The Salt Seller and the Fox tell the story of a poor salt seller who saves Old Kim, the wealthiest man in the valley, from the evil plans of the fox, who pretended to be an older woman and a healer. The story is memorable as it incorporates various storytelling devices and functions that reveal how the events transpire, making the readers fascinated from beginning to end. Further, they enable the reader to imagine and visualize the story’s events.
Storytelling Devices that Make the Story Memorable
Fenkl writes a memorable, educative, and engaging folktale by combining devices such as backstory, realization, red herring, and climax. They enable the reader gain a deeper meaning of the tale and understand the purpose and message Fenkl aims to deliver. Therefore, Fenkl mixes the devices to generate an impressive plot, setting, and characters.
Authors use the backstory device to describe characters’ background stories and offer a vivid description of their lives. It often includes their history and what influences their situation in the story. Fenkl effectively incorporates the backstory device by providing the background story of the salt seller. He narrates that the poor salt seller would rise at first light every day, leave his house loaded with salt and peddle salt from village to village till it depleted and head home before nightfall. Additionally, Fenkl details the fateful evening when the salt seller met the fox and his routine changes. The backstory technique ensures the reader comprehends the characters’ monograph.
The realization device showcases the protagonist’s understanding of the villain’s motives and desire for change, changing the story’s direction. Fenkl incorporates realization effectively as the salt seller hides behind the tree to watch the fox unnoticed and observes the fox transforming into an older woman. Additionally, as everyone falls asleep at Old Kim’s house, the salt seller leaves the guest room and discovers the older woman’s teeth are unusually sharp, her tongue is of a fox, and she never intended to heal Old Kim as the family believed. Instead, she planned to eat Old Kim’s liver to end his bloodline. His discovery changes the story direction, and the reader hopes that Old Kim survives the fox’s ill motives and focuses on the salt seller’s motives, hoping he will be successful, which builds tension and anxiety.
The red herring device distracts and creates uncertainties in the reader’s mind before disclosing the story’s ending. It elicits false conclusions intentionally by ensuring other characters distract the protagonist with their minimal faith in the protagonist’s actions. Fenkl applies red herrings by narrating of servants who believe the salt seller is a madman, trying to prevent him from fighting the older woman. The reader, at that moment, is tense and believes the salt seller will fail to save Old Kim’s life. However, the salt seller ignores the servants, pushes them aside, and enters the room where the older woman is seated, making the reader more attentive and anxious for the ending. Hence, Fenkl incorporates red herring to hinder the reader from making a premature conclusion, making the story boring and insignificant.
The climax concludes the plot and provides the story’s significance. It resolves the tension by giving the reader closure, where mainly the protagonist wins. Fenkl ends the suspense by enabling the salt seller to quash the older woman, who falls and lays on the floor, and people realize she is a white fox wearing a cracked human skull. Old Kim rewards the salt seller with a portion of his wealth, and he lives happily and stops peddling salt in the mountains. The folktale’s climax captivates and leaves the reader intrigued.
Propp’s Morphology Elements
Propp provides functions often used by authors to invent a folktale which he discovered recur in almost all folktales he read. The morphology explains that most folktale writers follow related structuralist designs, and fictional narratives have similar compositions. The Salt Seller and the Fox follow Propp’s’ model functions such as the initial situation, reconnaissance, meditation, and concluding the tale with victory.
The initial situation describes the tale’s framework and explains the events leading to the main event. Fenkl begins by describing the salt seller’s background story and the fateful evening when the salt seller met the fox and followed her to Old Kim’s house, where the main event unfolds. Telling the initial situation enables the reader to understand the traits of the salt seller and the fox and their position.
Reconnaissance showcases the protagonist learning about the villain and gathering information that destroys the villain. The salt seller spies on the fox as she creates a skull to enable her to appear as a woman, and he follows her to gather information on her motives. The information he collects helps him expose her to Old Kim’s family, who realize she is a fox.
Meditation and counteraction depict the protagonist meditating on practical solutions to finish the villain and take action. Upon his realization that the old woman intends to eat Old Kim’s liver, the salt seller thinks of a plan to expose her, and immediately he runs outside shouting, “awake,” waking the family. His action plan involves taking a heavy pestle and knocking the older woman down to save Old Kim’s life.
In victory, the protagonist defeats the villain with their intelligence and receives rewards and recognition. The salt seller had enough information about the older woman and used his cleverness to beat her. He saves Old Kim, who rewards him and changes his life forever, and becomes a village hero. The protagonist must win at the end as they drive the plot, and a winning personality attracts and inspires readers.
Work Cited
Fenkl, Heinz Insu. Sejong Cultural Society – Sample Korean Folk Tales, Bo-Leaf Books, 2008, www.sejongsociety.org/korean_theme/korean_folk_tales/salt_seller. Accessed 4 Feb. 2023.
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