Imagine driving through the forest when you hear something. You get out of the car to check where the mysterious sound came from when you hear it again. You wander towards the spot where the sounds are coming from. You find a trapped animal and save it from the trouble it is in, but then find out that the animal is the King of the Forest and you receive three wishes for rescuing him. “The Third Wish”, written by Joan Aiken, is a story about how Mr. Peters, a man who has had almost everything he wanted, gets three wishes to use. The thrill of getting three wishes might be amazing, but you have to remember that somethings can be more trouble than they seem.
Because some things aren’t what they seem to be, this story shows great evidence that it is a romance story. This story follows the romance plotline really well. This story starts out with some mild conflicts; like all romance stories. In the beginning of this story, there is a swan that is trapped as helplessly in a thorn bush as a fly trapped to flypaper. Aiken really shows how the swan was trapped by how the swan was shouting for help. Mr. Peters helps the swan out of its predicament, but only to find out that the bird is actually the King of the Forest. The King assumes that Mr. Peters wants some fabulous reward for rescuing the King from a trouble. “I expect three wishes. No more, no less,” Mr. Peters said to the King. As the story follows along with the plotline, as most stories do, more conflicts occur. “I wish I had a wife as beautiful as the forest”, that was Mr. Peters first wish; and first mistake. The next morning he finds a beautiful girl named Leita which later he finds out she is his new wife. Not soon, but later, does Mr. Peters discover that Leita is actually a swan and is unhappy as a human. The story ends in a new beginning; Leita is a swan again and although Mr. Peters died, he was very happy with his life.
Even Though Mr. Peters died, the characters were all unique and interesting in their own way. Mr. Peters is a smart and helpful man. His love for nature made him save the swan. The King is another important character. He wears a cloak of green, a crown of gold, and has a beard as white as snow. He is also arrogant, spiteful, reluctant, and not the smallest bit friendly, but he is the man who gave Mr. Peters his three wishes. The last character is Leita. She is a quiet and beautiful girl who loves Mr. Peters. She has blue-green eyes, dusky hair, and skin as white as a swan’s feather. This is because she was a swan, but was turned back.
Though there are many great characters, there are many great symbols too. One symbol are the leaves which represent the three wishes. They represent magic and how things must be thought through. Leita’s gold necklace is a symbol too. It represents the bond between Mr. Peters and Leita. Leita’s sister who is still a swan is also a symbol. She represents nature and how things are better the way they already were.
The symbols are all great, but in the end; the story is overwhelmingly perfect. When most things are too good to be true; they usually are. Mr. Peters was a great man and was happy with his life. Even though his 1st wish didn’t turn the way he planned; he still was happy just the same. If you were Mr. Peters and you had three wishes, what would you wish for?
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