The Man and His Wife

Summary

This story is a cautionary tale about a man who seeks to understand if his wife's unpleasant demeanor is universally recognized or just within their household. Concerned about her unpopularity, he devises a plan to send her to her father's house to see if others react similarly to her presence. Upon her return, she confesses that even the herdsmen and shepherds, who have brief interactions with her, gave her looks of aversion. The man's observation suggests that if people who hardly spend time with her dislike her, those she stays around longer must feel the same way, highlighting a moral about self-awareness and interpersonal relations.

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A Man had a Wife who made herself hated by all the members of his household. Wishing to find out if she had the same effect on the persons in her father’s house, he made some excuse to send her home on a visit to her father. After a short time she returned, and when he inquired how she had got on and how the servants had treated her, she replied, “The herdsmen and shepherds cast on me looks of aversion.” He said, “O Wife, if you were disliked by those who go out early in the morning with their flocks and return late in the evening, what must have been felt towards you by those with whom you passed the whole day!”