along with him. He decorates this convoy with wet grasses to make it appear that he has just traveled through a stream. The dumb merchant falls for the trap and decides to empty his water to carry less weight. Later, while all his men are thirsty and weak, the demons take them all.

Climax: Weeks later, the clever merchant begins his travel. The demon tries the same trick on his convoy, but the clever merchant knows he must be a demon because apparently demons do not cast shadows. However, his men need some convincing, so he explains to them logically that there could not be any water source nearby because there are no clues in the sky, the wind, or the geographic area. He and some men stay up to guard the camp, but the demons do not come.

Falling Action: The clever merchant comes across the abandoned goods of the dumb merchant, and he takes those with him too.

Resolution: The clever merchant makes it to town, sells his goods, and returns safely with profit.

General Thoughts: This story surprised me because I first thought it would be some sort of lesson about how "one man's trash is another's treasure" because both men thought their spot in the order of going to town was the best. Then, that aspect quickly became a subplot as the demons took the spotlight.

(Image Info: Desert by Yinan Chen; Source: Wikimedia)

Bibliography: The Wise and Foolish Merchant from Jataka Tales by Ellen C. Babbitt