Stories About Monkeys



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This collection of stories centers on monkeys, each showcasing their involvement in various scenarios, often tied to lessons about behavior, relationships, and wisdom. From trickery to family dynamics, the tales explore the range of characteristics that monkeys possess, highlighting their roles in the natural world and their interactions with other animals.

Trickery and Cunning
Monkeys are often portrayed as tricksters, using their wit to outsmart others or avoid danger. In The Monkey and the Fishermen, a monkey attempts to imitate the actions of fishermen but ends up trapped in their net, leading to his demise. Similarly, How the Monkey Became a Trickster describes how a monkey tricks other animals into tasting a sour fruit by claiming it is sweet. Naughty Jocko tells the story of a mischievous monkey who causes chaos, ultimately meeting an unfortunate end when caught in a trap. In The Jellyfish and the Monkey, a monkey evades capture by a jellyfish sent to capture him, only to watch the jellyfish lose its shell as punishment for its failed mission.

Interactions with Other Animals
Monkeys often interact with other animals, sometimes learning lessons or causing trouble. In The Monkey and the Goat Earned Their Reputations, a monkey outsmarts a tiger, causing the tiger to be blamed for a stolen lamb. In The Turtle and the Monkey, the monkey’s greed leads him to eat all the bananas, leaving only the peels for the turtle. The turtle’s resourcefulness turns the peels into a prize-winning mat. The Monkey and the Dolphin presents a situation where a dolphin mistakenly saves a monkey after a shipwreck, but after the monkey boasts of its connections, the dolphin abandons it in favor of a human.

Monkeys and Family Relationships
Family dynamics are explored in several stories, focusing on the relationships between monkeys and their kin. In The Monkeys and Their Mother, a mother monkey’s excessive care for one of her young results in the death of the cherished child, while the neglected one survives. In Uncle Wiggily and the Monkey, Uncle Wiggily and his animal friends encounter a red monkey during an adventure, adding a sense of camaraderie and helping others. The family theme is also explored in Dembe and the Park Rangers, where Dembe, a mountain gorilla, works with conservationists to protect his family from poachers.

Lessons and Morals
Several stories involve monkeys learning lessons through their experiences. In The Heart of a Monkey, a monkey tricks a shark into releasing him after the shark attempts to eat his heart for medicinal purposes. In The Monkey and the Camel, a monkey’s dancing impresses the crowd, causing a camel to try and dance but fail, leading to the camel’s humiliation and ejection from the feast. How the Monkey Got Food When He Was Hungry tells the story of a monkey borrowing food from other animals with promises of repayment, only to escape when it is time to pay them back, leading to conflict among the animals.

Monkeys and the Environment
In a few stories, monkeys interact with the environment in a way that reflects their survival instincts. In The Wolf, the Fox, and the Ape, an ape mediates a dispute between a wolf and a fox, ultimately siding with the fox. Why the Bananas Belong to the Monkey shows a monkey tricking an old woman to keep the best bananas, leading to a sequence where the woman traps the monkey, only for him to escape with help from other monkeys.

This compilation provides a wide range of stories where monkeys are central figures, interacting with their environment, other animals, and their own kind, all while offering insights into human nature and social dynamics.