Andersen's tale "Galoshes of happiness" is one of the most ironic works of the author. In it, he argues over what will happen if any careless desire of a person immediately begins to be realized. In a humorous manner, the writer sets out fantastic events that can happen to people if they put on galoshes of happiness. A summary of this funny tale will be presented in this article.
How did it all start?
So, the work takes us to Copenhagen, on East Street, which is located next to the Royal Square. In one house gathered a lot of guests who had fun. Some of them sat down to play cards, some occupied leisure with an interesting conversation. Its meaning boiled down to the fact that in the Middle Ages, life was much better than at present. The Advisor of Justice Knap insisted especially on this. He was so eloquent that the mistress of the house immediately agreed with him. A certain Esterd, who published an article in the Almanac that the modern era is still above the Middle Ages, was ruthlessly criticized. During a heated argument, the interlocutors did not notice the appearance of two ladies in the front. So begins the tale "Galoshes of happiness", a summary of which is given in this article.
Two fairies
So, in the front, where there were galoshes, hats and umbrellas of the guests, two unknown women appeared. They looked modest, but manners, appearance and unusual cut of clothes betrayed in them not ordinary mortals. So it was. One of the ladies - the old one - was a fairy of Sorrows and preferred to do everything on her own, because she did not trust others. Another - young - was an assistant to the Fairy of Happiness and was distinguished by fun and cheerfulness. Today was her birthday, and she decided to give people something special in honor of this holiday. The girl brought galoshes of happiness with her, which could transfer the person who put them on to any era that he only wishes, and thereby make him happy. The Fairy of Sorrows suggested that such an unusual gift would likely make a mortal the most miserable on earth. The ladies have disappeared. Only the remaining galoshes of happiness reminded of their arrival. The summary of the tale further narrates the fate of the adviser Knap, who put on magic shoes.
What happened to Justice Counselor Knap?
As we already know, the adviser really wanted to get into the Middle Ages. Therefore, leaving in galoshes from a hospitable house, he was immediately transported to the era of King Hans. Knapās legs now drowned in impassable mud, since the streets werenāt paved at the time. The astonished adviser saw people in medieval costumes and heard an unfamiliar speech. He met an unusual procession consisting of drummers walking ahead and guards following them with crossbows and bows, and found out that it was an escort of the Bishop of Zeeland. Reflecting on why the clergyman should start such a masquerade, the adviser got to the High Cape Square, but could not find the bridge leading to Palace Square in the same place . Two guys suggested the adviser to cross to that shore in a boat. The man refused. Reality seemed increasingly disgusting to him: the dirt, the absence of lamps and a stone porch made his existence intolerable. He was returned to New Royal Square to search for a cabman, but found a spacious meadow crossed by an unknown canal at this place. Then Knap went to East Street. Under the moonlight, he managed to make out ancient buildings covered with straw. In the end, the poor adviser had to go into the house where the light was still on, and find himself in the strangest company in his life. Knap was in a tavern full of people who listened in amazement to every word he said. The adviser decided to slip away from his interlocutors, hid under the table and slowly began to crawl to the exit, but he was caught by the legs. Fortunately, galoshes of happiness immediately fell from Knap. The summary of the work takes us after the new owner of the ill-fated shoe. But Knap was back in his era. And until the end of his days, he thanked fate for not living in the Middle Ages.
The desire of a night watchman
This man found galoshes of happiness on the street. He decided that the shoes belonged to the brave lieutenant who lives upstairs. Since the time was later, the watchman decided to return them in the morning, but for now he tried on galoshes himself. They fit him. The watchman thought about how the military man lives freely. The lieutenant is not worried about worries; he has no wife and children. Every day he travels to guests. The man decided that he would become the happiest man on earth, switch places with the military. Wise Andersen laughed at this naive dream in his tale. The galoshes of happiness immediately made the night watchman a lieutenant.
Lieutenant's Concerns
Being in the guise of a military man, the watchman found himself standing in front of a window and reading love poems written on pink paper, composed by the lieutenant himself. In them, the man tells about his bitter fate. Being a poor man, he could not marry the one whom he idolized. All his capital was beautiful tales, which he told his beloved. But the lieutenantās eloquence could not win the girlās heart. The unfortunate lover looked longingly at the street, cursed fate and envied the night guard who did not know his worries. Thinking that a man with a friendly family is much happier than him, the officer sincerely wanted to become a watchman. Of course, his desire immediately came true, because on the military's feet were galoshes of happiness. A short stay in the skin of a lieutenant set the man in a different mood. He finally realized how lucky he was. But now he was overcome by other dreams.
Flying to the Stars
The night watchman stared at the night sky, dotted with bright stars. It seemed to him that being in the midst of the stars and the moon would make him happy. The man dreamed, a stick with a star-shaped tip fell out of his hands and he began to nod. A casual passerby asked the watchman what time it was and saw how the body of a day-dreaming person stretched out full length on the sidewalk. Everyone decided that the guard was dead. His lifeless body was taken to the hospital. And then the sly Andersen took pity on his hero. The galoshes of happiness were removed from the watchman in the first place, and he instantly came to life. The man recalled with horror the last few hours of his life and assured that even for two brands he could not bear such nightmares again. The watchmen were discharged on the same day, and the magic galoshes remained in the hospital.
The Adventure of the Medic at the Hospital Grid
The tale "Galoshes of Happiness", a brief summary of which is proposed in this article, brings us to the territory of the main city hospital in Copenhagen. In the times described by Andersen, it was separated from the street by a fence of iron bars. Slim practitioners squeezed through them, when at an inopportune hour they strove to break out into the city. It was the most difficult to squeeze the head through the bars of the lattice, so the large-headed doctors had a hard time. The hero of the story, which will be described below, had a big head in the literal sense of the word. This young medic was about to escape to the city for a quarter of an hour on urgent matters. In order not to disturb the gatekeeper, he decided to get through the bars. Seeing in the lobby the galoshes forgotten by the watchman, the young man considered that in such wet weather they would come in handy and put them on. Facing the bars, the medic became agitated. He had never had to climb through it. The guy only thought about how to stick his big head through the bars. As soon as he mentally wanted this, his head immediately found himself on the other side of the fence. Galoshes of happiness fulfilled the desire of the young man. However, the guy's body was too thick to follow his head. The medic was in a terrible situation. Stuck inside the fence, he only dreamed of getting out of his trap. Fearing that he would have to stand like this until the morning and wait until a crowd of mocking onlookers gathered around him, the guy wholeheartedly wished to get out of the damned lattice. Of course, his desire was immediately fulfilled.
The adventures of a medic in a bathhouse
But the doctorās misadventures did not end there. Feeling ill, he decided that he had a cold and needed treatment. The best way to restore health seemed to him a Russian bath, and the guy wanted to find himself in it. Naturally, he immediately found himself in the steam room, on the very top shelf, fully dressed and with galoshes on his feet. Hot water was dripping on top of him. The young man in horror rushed to take a shower. On the way, he scared to death his appearance as a bath attendant. Returning home, the physician decided that he was crazy. He immediately put himself one impressive patch with the flapper flies on his neck, and the second on his back. In the morning, the whole back of the young man was swollen with blood. This is all that the physician benefited from the galoshes of happiness.
A summary of each chapter of Andersen's wonderful tale is outlined in this article. Below we will talk about what events happened with the clerk of the police office, who put on magic galoshes.
How a clerk became a poet
The night watchman we knew remembered the forgotten shoes, took them from the hospital and took them to the police station. There they were mistakenly put on by a young clerk. In wonderful shoes, he wanted to walk around Frederiksberg. Having got out of the stuffy office to the fresh air, the young man began to look around and saw a poet who he knew. He went on a trip all summer. The clerk envied the freedom of his friend and himself wanted to become a poet. The world around him suddenly seemed to him painted in rainbow colors. The young man noticed how fresh and beautiful it was around. He admired the bizarre clouds above his head. The clerk's heart was contracting with sweet excitement. In his pocket, he found not familiar stationery protocols, but some manuscripts. Having mechanically picked a daisy, the guy admired it. The whole story immediately occurred to him. He thought that the light gave the flower beauty, and the air gave her life. Overwhelmed by unusual sensations, the clerk saw a singing bird. It immediately occurred to him that for complete happiness he lacked the miraculous ability to fly. This careless idea was immediately embodied in reality by galoshes of happiness. From this moment, Andersen's tale is not about a man, but about a little bird.
Adventure lark
So, the tails and sleeves of the clerk's frock coat turned into wings and covered with feathers, and galoshes became black claws. The man decided that all this is an amazing dream. The lark, in which he reincarnated, first took off on a branch and began to sing. Then he moved to the ground and began chewing pecking flexible blades of grass. Suddenly it seemed to him that a huge blanket had been thrown over him. In fact, a mischievous boy threw a hat on him. Having thus caught a lark, he sold it to two schoolchildren. They brought the bird into a beautifully furnished room and put it in a cage. The lark appeared in the company of two other birds. One of them - a large green parrot - was extremely proud of her mind. Still would! After all, she knew how to pronounce a human phrase, which sometimes sounded very comical: "No, letās be people!" Another - a canary - constantly sang songs about the beauty of their native land and free life. Fortunately, people forgot to lock the cage, and the lark managed to get out. Leaving the room, he almost fell into the clutches of a terrible cat. The clerk went cold with fear, flew out of the window and flew through the streets for a long time until he found a house that seemed familiar to him. He flew into the window of his own room, sat on the table and mechanically uttered the parrot's favorite words: "No, letās be people!" The lark immediately turned into a person. It seemed to the man that he accidentally fell asleep on the table. That's how Anderson treated his secretary in his tale. Galoshes of happiness played a funny joke with a dreamy young man.
Philosophy Student Travels
In the morning, his roommate paid a visit to the clerk. It was a student philosopher. He came to ask for galoshes to go down to the garden and smoke a pipe. So the young man had to check the effect of magic shoes on himself. He went into the garden, began to walk along the path and heard the horn of the mail stagecoach. The student suddenly wanted to travel. He always dreamed of visiting Switzerland and Italy. All the details of what the young man, traveling through Europe, could not convey a brief retelling. The galoshes of happiness first brought the student into a close stagecoach, where he, in the company of eight other passengers, rode through the picturesque places of harsh Switzerland. Then the young man wanted to be on the other side of the Alps, and he immediately found himself in Italy. However, the sunny country seemed extremely unfriendly to him. On the road, travelers were bitten mercilessly by insects. The nature, however, was magnificent here. The play of colors at sunset was amazing. However, in the evening, travelers overpowered piercing cold. And the hotel, in which the traveler had a chance to spend the night, was just awful: the brick floor was covered with potholes, bats were under the ceiling, and an unbearable stink was in the rooms. The dinner offered by the hostess was disgusting. The travelers had to barricade the door with their suitcases and set the sentry out. The lot fell on the poor student philosopher. Unbearable heat, mosquitoes and the groans of the poor outside the window drove the guy to the point that he wanted to fall asleep forever. The next moment he found himself in his black coffin. Here's a plot twist invented by the genius G. H. Andersen. Galoshes of happiness realized and this careless desire.
The final
From this ironic tale, many instructive conclusions can be drawn. Andersen wanted to tell a lot about this work. "Galoshes of happiness" (a brief summary of the work is given in this article) is a story about how unreasonable and meaningless human desires are.
The witches we know ā the fairy of Sorrows and the messenger of Happiness ā appeared in the studentās home at the time of his sudden death. They thought about how much happiness brought people unusual shoes. The Fairy of Sorrows took pity on the young man, removed galoshes from him and disappeared with them. Perhaps she decided that she would need these magic items. The student woke up, stood up and began to live the same life.
"Galoshes of Happiness" - summary
In abbreviation, this work loses its original charm. The great writer has his own unique style of presentation, which makes his fairy tales truly magical. You can enjoy this extraordinary story only by reading it in the original. Therefore, the author of this article recommends that everyone once open a book of fairy tales written by Andersen himself. "Galoshes of happiness" (a brief summary of this work will help readers take the first step in this direction) is a fairy tale that everyone should read.