The Stone Cutter Story with Moral Lessons

The story of the stone cutter is one of the best short stories which has a moral attached to it. Handing down wisdom through short moral stories is the oldest form of teaching and is still a common practice today.

Short stories with morals help the elders to communicate important moral and cultural lessons to the younger generations today. The stories establish links with the cultural identity and also provide the guidance needed to handle various life situations.

In the stone cutter story, the kids are taught not to be greedy and be happy with what they have. Hence, children will not only enjoy reading such stories but also get moral values.

Stone Cutter Story Summary for Kids

Once upon a time, there was a stonecutter who was always dissatisfied with his life and himself. The stone cutter was very hard working and he used to work day in and day out to make the shapes that were needed by his customers. One day he went out into the forest to work on a big stone. Since it was very hot, it became very difficult for him to work. After spending several hours working, he decided to take a rest. He sat down in some shade and fell asleep. After some time, he heard the sound of someone coming. When he woke up, he saw a long procession of people. There were many attendants and soldiers and in the middle, there was a king in a palanquin who was carried by strong people.

The stone cutter thought it would be wonderful to become a king. He thought he would be very happy if he was a king instead of a poor stone cutter. A strange thing happened as he said these words. He soon became a king and found himself dressed in good clothes and jewels. His hands were soft and he found himself sitting in the palanquin. The stone cutter was elated. He thought how easy it was to become a king as there were several people to serve the king. As the procession moved on, it became very hot. The stonecutter started feeling warm and was not comfortable. He asked the procession to stop to rest for some time.

On hearing this, the chief of the soldier bent before the king and told him that the king had sworn to hang him to death if they did not reach the palace before the sunset. The stone cutter felt sorry and ordered the procession to move on. When it was afternoon, the sun became very hot and the king started feeling more and more uncomfortable. Now the stone cutter thought that the sun was more powerful. He desired to be a sun because the sun was very powerful in comparison to the king. His wish was granted and at once he became the sun.

His new power was very hard to control. He shone very brightly and burnt up all the fields with his rays and even turned the ocean into vapour. He formed a great cloud. No matter how brightly he shone, it was difficult for him to see through the clouds. He now thought that the clouds were stronger than the sun and wished to be clouds. His wish was granted again and he turned into dark clouds. He was very happy and started using his power as a cloud. He caused floods and poured the rain down on the fields. All the houses and trees that were there were swept away.

There was only a boulder remaining unchanged and unmoved which he used to cut when he was a stone cutter. The stone cutter now thought that the rock was more powerful than the cloud. He thought that only a stonecutter could change the powerful rock with his skill. He now desired to become a stone cutter. His wish was immediately granted and he became a stone cutter. The stone cut picked up all his tools and happily started working on the boulder.

A Man Cutting the Stone with his Tools

Moral of the Story Stone Cutter

Every short story has a moral attached to it. The moral stories help to convey the basic and ethical values to the kids in a fun and in an interesting way. For example, in the stone cutter story, the children will realise that being satisfied with whatever they have and whatever they are, is the key to happiness. The feeling of being unsatisfied and wanting to be more powerful has no end. We should not become greedy and we should be content with whatever god has given us. We should learn to be thankful.

Note to Parents

Parents should talk to the kids about what they read in the story. Talking with parents about what kids read and understand helps them to understand the moral behind the story. With the help of parents, moral stories can be an effective choice to guide the kids. The parents should make sure to ask questions. For example, they can ask their kids if a character reacted in a certain way. If the questions are thought-provoking, they can make the children think about what they are reading and also why a character did something. Children are generally drawn to how the characters reacted and what they did.