Department of English Gymnasium Steglitz Berlin |
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Various Essays on James Thurber´s "The very proper gander" |
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| "The very proper gander" is a satire
about human behaviour
The moral of the story is: "Anybody who you or your wife
thinks is going to overthrow the government by violence must be driven out of the
country." I think with using this ironic exaggeration the author wants to criticize
the arrogance of some people who think that their own opinion is the only right one. James Thurber narrates in his fable "The very proper gander" how a misunderstanding can ruin your whole life. The main character of the story is a strong, smooth and beautiful gander, who likes himself very much. The other animals in the barnyard are good friends but mostly he cares just about his family and himself. One day an old hen overheard something and misunderstood that the gander wanted to make propaganda. Immediately she told her husband and he spread this rumour. Out of a sudden other animals recalled that they had seen the gander talking to hawks- the dangerous birds- throwing bombs and heard him say he hated the flag. So they attacked the gander’s house and drove him out of the country. What happens in this story can happen in our real life, too. Maybe not so dramatically by being driven out of the country, but with rumours and talking behind your back your life can become very difficult. We all know the kind of people who stand behind closed courtains and observe their neighbours through a gap, just to tell a story about them in the supermarket on the next day. I like the fable more than Thurber´s fable "The unicorn in the garden". Although the characters in "The very proper gander" are all animals, it seems more realistic to me. You can identify yourself better with this story than with a story in which a man sees a unicorn in his garden. (J.A., 11d, Feb 2005) The fable reflects problems of today The fable "The very proper
gander" by James Thurber deals with a gander about whom rumour is spread about and
who is driven out of the country. The gander is married and has two children. He is a good
father who looks after his family and most of his time he spends singing to them, so he
treats them very well. He is a strong, fine and beautiful gander, who has got a lot of
self-confidence. The gander is a quiet member of the barnyard, who has never done anybody
any harm. He has always been nice and friendly towards the other members. One day somebody
mentioned that he was "a very proper gander" while he was strutting up and down
in his yard. Of course, the animals stand for persons and the barnyard for the human society. The gander symbolises all the quiet persons who try to get along with the others as well as possible. But only one misunderstood word is enough to make the others regard somebody else negatively. Perhaps the gander is an outsider who does not take part in a social life and now the other animals blame him. The others spread rumours about the gander that are not correct. They just say these things because the others think the same. One person begins, the others go along. In the barnyard society group pressure begins to rule, so they do not need any proof, they just listen to bad things about the gander and follow that example. I think they are jealous of him, because his family relationship is working and he is good-looking. The family of the gander has no problems, and the other barnyard members do not want to see him so happy, especially if they are not happy, too. In my opinion the fable about the very fine gander clearly reflects the problems of the present society. I take pleasure in stories like this fable which are comparable with situations in the present time. (A.M., 11d, Feb 2005)
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The fable "The very proper gander" by James
Thurber is about a simple misunderstanding which leads to someone´s expulsion from his
home. It is about animals that live on a farm and especially about a gander who is
described by James Thurber as a strong, smooth and beautiful animal that spent most of his
time singing to his wife and children. The action begins with a misunderstanding about a
statement in which somebody described the gander as "a very proper gander". An
old hen that overheard this, misunderstood it and heard "propaganda". She
gossiped and after a short time every animal on the farm suddenly "remembered"
to recall something suspicious about the gander. Soon they misinterpreted everything that
they had ever heard the gander saying or doing. Probably the other barnyard animals were
jealous of his coming across as very self-confident. The fable comes to the very unhappy
end that the furious animals drive the gander and his family out of the country.