When Jesus was fasting in the desert, the Devil approached him with a test. Because he was fasting, the Devil offered Jesus some bread and water so he could break his fast, even though he would disobey God in the process. Jesus refused, but the Devil was persistent. Satan took Jesus to the top of the synagogue and told him to throw himself off the roof in order to prove that God would catch him before a single hair touched the ground. When Jesus refused, using the Bible as his defense, the Devil promised him the throne if he were to sin against the Father. Still holding fast, Jesus refused and the Devil left, discouraged that Jesus’ will could not be broken. The short story The Hundredth Dove demonstrates the same principle. Though the spoils that may be promised are intriguing, we must hold fast and refuse temptation because the prize never has importance once attained.
The Hundredth Dove read like the story of Jesus in the desert. Hugh, the fowler, was sent out by his king to complete a task that would prove his allegiance. During the assignment, Hugh discovers a mystical being, a dove, who promised him the world if he would wrong his master. Holding strong to what he believed in, Hugh refused the temptation instead choosing to follow his master. Like Jesus, Hugh was thrice tempted, but like Jesus, Hugh followed his master’s commands, easily containing his will when he was offered his most coveted desires. Hugh is a passageway, a way for Jane Yolen to express what the Bible did thousands of years before her time. Temptation, no matter how intriguing can be ignored using the morals we choose to believe as True.
As the dove began speaking to Hugh, the temptation was a simple one for him to ignore. The first temptation – riches – was easily passed over by Hugh because, as a servant for the king, he already earned a considerable salary and his motto, servo, forced him to put the king before all else. The next temptation – fame – was also easily disregarded by Hugh when he held fast to his beliefs. Finally, the dove promised Hugh Lady Columbia, the king’s wife. As an eligible bachelor and with Lady Columbia’s beauty, Hugh found this temptation hard to resist, but as the king’s servant he was forced to reject the offer and kill the dove. Though there was much deliberation between desire and service, Hugh held fast to his beliefs and that is what we must do too. The first temptations, while promising, affected no one other than Hugh and these were easily declined. When there was injury to another person involved – Hugh breaking the king’s heart to ensure his own happiness – a moral conflict occurred. If we hold tight to what we believe when we are tempted, we will always make the right decision.
Though Jesus was tempted by the Devil, it’s not always an evil being that tempts us. A dove, in the classic sense, is a symbol of love, hope and peace. Noah released a dove when he was stranded on the ark to see if there was a hope for mankind. White, the color of doves, is a purely romantic color, but in this parable, the dove was the complete opposite. Though commonly people believe that we can only be tempted by generally evil people, temptation also comes from those we consider kind and just, because this perfect shell is just a façade. Everyone has the potential to become evil, which means that everyone has the potential to tempt you. With that, we must always hold fast to our beliefs because we never know where temptation will appear.
Though fame and fortune may appear to hold importance, the real value in life is the morality we choose. Money means nothing if you got paid by underhanded deals. Fame is as fleeting as life. Temptation will come, promising everything, and yet possessions received through temptation means nothing.
