Tales of Juha Reaction

Tales of Juha was one of the more humorous texts that we read throughout the semester. In fact, I enjoyed thumbing through the short stories for one of my blog posts so much that I figured, “why not do it again.” I present some of my favorite passages below, followed by a brief description and explanation.

A fellow fainted, and his family thought he was dead. So, they had him washed, shrouded, and carried on a bier for burial. As the funeral procession wound down the road, the man regained consciousness and sat up on the bier.

            “I’m alive,” he yelled. “I’m not dead at all! Juha, save me!”

            “What are you saying?” Juha exclaimed. “Am I supposed to believe you and say all these mourners are wrong?”

This passage displays a cognitive shift. Upon discovering that the man was not dead, I expected Juha to react differently. Juha instead replies with the illogical logic he is known for. His unique point of view and wit repeatedly make me stop and reflect, regardless of how petty the story is.

He borrowed a big cooking pot from one of his neighbors and used it to prepare his food. Then he put a small pot inside it, and gave it back.

            “What’s this, Juha?” the neighbor asked. “The pot’s given birth. Here’s it’s daughter.”

            Later Juha asked for the pot again, but hid it once he’d finished with it. In due course the neighbor demanded its return.

            “Where’s the pot?” he asked.

            “It died,” Juha said, “while giving birth.”

            “How can a pot die?” exclaimed the neighbor.

            “If a pot can give birth,” Juha said, “it can die while it’s doing it. My friend, the one who reaps the profit has to bear the loss too!”

Much like the previous account, this short story executes a cognitive shift and exhibits Juha’s illogical logic. Here, Juha relies on an unconventional method to teach his neighbor a lesson. The lesson is an important one, and examines the concept of the risk-benefits tradeoff associated with everything. This is of particular interest to me as a finance major because we have extensively studied the maximization of risk-adjusted returns. It’s refreshing to hear this concept presented in a lighter manner, like Juha so aptly does.

One day Juha was riding his donkey and his son was
following him on foot. A group of people passed by.


“Look at that man,” they commented, “riding
and letting his son walk. Doesn’t he have any pity?”


So, Juha dismounted and let his son ride the
donkey, while he walked along behind. Another
group of people passed by.


“Look at that lad,” they commented, “riding the
donkey while his father walks. Doesn’t he have any
manners?”

 So, Juha mounted the donkey together
with his son, and they went on their way. They
passed by a third group of people.


“Look at that heartless man,” they commented,
“riding the donkey along with his son. Doesn’t he
have any pity for the beast?”


So, Juha and his son both dismounted and
walked, driving the donkey on ahead of them. They
passed yet another group of people.


“Look at those two imbeciles,” they said, “tiring
themselves out walking, and there’s the donkey in
front of them without any load.”


So, Juha and his son carried the donkey between
them, and walked along like this. They passed still
another group of people.


“Look at these two madmen,” they said, “carrying
the donkey instead of letting the donkey carry them.”


At that the two of them let the donkey fall.


“Let me tell you something, son,” Juha said.
“You can never please everyone!”

This may be my favorite passage in Tales of Juha because it characterizes the nature of criticism so well. No matter what you do or how absurd your solution is (like carrying a donkey), you will never be able to silence every critic. Again, Juha uses an unusual situation to impart wisdom.