Jack and the Beanstalk: Characters and Setting

Characters and Setting

• Jack is a young man who lives with his mother on a small farm.
• They live at the foot of the Foggy Mountains.
• Jack and his mother are very poor.
• Bess is their cow, and their only way of making money is selling her milk.

The Initial Problem

• They need money to fix their house, which has holes in the roof, broken windows, and no front door.
• Winter is approaching, and without repairs, the cold could be fatal.
• Jack's mother instructs him to sell Bess at the market for at least five gold coins.

The Encounter and Trade

• Jack meets an old man on the way to the market.
• The old man offers Jack five magic black beans in exchange for Bess.
• He says the beans are worth more than gold and will make Jack richer than the richest man in the world.
• Jack agrees, thinking of how happy his mother would be if they were rich and could fix their house.

Mother's Reaction and the Beanstalk

• Jack's mother is furious that he traded their cow for beans.
• She throws the beans out the window and cries.
• The next morning, a giant beanstalk has grown in the place where the beans were thrown.
• It stretches all the way to the clouds.

Climbing the Beanstalk

• Jack decides to climb the beanstalk in search of riches.
• He hopes to find enough money to make his mother happy, even just five gold coins.
• He climbs up to the clouds and finds a castle in the distance.

The Giantess and the Giant

• Jack encounters a giantess at the castle, who is as big as a house but has a warm smile and gentle eyes.
• The giantess gives Jack vegetable stew because he is hungry.
• The giant, her husband, arrives home and doesn't like humans.
• The giantess hides Jack in the pantry to protect him.

Treasures and Theft

• The giant has a sack of five gold coins, which Jack sees from the pantry.
• After the giants leave the room, Jack steals the coins.
• Jack then steals a golden hen that lays golden eggs.
• Finally, he steals a golden harp that plays music on its own.

The Chase

• The magic harp screams for help, waking the giant.
• The giant chases Jack as he escapes with the coins, the hen, and the harp.
• Jack reaches the beanstalk first and slides down.
• The giant follows, but is afraid of heights and climbs down slowly.

The Fall of the Beanstalk and the Giant

• Jack chops down the beanstalk with an axe.
• The giant falls from the sky and lands on the other side of the Foggy Mountains.
• Jack hears the giant's cry.

Aftermath

• Jack and his mother live a comfortable life thanks to the golden hen and the magic harp.
• Jack becomes a millionaire and famous.
• Jack marries a rich and famous woman and has ten children.

Jack's Guilt and Final Act

• Jack is never truly happy and feels guilty about what he did.
• When Jack is very old, he decides to find the giant and apologize.
• He plans to grow another beanstalk using one last magic bean.
• Jack packs his bag and goes into the Foggy Mountains.

Ending Note

• The story ends without revealing whether Jack found the giant or grew another beanstalk.
• People say that during thunderstorms, you can hear the sound of two giants dancing together in the clouds.