Moral Lessons In Los Tres Hermanos (The Three Brothers

Throughout time, stories have been passed down from generation to generation in order to make sense of our world and to share that understanding with others. The main thing that has changed is in the way that we tell these stories, which most commonly has always been between one another. But every new medium has given rise to a new form of narrative. “Los tres hermanos (The Three Brothers)” and “El indito de las cien vacas (The Indian and the Hundred Cows)” are two Tales of the Hispanic Southwest that I feel the reader could truly relate to in terms of the important moral lessons that were meant to be taught and inferred. The lesson in “Los tres hermanos (The Three Brothers)” involves understanding that the characters involved failed to consider the needs of the thirsty and hungry, the unsheltered, the old and are justly served with moral ruin, death, and perhaps worst of all, eternal damnation, while “El indito de las cien vacas (The Indian and the Hundred Cows)” ultimately involves the notion that God helps those who help themselves.

The lesson in “Los tres hermanos (The Three Brothers)” involves understanding that the characters involved fail to consider the needs of the thirsty and hungry, the unsheltered, the old and are justly served with moral ruin, death, and

perhaps worst of all, eternal damnation. As the last line of the tale, it is stated that “because they were bad sons, and did not take care of their parents, they deserve to spend eternity in the fires of hell” (1615). This conveys to the reader that, if a child were to listen to this story and take it to heart that child would keep this lesson in mind for years to come, thus highlighting the fact that it had achieved its purpose.
The lesson in “El indito de las cien vacas (The Indian and the Hundred Cows)” ultimately involves the notion that God helps those who help themselves.

Towards the beginning of the tale, it is stated that “Give alms to the poor. If you expect God’s help it is necessary that you also help the church. You know that when you make a donation to God, He returns it a hundredfold” (1616). This conveys to the reader that as long as one were to dedicate his or her time to bettering themselves and staying true to their word in everyday life as well as to God, that they would be blessed by God, whether it be through means of good fortune or the promise of future opportunities for themselves and their

family.
The lesson in “Los tres hermanos (The Three Brothers)” involves understanding that the characters involved fail to consider the needs of the thirsty and hungry, the unsheltered, the old and are justly served with moral ruin, death, and perhaps worst of all, eternal damnation, while “El indito de las cien vacas (The Indian and the Hundred Cows)” ultimately involves the notion that God helps those who help themselves. However, each story has been passed down through time for the same reason, which is to tell a story that keeps the reader interested while also teaching that reader an important lesson. Storytelling has always been a special event throughout different cultures, where families, relatives and friends may have gathered after a long day’s work and been able to listen with captivated attention as someone told story after story with plentiful hand gestures, suspense-building pauses and meaningful glances at the children. Throughout history, storytelling session have been known to end often with the children insisting more and more stories while the adults ultimately pulled them away to head home. They would be told that there would be other days and more tales some other time.