Wish Wisely


In the story "The Third Wish" by Joan Aiken, a wonderful man named Mr. Peters is created. In the forest he stands by the river, visiting Leita. The soft fur on her feathers soothes him, and he wonders what it would be like if she was never with him even in spirit. Mr. Peters learns that if you’re granted three wishes, use them wisely.
First, Mr. Peters drives his car to the forest. He thinks it’s so beautiful! This is normal everyday life, and is the first point to the mode of romance. When he gets to the forest, a swan is tangled in thorns and branches. It just happens that the swan is the King of the Forest. When Mr. Peters saves the swan, he asks for three wishes in return. The King grants him the wishes but reminds him to wish wisely. Each wish is symbolized by a leaf. Therefore, making the three leaves major symbols in this story.

Mr. Peters knows the leaves are sacred, so he knows he has to wish wisely. He uses his first wish to ask for a wife as beautiful as the forest. Surely, he’s granted the wish but he soon learns that his wife Leita is also a swan. Leita has a sister who’s a swan too and misses Leita misses her so much! Joan Aiken writes “She was weeping, and as he came nearer he saw that tears were rolling too, from the swan’s eyes”. As you can see, Leita was not happy in human form. A mild conflict occurs, the second point in the mode of romance.

Once Mr. Peters finds Leita not happy, his second wish is used to change Leita back to a swan, because he knows she is happier that way. This is the resolution which is the next point in the mode of romance. Joan Aiken’s style of writing is very unique. She uses modern ideas with contemporary ideas. She also incorporates different symbols throughout the story nicely. A very important symbol in this story is the gold chain Mr. Peters gave to Leita for marriage. When she turned back to a swan, she still had it dangling from her neck. This symbolizes the power of love.
Love was symbolized throughout the story, and a new beginning occurs. Mr. Peters dies with a smile on his face and he never used his third wish. In society today, we have to learn to be happy with everything we have, and to always wish wisely. Even though Mr. Peters wishes weren’t granted to better him, in a way he learned something about life and that is always important. Just think, what would you have wished for if you were granted three wishes?