The Old Man and His Grandson (Grimm)
Division into sections is editorial.
The grandfathers decline and familys growing disgust
In a household lived an elderly man whose physical condition had deteriorated significantly with age. His eyesight had grown dim, his hearing had become dull, and his knees trembled constantly. Most troubling of all, when he sat at the dinner table with his family, he could barely hold his spoon steady. The trembling in his hands caused him to spill broth regularly, either onto the tablecloth or letting it dribble from his mouth in an unseemly manner.
His adult son and daughter-in-law found these displays increasingly repulsive and embarrassing. Their disgust with the old man's condition grew daily as they witnessed his struggles with basic functions like eating. Unable to tolerate his presence at their dining table any longer, they made a cruel decision that would isolate him from the family.
The wooden bowl punishment
His son and his son's wife were disgusted at this, so the old grandfather at last had to sit in the corner behind the stove, and they gave him his food in an earthenware bowl
The family's treatment of the grandfather became increasingly harsh. Not only did they banish him from the table, but they also provided him with insufficient food portions. The old man would sit in his lonely corner, gazing toward the family table with tears filling his eyes, watching his loved ones eat together while he remained excluded and forgotten.
The situation worsened when the grandfather's trembling hands failed him completely. One day, he could not maintain his grip on the earthenware bowl, and it slipped from his shaking fingers, crashing to the ground and breaking into pieces. His daughter-in-law scolded him harshly for this accident, but the old man offered no defense, responding only with a resigned sigh. As punishment and to prevent future breakage, they purchased him a cheap wooden bowl costing just a few halfpence, from which he would be forced to eat his meager meals from that point forward.
The childs preparation and innocent revelation
The family continued their daily routine with the grandfather relegated to his corner behind the stove, eating from his wooden bowl while they enjoyed their meals at the proper table. One day, as they sat in their usual arrangement, they noticed their young child engaged in an unusual activity on the floor.
They were once sitting thus when the little grandson of four years old began to gather together some bits of wood upon the ground. 'What are you doing there?' asked the father.
The child was carefully collecting small pieces of wood scattered on the floor, arranging them with the focused concentration that only young children possess when working on something important to them. His father's curiosity was piqued by this industrious activity, prompting him to inquire about the boy's project.
'I am making a little trough,' answered the child, 'for father and mother to eat out of when I am big.'
The familys awakening and redemption
The child's innocent words struck his parents like a thunderbolt, revealing the terrible truth about their own behavior and its consequences. The boy had observed how they treated his grandfather and was simply preparing to follow their example when he became the adult in charge of their care. This profound realization hit them with devastating clarity about the cycle they had created.
The man and his wife looked at each other for a while, and presently began to cry. Then they took the old grandfather to the table, and henceforth always let him eat with them
The transformation in the family was immediate and complete. From that day forward, they welcomed the grandfather back to the family table with genuine warmth and acceptance, and they never again complained or scolded him if he happened to spill a little food during meals.