Reading Notes: "The Man in the Moon" and "Pygmalion"

"The Man in the Moon" stands out to me because I think its moral is readily applicable to modern life. The basic idea of the story is that a blacksmith is unhappy with his job because he is uncomfortable, so he asks to be something else, which is even more uncomfortable.   He continues to shape shift until he is the moon; at this point he remembers his old life as a blacksmith but cannot change back and is forever stuck as the moon. I think it is easy to identify with the blacksmith, even though he acts foolishly, because many of us have a tendency to wish we could have or be more, only to find out that we are still not satisfied when we reach that goal. To me, this story is a more interesting version of the adage "The grass is always greener on the other side."

"Pygmalion" is a unique story, and I liked how this particular retelling described the metamorphosis of the ivory woman. I thought the premise, that Pygmalion created his own ideal (but inanimate) woman because he was unsatisfied with those available to him, had promise for a lesson or moral, but instead Pygmalion just got everything he wanted. I was surprised that the ivory woman just bashfully accepted what was happening to her as she woke and had no problem marrying Pygmalion and bearing a child for him. Even when she becomes a real person, she is not treated as a real person in the story. This bothers me, which means it might be a good story for me to retell differently!

Pygmalion and Galatea, painted by Jean-Léon Gérôme

(Source: Wikimedia Commons)