The Bull is a short story written by Saki. It is about two very different brothers. And about one brothers envy of the other. I would say that it is an old story. Probably about a hundred years old. This is for example shown when we are told that one of the brothers is proud that his bull is worth a hundred pounds. This must mean that a hundred pounds was a lot of money at the time the story took place. Which must again mean that it is an old story. But we are not told exactly when it takes place, and neither are we told when it is written.
In the story we get to meet Tom Yorkfield and his half-brother Laurence. Two brothers that do, even though they are related to each other, not share many similarities. Tom is a hard working farmer who has tried to build up a good reputation for the family farm that he is in charge of. Something he has actually succeeded in doing. And Laurence on the other hand is an artist who has specialized in painting animals, and who has indeed become rather good at it.
Throughout the story we then get the feeling that those two brothers have been competing a lot when they were kids. About what we do not know. But Laurence must have either been better at doing something than Tom, or he has got more attention from their parents or something like that, because apparently Tom has always been envious of his brother. And in the story this feeling suddenly comes back to him, even though they are now adults.
The problem of the story is then that Tom, the proud hardworking farmer, does not value Laurence profession. And he actually looks down on him as an artist. Painting makes no sense to Tom. But Laurence is a successful artist and he earns a lot more money than his brother. And that is what really bothers Tom.
But it is not only Tom who does not appreciate what Laurence is doing for a living. Because Laurence as well does not seem to be impressed by Toms hard work at the farm. This is for example shown when Laurence visits Tom at his farm. Here Tom proudly shows him his Bull named Clover Fairy. It is an impressive bull. Worth a lot of money as earlier mentioned. And very well spoken of among other farmers in the area. But Laurence, who does not care about farming, is not impressed by the bull. He does not see the beauty in it and nor does he acknowledge its value as a bull. In fact I think he acts quite arrogant when he sees the bull. And Tom must have thought so too, because this revives some of his old enviousness and hatred of his brother.
This enviousness then grows through the story. And later we are told that Laurence tells Tom about a Bull he has painted which has recently been sold for three hundred pounds. That is three times the value of Toms real bull. Laurence then talks about how this picture is like an investment and that it will become worth more and more as time goes and he rises as an artist, while Toms bull Clover Fairy will become older an older an worth less and less. Hearing these things does of course become too much for Tom. And I do not think he knows how to react to this. Therefore he assaults his brother who quite naturally tries to run away. But unfortunately he runs past Clover Fairy who injures him badly. Tom does then of course feel sorry for his brother, and he therefore nurses him to a complete recover from his injuries.
But even though he feels sorry for Laurence, he also finds satisfaction in the fact that what his bull just did, will no bull painted on a picture ever be able to do. It makes him a little happy. And you could say that after this incident he does no longer feel envious of his brother.
Another story where envy is also the main theme, is the story from the bible about the two brothers Cain and Abel. And generally the story about those two brothers actually has a lot in common with the story about Tom and Laurence. Most obviously they are of course both about two brothers. But as I also mentioned they are also both about envy. Because in both stories we have a brother who is more successful than the other as well as a brother who is envious of the other. In the Bull the problem is that Laurence earns more money than Tom. And in the story from the bible the problem is that Abel is favored by the lord.
But that is when the similarities stops. Because in the story about Cain and Abel, Cain’s envy of Abel turns in to hatred, and in the end that hatred means that he ends up killing Abel. While in the story about Tom and Laurence, things does after all not end up that bad, although Laurence does become injured in the end of the story. But after this incident Tom kind of feels sorry for Laurence, and he therefore ends up taking care of Laurence while he is injured. And I’m not really sure if Cain ever ends up regretting what he has done.