Jack and the Beanstalk: The Boy Who Climbed into the Giant’s World

Long ago, there lived a poor widow and her only son, Jack. Their most valuable possession was a cow called Milky-white, whose daily milk provided their only source of income. Each morning, they carried the milk to the market and sold it to buy what they needed.

One unfortunate morning, however, Milky-white stopped producing milk. With their livelihood gone, Jack’s mother feared they would have nothing left to live on.

After considering their situation, she decided they must sell the cow and use the money to begin some small business.

Jack agreed to take Milky-white to the market. As he walked along the road, he encountered a peculiar old man who greeted him by name. Surprised that a stranger knew who he was, Jack nevertheless answered politely.

When the man asked where he was going, Jack explained that he intended to sell their cow. The stranger then tested his cleverness with an unusual question: how many beans made five?

Jack quickly replied that two in each hand and one in his mouth made five.

Pleased with the answer, the stranger produced five strange-looking beans and offered to exchange them for Milky-white. He explained that they were magical and that, if planted overnight, they would grow into an enormous beanstalk reaching all the way to the sky. He even promised that Jack could have his cow back if the beans failed to do as he claimed.

Intrigued by the extraordinary offer, Jack accepted the bargain and handed over the cow.

When he returned home, his mother immediately asked how much he had received for Milky-white. Jack proudly showed her the beans and explained their supposed magical powers.

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His mother was horrified. She could hardly believe that her son had exchanged their precious cow for a handful of ordinary-looking beans. Furious at his foolishness, she scolded him and threw the beans out of the window. She then sent him to bed without supper.

Jack climbed into his little attic room, feeling miserable about the loss of the cow and the disappointment he had caused his mother. Eventually, he fell asleep.

The following morning, something extraordinary had happened.

When Jack awoke, part of his room was filled with sunlight, while the rest remained strangely dark. He hurried to the window and discovered that the beans his mother had discarded had grown into a gigantic beanstalk. Its thick, twisting stem rose from the garden and disappeared into the clouds.

The mysterious stranger had spoken the truth!

Without wasting another moment, Jack climbed out of the window and began ascending the enormous plant. Higher and higher he went until he finally reached the sky.

There, he discovered a long road leading to a magnificent house. Standing outside was an enormous woman, so tall that Jack could hardly believe his eyes.

Hungry after his exhausting climb, he politely asked her for something to eat.

The woman warned him that her husband was an ogre who enjoyed eating boys. Nevertheless, Jack pleaded for food, explaining that he had eaten nothing since the previous morning.

Taking pity on him, the woman invited him inside and served him bread, cheese and milk. Before Jack could finish, however, the house began to tremble beneath the heavy footsteps of her returning husband.

Frightened, the woman quickly concealed Jack inside an oven.

The ogre entered carrying three calves, which he ordered his wife to prepare for breakfast. As he settled down, he suddenly announced that he could smell the blood of an Englishman and declared that he would grind the boy’s bones into bread.

His wife dismissed his suspicion, suggesting that he was imagining things. She urged him to wash and prepare himself while she finished cooking.

After breakfast, the ogre brought out two heavy bags of gold and began counting his money. Before long, his eyelids grew heavy, and he fell into a deep sleep.

Remembering the warning, Jack waited until the ogre was fast asleep. Then he quietly slipped out of his hiding place, seized one of the bags of gold and escaped from the house.

He hurried back to the beanstalk, dropped the bag into his mother’s garden and climbed down to safety.

His mother was astonished when he showed her the treasure. Jack proudly reminded her that the beans had indeed been magical.

For a while, the gold provided them with everything they needed. But eventually, the money ran out, and Jack decided to return to the strange house in the sky.

On his second visit, the ogre’s wife recognised him. She suspected that he was the boy who had visited before, particularly because her husband had lost one of his bags of gold that very day.

Jack avoided answering her questions directly. Instead, he complained of hunger, and her curiosity persuaded her to let him inside.

Once again, the ogre returned with his heavy footsteps, and his wife hid Jack in the oven.

After eating his breakfast, the ogre demanded that his wife bring him a remarkable hen. It was no ordinary bird: this hen laid golden eggs whenever its master commanded it.

The ogre gave the order, and the hen produced an egg made entirely of gold.

As the ogre eventually fell asleep, Jack crept from his hiding place, seized the golden hen and rushed towards the door.

Unfortunately, the bird cackled loudly, waking the ogre. Jack heard the giant demanding to know what had happened to his precious hen, but he was already racing towards the beanstalk.

He climbed down as quickly as he could and returned home with his new treasure. When he commanded the hen to lay, it produced a golden egg every time.

Yet Jack was still not satisfied.

Determined to discover what else the ogre possessed, he decided to make one final journey into the clouds.

This time, Jack approached the house more carefully. He waited until the ogre’s wife left to fetch water, then slipped inside and concealed himself in a large cooking vessel.

Soon, the ogre returned.

He immediately sensed that someone was in the house and announced that he could smell an Englishman. His wife suspected that the boy who had stolen the gold and the golden hen must have returned.

They searched the oven, but Jack was not there. The woman once again managed to convince her husband that he was mistaken, and the ogre eventually settled down to his breakfast.

Even after eating, however, he remained suspicious. He searched cupboards and other hiding places, but never thought to examine the vessel in which Jack was concealed.

When breakfast was finished, the ogre demanded his final extraordinary possession: a golden harp.

His wife brought it to the table, and the ogre commanded it to sing. The harp produced the most beautiful music, filling the house with enchanting melodies.

As he listened, the ogre gradually drifted into sleep.

Seeing his opportunity, Jack carefully lifted the lid of his hiding place and crept towards the table. He seized the golden harp and hurried towards the door.

But the harp suddenly cried out, calling its master!

The noise awakened the ogre, who immediately saw Jack escaping with his precious instrument.

Jack ran for his life, with the furious ogre close behind him. He managed to reach the beanstalk just ahead of his pursuer and began climbing down.

At first, the ogre hesitated to follow him onto the enormous plant. But when the harp called out again, he finally lowered himself onto the beanstalk and began pursuing Jack.

The great plant shook beneath the ogre’s enormous weight.

By this time, Jack had nearly reached the ground. He shouted desperately for his mother to bring an axe.

His mother rushed outside carrying one, but when she looked up and saw the terrifying ogre descending from the clouds, she froze with fright.

Jack quickly jumped down, grabbed the axe and began striking the beanstalk.

The first blow weakened it. The ogre felt the plant shaking and stopped to investigate. Jack struck again, and this time the enormous stalk began to break apart.

With a tremendous crash, the beanstalk toppled over. The ogre lost his hold, plunged from the heights and fell to his death, breaking his crown as he struck the ground.

At last, Jack and his mother were free from the danger of the giant.

Jack showed his mother the magnificent golden harp, and together they enjoyed the wealth that came from the magical treasures. The golden hen continued to provide golden eggs, while the harp added to their riches.

Their days of poverty were over. In time, Jack married a great princess, and he and his mother lived in comfort and happiness ever after.

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Moral

Courage, cleverness and determination can help people overcome difficult circumstances, but ambition should be balanced with good judgement, as reckless decisions can place both oneself and others in danger.

Knowledge Check

1. Why did Jack’s mother decide to sell Milky-white?

Because the cow stopped producing milk, leaving the family without its only source of income.

2. What did Jack receive in exchange for the cow?

Five magical beans from a mysterious old man.

3. What happened after Jack’s mother threw the beans out of the window?

They grew into an enormous beanstalk that reached the sky.

4. What were the three treasures Jack took from the ogre?

A bag of gold, a hen that laid golden eggs and a golden harp.

5. How did Jack escape from the ogre during his final visit?

He stole the golden harp, raced down the beanstalk and used an axe to cut the plant down while the ogre was climbing after him.

6. What happened to Jack and his mother at the end?

They became wealthy through the magical treasures, and Jack eventually married a princess.

Source

The retelling is based on “Jack and the Beanstalk,” Chapter XIII, in English Fairy Tales, collected by Joseph Jacobs and published in London by David Nutt in 1890.

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