Hans has been working hard for seven years and longs to return home to see his poor mother. As payment, his master gives him a lump of gold as large as his head. Hans sets out with the gold in a handkerchief but soon grows tired. Meeting a man on horseback, he gladly trades the heavy gold for the horse. The horse soon throws him off, and Hans encounters a shepherd who persuades him to exchange it for a cow, promising milk and comfort. The cow proves dry, and Hans trades it to a butcher for a pig. Later, a countryman warns him the pig belongs to the squire, so Hans exchanges it for a goose. In a village, a scissor-grinder convinces Hans to trade the goose for a grindstone, claiming it will earn him money. Exhausted and hungry, Hans stops by a river; the grindstone slips into the water and is lost. Free at last, Hans rejoices and walks on to his mother’s house, convinced of his great good fortune.
If a classic is a tale that outlives its time, what form could Hans’ story take today? A successful life, incontemporary terms, is about maximizing individual happiness – largely through the pleasures of consumption. And yet there is an irony in the uncertainty and anxiety that invariably surrounds the experience. Most people are insecure, constantly looking for advice and reassurance.
