Spreading the Fingers

Candice McCarty

Professor Morgan Peters

English 200-08

December 15, 2011

            Spreading the Fingers is a story about how those who share never go without. In the beginning of the story, we meet a man with two wives with which he would bring gifts of food to and tell them to eat while spreading their fingers. One wife ate alone and spread her fingers high in the air while she did so. The other older wife never ate alone and always shared with those who lived nearby. Now when their husband died, the two wives experienced very different reactions from their neighbors.

            The wife who ate alone watched while everyone in the neighborhood brought her sister wife food, drinks, and clothes while she sat starving lonely and cold. One day she asked her why this was happening and the older wife asked her, while you received gifts from our husband what did you do? When she told her that she ate with her fingers spread in the air, the older wife told her, well then you will never go without air because that is the only one with which you shared your gifts with.

            This story teaches you how if you share with others, they will lend you a hand when you need it as well. The husband new this quality and tried to teach it to his wives however only one of them got his message clearly. This is true though, be kind to others, and others will be kind to you. If you smile at someone on the street maybe depending on where you are they will smile back. No good deed goes without return and this story shows this concept no clearer.

            This story also teaches you the value of not only sharing gifts, but knowledge. The husband wanted his wives to learn values that he himself knew, and he wanted them to be better people. He could have easily told them what to do, but instead he gave them wisdom, not orders. People follow knowledge more than they follow orders, and that is true of all aspects of life.