The story of Jack and the Beanstalk is a common childhood fairy tale, one with which, most people are familiar with the basic plot points. The roots of the Jack and the Beanstalk story have been traced to over 5,000 years ago, the very beginnings of human civilization. The story has all the elements of a great tale, it’s no wonder it’s stood the test of time. Our favorite part of the story are the magic beans.
Our story begins with Jack, a boy who is desperate to prove to his mother that he’s ready to be a man, and his mother, a widow who is just trying to survive and of course, a cow who has stopped giving milk. The cow is the woman’s only source of income, or, well, the milk from the cow is the only source of income.
Jack’s mother, being the practical woman she is, decides to sell the cow at the market so she has some income to feed herself and Jack, and, mostly likely, find another revenue source for her little family.
Jack is a dreamer. He has a foot in his mom’s world, wanting to grow up, provide and be a man. He wants his mom’s approval and love. But he is also still a child in many ways. He is a day dreamer who still believes in magic and the possibilities of a future filled with wealth and fame.
When Jack’s mom asked him to take the cow to market it was the grown up and responsible Jack who started out on the road to market. However, when a mysterious man met Jack on the road, that man met the dreamer Jack. That was the Jack that traded the last source of income his family had for magic beans. That Jack thought for certain the beans were truly magical and was thrilled to come home and show his mom the great deal he got for the cow. Magic beans!! Even better than he could have imagined!
His mother thought otherwise. Angrily she throws the beans out the window and sends Jack to bed without any dinner. Although, it was very likely because there was no dinner to feed him, rather than as a punishment. The cow he stupidly traded for “magic” beans was their last hope, now they had none.
By morning everything had changed.
The rest of the story, the beanstalk, the giant, the golden goose, the harp, all sprang out of those magic beans. The potential of a story, all contained in a single magic bean is what The Story Bean is all about. What can happen when you share your story? A new friend? A new discovery about yourself? A change in someone listening to your story that you may never even know about?
At The Story Bean we know stories contain all sorts of magic that we don’t always understand. But, we’ve seen what can happen with one story, and we invite you to share yours and see what happens next.