The Hundredth Dove: Jane Yolen

 

Story: The Hundredth Dove by Jane Yolen

About the Story Writer

Jane Yolen is an award-winning author of children's books, fantasy, and science fiction. She was born on February 11, 1939, in New York City. Yolen has written over 300 books, including "The Devil's Arithmetic," "Owl Moon," and the "How Do Dinosaurs..." series. She is known for her lyrical writing style and her ability to tackle complex themes in her works for young readers. Yolen has received numerous awards for her writing, including the Caldecott Medal, the Nebula Award, and the World Fantasy Award.

Characters of the Story

a.      Hugh - Fowler (someone who hunts wild birds for food), lives in a cottage in the forest, a dedicated man.

b.     King

c.      Lady Columba - neat as a bird, slim and fair with black eyes. The meaning of her name is a dove

d.     White dove

Comprehensive Questions from the Story

·         What was Hugh’s Job?                  - Hugh was the fowler for the king.

·         How many doves does he catch?    - 100 (99 alive, 1 dead)

·         Who was the white dove?              - Lady Columba was the dove.

·         What are the rewards the white dove offers Hugh?

Fame and fortune, gold and silver, and the love of the Queen

·         What does the king ask Hugh to do?

He asks him to catch 100 birds for the wedding feast.

·         What motto does Hugh wear, and what does it mean?

Hugh wears the motto servo, meaning I serve.

·         What happens when Hugh tries to catch the white dove?

The dove slips through the net and flies away.

·         What are two ways Hugh hunts birds?

He uses nets and bows. If it is a big bird, he uses a bow and arrow, and for small birds like doves, he uses a net.

·         After the king tells Hugh his request, how does Lady Columba react?

She gasps, holds her hand up, and tells him not to serve the doves.

·         What two things does Hugh serve? Which comes first?

Hugh serves the king and the forest. The king comes first.

The Main Idea of the Story

"The Hundredth Dove" by Jane Yolen is a story about the power of hope and the resilience of the human spirit. The main idea revolves around a village where the people are oppressed and live in fear. One day, a young girl releases a dove, hoping it will bring a message of freedom and change. As more and more doves are released, the villagers start to believe in the possibility of a better future. The story highlights the importance of holding onto hope even in the darkest of times and the impact that small acts of courage can have on a community. This story raises an important question: when you are faced with choices, do you follow your head or your heart? It is also a tale of the misuse of power and the triumph of love, which are dominating themes in human life.

Moral of story

The moral of the story is that a good deed never goes unnoticed and comes back to us in one form or another. The dove's act of kindness returned to him when the ant saved his life from the hunter, i.e., if you do good, good will come to you. Doves are mentioned many times in the ancient book, from the baptism of Jesus to after the flood, when Noah sent out a dove and it returned with an olive branch (a sign of dry land nearby). As such, a dove came to represent peace with God, innocence, and purity.

Summary of the Story

The Hundredth Dove, written by Jane Yolen, has a fairytale (a story about magical and imaginary beings) setting. It is a story of the misuse of power and the triumph (success) of love. It asks an important question: When you have choices, do you follow your head or your heart?

Hugh, the main character, was called by the King. The king was getting married to Lady Columba in one week. When Hugh saw Lady Columbia, his heart felt warm. She was neat as a bird, slim and fair with black eyes, and so beautiful. The king held out her hand to Hugh to kiss, but he was nervous and just kissed the golden ring of her finger. The King ordered Hugh to catch one hundred birds for his wedding feast. (विवाह भोज). The queen, Lady Columba, requested not to catch birds, but the king didn't care. Hugh took his master's words as his main duty and went back. On the first day, he caught twenty-one doves, twenty fat gray, and one white, slim and fair. The white one escaped , so there remained twenty. Although he was not sad, he decided to capture it. For the following four days, the same thing happened. On the fifth night, he caught only nineteen gray doves; there wasn't that white dove. Then he had ninety-nine doves. He needed one more to complete his task. Therefore, he determined to catch that white dove.

In the evening, when the white dove came down to eat, Hugh caught it. She requested him to leave her. She offered gold, silver, fame, and fortune. But he rejected all because serving his master was his main purpose. Then the dove offered him the queen's love, and for the first time, he noticed the golden ring on the dove's foot. He imagined Lady Columba. He began to tremble (shake) and his heart began to pulse madly. He felt a burning in his chest. Then he looked down at the dove and it seemed to be smiling at him, its black eyes shining. 

His sense of duty to the king stopped him from hearing his heart's voice. He closed his eyes and twisted the dove's neck. The next day, the fowler (Hugh) brought the hundred doves - the ninety-nine live ones and the one dead to the king's kitchen. But there never was a wedding. The Fowler gave up hunting and fed grain to the birds. He hung that gold ring around his neck. We can understand that the queen disguised herself as a dove. She liked Hugh. Hugh also liked her, but for him, his duty was his priority.  In fear, the dove flew away again, he killed it, avoiding his heart's voice.,

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