The book “Three Fat Men” is not only a children's fairy tale, because the main events are filled with allegories, and the plot tells about adult problems. But this does not mean that the child will not like the work. To remind young readers of the essence of the material read, the Literaguru team has prepared a short retelling for you.
(882 words) The story begins with the reader acquaintance with the doctor and scientist Gaspar Arneri, whose wisdom has no equal in the country. He lives in the city under the gluttonous and stupid Three Fat Men. One summer morning, Gaspar decides to take a walk and becomes an involuntary witness to a popular rebellion, the leaders of which are Prospero (gunsmith) and Tibul (artist of a traveling circus). The doctor observes what is happening from the tower, while chaos reigns below in the square. The uprising is suppressed by the guards, and one of the leaders (Prospero) is taken into custody. The bomb explodes in the tower where Gaspar sits, and he loses consciousness. Only in the evening the doctor comes to his senses and sees the bodies of those killed around, the ruins left from the tower. He is in a hurry to return home, but the unrest has not yet subsided in the square - the second leader of the riot, escaping from the guards, demonstrates the skills of the tightrope walker - quickly passes through a narrow wire in the air and hides from the guards.
When, finally, Gaspar gets home, his preparation for bed is interrupted by a man who has fallen out of the chimney above the fireplace - Tibul. The doctor is “magical” about the appearance of the gymnast with wax, the next morning no one in the city will recognize the wanted criminal in the newly made servant. In the city center, 10 blocks are being prepared for the rebels, and the greedy seller of balloons is taken to the sky, and then to the kitchen windows, where the preparation of a festive cake for Fat Men is in full swing. Cooks are afraid of the wrath of the rulers and leave the seller with balls in the cake, masking everything with ribbons. The audience of the rulers is described by their full reflection, everyone eagerly tries to grab their piece and wolfly look at the human figure in the center. But in the hall there is another interesting person - Prospero, he was brought for fun at the behest of the Three Fat Men. Suddenly, Tutti's weeping heir bursts into the refectory. He is brought up at the palace, and his uncles spoil him in every possible way. Fat men for life did not get their own children, so the boy became their successor, the future ruler and owner of all the wealth. The boy is not allowed to communicate with other children, his uncles actively inspire Tutti with the thought of an iron heart, and all his lessons are organized in a menagerie. Instead of children's joys, the heir made a doll of amazing beauty, she grew up and raised with the boy. Tutti loved and protected her, therefore, when the rebels stabbed her, it was decided to entrust the repair of the doll only to the best "doctor" - Gaspar. The term of all "cures" until the morning. The fat men remained in a bad mood, so the cake with all the filling from the balls is taken to the kitchen, where the savvy seller, for air toys, the cooks are led out through a secret passage made in a huge pan.
Fat men declare a holiday in the city on the occasion of the victory over the rebels. Circus performances, an entertainment program, games and comic agitations of actors are made to distract the eyes of the people from the blocks erected on the square. One such speech is played before the eyes of Dr. Gaspard and his newly made servant, but Tibul drives the strongman Lapitul from the scene, and then reveals his identity. Hired actors start a fight, and the gymnast is forced to defend with cabbages, throwing them at Lapitula, one of which turns out to be the head of the seller of balloons. So the gymnast learns about the secret passage from the palace of the Three Fat Men.
During a fight between Tibul and a strongman from the circus troupe, envoys from the palace give Gaspar a doll with an order to fix it until morning. But it is impossible to “revive” the favorite of Tutti in such a short time, it takes at least 2 days. Then Arneri decides to confess to the Fat Men, but on the way to the palace he is deployed by guards who do not believe in the identity of the doctor, and the only evidence - the doll - was accidentally lost on the road. On the way back, a saddened and hungry scientist visits Uncle Brisak's booth. Gaspard finds here a girl who is at first confused with a lost doll, and, indeed, their resemblance is striking. Her name is Suok. In Tibul's head, Prospero's escape plan is born.
The next morning, Gaspard delivers the doll to the palace, now it is even better. The girl shows excellent acting abilities, and none of Tolstyakov’s entourage knows about the cunning idea of wandering artists. Suok dances like a real doll. Tutti is delighted, and uncles are ready to give everything to the savior. The doctor asks to leave the life of 10 prisoners, whose chopping blocks have already been erected in the square. The fat men do not like the request, but they are forced to submit to the will of Gaspar, because the doll can again break.
After waiting for everyone to fall asleep, Suok descends to the menagerie where they keep Prospero. Behind one of the bars, she sees something that has almost lost its human image, overgrown with wool and with long nails; he gives her a tablet and dies. His name Tub is the greatest scientist and creator of the doll; eight years ago, the Fat Men asked him to make an heir out of iron, but he refused and was thrown here to the beasts to death. Suok hides the message and helps Prospero free himself, opens a cage with a terrifying panther to gain time and escape. They run to the same pan, inside which there is a secret exit, but the girl is detained.
The trial of the impostor doll is scheduled for the next day. The heir is euthanized so that he does not interfere with the process. Suok is silent and does not show interest in what is happening, which greatly angers Tolstyakov. They decide to set tigers on her, but they very soon become indifferent to the victim - in front of them lies the usual broken doll, which was taken from the dance instructor Razdvatris (he found her and brought the guards). Suok hid all this time in the closet, successfully exchanging places with a toy.
Shots and exploding shells are heard, again, under the command of Tibul and Prospero, people rebel against the authority of the Three Fat Men. The people overthrows the hated rulers and seizes the palace. But Suok recalls a tablet handed over to her by a half-man in a menagerie, on which the main secret is revealed: Tutti is her brother, they were abducted at the age of 4 on the orders of Tolstyakov and taken to the palace; the girl was exchanged for a parrot with a long red beard at a traveling circus, and the boy was left to himself as a receiver and pupil.
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