SHORT STORY SERIES - The Aged Mother by Matsuo Basho

So it turns out most short stories I have been coming across are somewhat meant for kids. It always has a moral lesson at the end of it. I am not saying I don't want moral lessons though, haha; I mean it basically more targeted at kids based on the diction, purpose, and all that stuff. Still, I enjoy reading them, I just wouldn't write about all of them.

I guess this is one of them. Matsuo Basho is a Japanese poet of the 1600s. He writes this story as a way of living his past, in a sense.

The Aged Mother tells the story of a young poor farmer who lives with his aged mother in the mountains. One day, the tyrannical ruler of his village calls that every old person be killed as they offer nothing to the society. This greatly saddened the young farmer as he loved and revered his mother a lot. Left with no other choice, he decided to do it in the most painless way possible. He carried his mother on his back and set out to the highest of the mountains with the plan of abandoning her there, because for him, out of sight is out of mind, and he couldn't bear inflicting any sort of pain on her. The road to the top was a very confusing path, so much so that one could get lost while returning. The young farmer was so heartbroken that he didn't care to mark his path. Seeing this, his mother began to cut twigs along the way and drop it so his son could find his way back. Once the boy realizes this, he was even more heartbroken. This kindness melted his heart and he couldn't abandon his mother. He resolved to go back with her and die with her if need be. He eventually chose to hide her in the kitchen and secretly take care of her. The King eventually finds out.

Deliberating on this story would require me to talk about the ending, and that translates to spoilers which I am trying to avoid, haha. Still, the story had a very meaningful ending, although this is not the type of story to make a lot of hype for. The plot was very enlightening. I loved that the author used the theme of WISDOM so profoundly. N I'd recommend this for kids, albeit it still feels 18+. I Rate this one 2.8/5.