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Pinocchio

Summary  Carlo Collodi

The story begins with an old woodcarver Geppetto who carved a puppet and named it Pinocchio but the doll wasn't well behaved. He would take of his wig, run around the house etc. The old Geppetto threatened him on the street and grabbed his nose that was growing uncontrollably and because of that Geppetto ended up in prison. He was accused of mistreating a child.

At home Pinocchio stumbled upon a talking cricket who tried to explain to him that he should treat Geppetto better.  Pinocchio wouldn't listen to him and he smashed him with a hammer. Pinocchio got very hungry and realized that the cricket was saying the truth. He had to eat something but without Geppetto he didn't know what to do. He found an egg, but when he cracked it open a little chicken came out of it and ran out of the house. He was desperate and went to the street in search of food. Instead of food he got a splash of water.

He returned home and tried to get dry next to the fire place but his wooden legs caught fire and turned into ashes. In the morning Geppetto knocked on the door and Pinocchio tried to open the door but couldn't since he had no legs. Geppetto got into the house through a window and gave the starved boy some pears. He ate them all and left non for Geppetto. He promised to be well-behaved from now on. Geppetto made new legs for him and sold some of his stuff to get Pinocchio into school. The boy realized then that Geppetto was like a father for him and that he was good.

Even though he didn't have a good behavior Pinocchio had a good heart and his nobility finally got out on the open. On his way to school he was thinking how to earn money and help Geppetto but he got into troubles again. He sold his book and bought a ticket to see a puppet show. The puppets were amazed to see their puppet brother but they mean master Mangiafuoco got a hold of Pinocchio and decided to throw him into the fire so he could make dinner.

The boy started to cry and call his father but he was nowhere to be seen. The mean Mangiafuoco had mercy upon him but then decided to throw his friend into the fire. To save him Pinocchio says that he should end up in the fire. Mangiafuoco had a change of heart and decided to keep both puppets alive. He wasn't so mean after all and he gave some money to the boy so he could give it to his father. The naïve boy stumbled upon the cat and a fox. They convinced him in the existence of a magical land where you can plant money.

The boy goes with the fox and the cat into a bar where they eat a lot. He fell asleep excited about the magical land. The barmen woke him up around midnight and told him that he should pay for everything that his friends ate because they left. Pinocchio was left with some money and he talked to the cricket again. He tried to explain to him that he shouldn't believe people who promise to make him rich overnight. He ignored him again.

Pinocchio thought that he was very strong and he got attacked by two robbers. He bit one of the robbers hand and it turned out to be a cats paw. He started to run and when he was about to give up he saw a little white house and starts knocking. A girl opened up and told him that everyone was dead including her. The robbers caught him and hung him on a tree.

The pretty girl was actually The Fairy with Turquoise Hair who called her falcon to get the boy off of the tree. She called the owl and the cricket as doctors to heal the boy. The cricket told everyone that Pinocchio was a spoiled, lazy brat who will make the old Geppetto very sad. Pinocchios conscious woke up and he started to cry.

The fairy wanted to help him so she gave him a medicine but Pinocchio wants the sweet medicine and says no to the bitter one. Gravediggers came for him with a coffin, 4 bunnies and when he got scared he drank the medicine and the fairy started talking about the burglars. Pinocchio was lying and his nose got bigger and bigger. He felt ashamed about that and the fairy left him with his thoughts for a little while. In the end he called a woodpecker to get his nose back to its regular size.

The fairy told him that she called Geppetto and that he was on his way. The boy was waiting for him and stumbled upon the cat and the fox again and trusted them again. He ended up in a town with them where cheated naïve idiots lived. Pinocchio didn't understand what was going on and he was grateful to the fox and cat for bringing him there. Pinocchio met a parrot that told him that money doesn't grow on trees. The parrot told him that the cat and the fox dug up his money and ran away. Pinocchio went to the police but ended up in jail because the whole city was working differently that the normal world. When he finally got out he tried to go back to the house of the Fairy.

He realized that boys who wouldn't take an advice from anyone ended up badly so he decided to become the best student but gets into trouble again. The lazy boys convinced him to go with them into Toy land where he doesn't have to do anything except for play. After some time the boys grow donkey ear and turn into donkeys. Pinocchio was sold to the circus where he broke his leg and with a broken leg he was useless for the circus. They tied a rock around his neck and threw him into the see.

Pinocchio was saved thanks to the Fairy who look after him as if she was his mother. He was swimming and he got swallowed by a shark. Inside of the shark he found Geppetto and a tuna fish. With the help of the tuna fish he carries his father out of the shark because he was sleeping with his mouth wide open. When he came to the shore he stumbled upon the cat and the fox again but they couldn't trick him again.

In the village he learned how to work and earn money so he helped a lot to Geppetto. When he heard that Fairy didn't have any money he worked long hours so he could give her some money. She rewarded him and turned him into a real flesh and blood boy and healed Geppetto. Geppetto explained to him that everything happened thanks to him and that bad boys that turn into good boys have the ability to give a new appearance to their family.

Genre: story

Time: unspecified

Place: at home, on way to school, inside of a shark

Characters: Pinocchio, Geppetto, Fairy, Cricket

Author: Carlo Collodi biography

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