Messages of Puss in Boots

The story begins with the death of a miller. He had three sons and not much of a property.

The first son gets a mill. This gives him a headstart in life. The business is already established. The mill very likely already has regular customers. People will bring him money in exchange for his services.

The second son gets a donkey. A donkey is a transportation tool. He can start working with his brother at once because there will very likely be some flour to transport around the neighborhood. He can also find some business on the side. The donkey will bring him money.

The third son gets a cat. The cat looks valueless. People won't pay the boy for renting his cat. He can't pull carts or carry large bags. It's probably good to have a cat around the mill because it's an attractive location for mice, but compared to the rest of the inheritance, the youngest son got by far the least of all.

And real life is often just the same  - some people inherit fortunes and some people nothing. We should be aware of that and find a way to progress despite everything.

The youngest son had no idea what to do with a cat. It looked completely unnecessary for his situation, and the only thing that looked anything worth was the cat's fur.

But then the cat started talking. This was the crucial moment in the story. An ordinary cat is worth the same as a pair of gloves. The talking cat should be worth much much more.

The youngest son and the cat could start some kind of business together. They could, for instance, join the circus. With hard work and a bit of luck, they could earn a decent living.

Instead of that, the cat decided to climb the social ladder.

Climb?

Jump is a much better word for that.

The cat decided to befriend the king of the country. Having a king for your friend is definitely the best shortcut in the life of someone who wasn't born a prince. Kings have powers. They can give you well-paid jobs, powerful positions, precious gifts, or valuable real estate. And some of them have daughters just waiting for Mister Right.

While it's not explicitly written who owns the forest where the cat caught the partridges and rabbits, it's obvious that the miller's son doesn't have any right to hunt.

The Puss interacts with different entities: his prey, the king, the princess, the workers, the ogre, and, of course, his master who wants to skin the cat right after he inherits it.

The Puss finds exactly the right tool to win everybody on his side. He uses promises, flattery, lies, threats, and just everything he needs to achieve his goals, from smaller ones to the ultimate ones.

Miller's boy doesn't even have a decent dress to meet the king and his daughter. But he has a reputation built on Puss' gifts (stolen partridge and rabbits). When the time is right, Puss sends him in water, stops the king's coach, and lies about a robbery.

His master, the famous Marquis de Carabas, lost everything, including his clothes!

Of course, the king, who is already fond of the generous Marquis, provides luxurious clothes to the naked boy, who gets a chance to impress the princess.

And, let's not forget - everything started by Puss getting a pair of boots.

When the miller's boy drives in a coach with the king and the princess, the Puss runs in front and tells everybody to claim that everything around (the fields, the woods, ...) belongs to Marquis de Carabas. This is, of course, a lie, but the truth doesn't matter if only the king believes it.

People don't really care about telling the truth or the lie. They just want to survive another day, and Puss' imminent threats seem more important than the possibility of the real owner's anger.

Puss has to get the king on his side, the princess on his master's side, and for the grand finale, eliminate the shapeshifting ogre. While the king is simply bribed with gifts and the princess with his master's look, the ogre is a different kind of beast.

Even entering his castle puts Puss in great danger. He flatters his way to the ogre's table, trying to convince the ogre how big a fan of his abilities he is. The ogre is obviously naive (aren't we all, if somebody knows what to say?) and believes him. He is willing to set the show just for the cat.

Many fairy tales share this simple message. That's one of the most important reasons for their popularity. Children are constantly in situations where they have to deal with stronger, bigger, louder entities. It's very comforting to know that they can still win at least occasionally.

When the ogre changes into a different kinds of animals, the cat patiently waits for the ogre's carelessness. After all the praise, a simple wish - to change into a mouse - doesn't ring the bell. Then, the cat simply eats the mouse.

While the superficial looking at messages of The Puss in Boots offer very questionable messages (to achieve your goals, you should be willing to lie, steal, extort, kill), the main message is somewhere else. Yes, the miller's boy wasn't as lucky as his brothers, who inherited a mill and a donkey. But he still managed to make the most of his situation.

Instead of being a victim, he became a winner. This puts this fairy tale in the range of other immortal classics, like Cinderella or Snow White. If nothing else, take this message with you.

And, please, share it with your friends.