Pablo, the Robber

Cultural origins:The island of Majorca off the southeastern coast of spain has a rich history in storytelling. There are many sailor stories, owing to the many vessels lost on the way to the island over the years. This story, though, is a trickster tale and is included in every single Majorcan collection I could get my hands on. The boy's name changes, but his intention is always the same: to be a robber so he won't have to work hard. This reflects the Majorcan cultural value of hard work and honest labor.

Intended audience: Early Middle School (10,11,12)

Why this audience?: This is a story that engages those students who have begun to become disenchanted with school. It also speaks to the future and asks the question: What do you want to be when you grow up and how will you get there?

Characters:  Pablo
                        Pablo’s Mother

                        Pablo’s Uncle

                        Captain of the Thieves

                        The Thieves

                        Massot

Scenes/Settings: The mountains of Majorca and the village of Arta.

Synopsis: On the island of Majorca a boy named Pablo loses his father who wishes for him to be able to have any job in the world. When he tells his mother that he wants to be a robber she is very upset with him. But he pursues his dream and when he turns sixteen he decides that it is his time to join the robbers that live in the black mountains. His mother begs for help from her brother in law who writes to his friend, the captain of the robbers, a letter for Pablo to take with him the next day.

Pablo joins the robbers on one condition from the captain of the robbers: Pablo must obey him. On his first day of being a robber the captain sets him an impossible task: steal a lamb off the back of the meanest man in town: Massot. Pablo tricks Massot the first time with a sword. He tricks him another time by pretending to be a sheep. He tricks him a third time by whacking his shoes together much like the sound of two lambs butting their heads together. Pablo succeeds in stealing a lamb not once but three times exceeding all expectations.

So at the end of the night when the robbers have prepared a sumptuous feast and Pablo is about to eat it the Captain tells him he is only to eat a pot of old beans. Pablo protests that this is not fair and the captain points out that there is no fairness among thieves and Pablo is bound to obey him. So Pablo runs home to his Mother and vows to work for the rest of his days.

Story Climaxes/High Points: The climax occurs when Pablo confronts the captain of the thieves complaining that it's not fair that he cannot partake in the lamb stew. This is when he realizes that thieves justice is not justice.

Special Chants/Phrases: 
"Once on the rock they call Majorca in the small village of Arta there lived a young boy named Pablo."
"I want to be a robber. A robber I will be. Robber! Robber! Robber! A robber I will be! "

Bibliographic Information:

Campbell, Marie. (1976). The Boy That was Trained to Be a Thief. In Tales From the Cloud Walking Country (pp. 170-171). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Creeden, Sharon. (1994). A Robber I Will Be. In Fair is Fair; World Folktales of Justice (pp. 114-119). Little Rock, AK: August House.

Mehdevi, Alexander. (1970). Augustine the Thief. In Bungling Pedro & Other Majorcan Tales (pp. 69-83). New York: Alfred A. Knopf.