We’ve got a cat, at home. As it’s been only less than a year, we're not very experienced with it… so we listen to our friends - and it’s sometimes quite frightening to understand what might be at stake !
For instance, as we live in a flat with a balcony, on the 6th floor, we strongly fear the cat might fall. As stupid as it may sound (for a cat) it appears to be quite common. Usually, the cat fall on its feet, but it can be quite badly injured.

That is why we limit its reach to moments where we can have a look at it. It’s clearly not ideal as it feels like a kind a prison, but we haven’t found a better solution yet. Let’s say that we’re evolving progressively. 

Anyway, the cat obviously longs for going outdoors . And each time that it puts its little head inside the breach of the window, that makes me think of Mr Seguin’s goat !

This is indeed a great short story, with lots of good ideas.

Written by French author Alphonse Daudet, around 1869 and published within a collection of short stories, names "letters from my windmill", this very story is one of the most known of his. And to be honest, that's for a couple of good reasons.
Once again, I've got nothing against success, quite the contrary when it denotes of great pieces of art !

In this story, we follow three paths :

• An introduction / conclusion by the author : this short story appears as a letter to his friend, and seems to be used like a parabola to illustrate a difficult life situation. Actually, this part of the short is usually expunged from publications, and that is a real shame, as it provides a real insight to this story's reach…

• The path of Mr Seguin, who never had luck with any of his goats. In the beginning, he tries to understand and accommodate his latest goat, but when he understand that the goat would go away, in spite of his warnings (and considering the earlier experiences of goats eaten by the wolf in the mountain), he choses to lock the goat up… and looses it forever
• The path of the goat itself. It is a very nice young goat, you know, the kind of animal you would like to see around the little house and befriend. At first, the goat is very happy at Mr Seguin, but quite fast, it begins to feel like confined and longs to go out in the open. All of it is very logical : if one is sequestrated, one dreams only of freedom, right ? When it looks at the mountain in the distance, not too far away, it dreams of it like some kind of heaven. As the goat looks less and less cheerful (and we can believe that Mr Seguin was indeed able to spot that in his goats), Mr Seguin and the goat have a good talk (quite logical, in a tale, right ?) The animal expresses its wishes, and can't seem to listen to Mr Seguin's fears. As it appears that they can't find any kind of satisfactory agreement, she runs away, passes the best day ever in the mountains and runs to her fate when she meets the wolf.

There are a lot of interesting things and themes in this very short story.

The first one, of course, is about the greener grass. It's quite self explanatory, and all to understandable. How could anyone accept its fate, especially when one can have a good look through, let’s say, a fucking tv ?
The dream of Eldorado is stronger than anything (and at least, stronger than reason). That's how hope for a better world is indomitable, once fantasized and deeply rooted. Even if we hear bad things about this better place, we can't actually listen. 
Let's think a little bit about illegal immigrants, who brave unbelievable dangers to pass through and eventually (for the luck ones) happen to finish either enslaved or in the street, virtually catatonic (I witnessed it myself, with the situation of a young man from sub-Saharan Africa, who survived in the coldness and bitterness of the winter, down the block where we live… As far as I could understand, after months of this regime, his only hope was to get back home… but could he have believed that if someone told him about the reality beforehand ? Probably not…
In another style, I strongly recommend the movie "The emigrants" (1971), by Jan Troell, which deals about the American dream for the poor and starving peasants in Sweden, in the XIXth century. In this perspective, the case of the younger brother Robert is particularly clear.

This story also talks about the state of mind of the prisoner. 
Most of us experienced it through the "lockdowns". Freedom seems very abstract, in general, but as soon as we're given limits, all the more with a firm restriction of our moves, or a rope around the neck (for our goat), then freedom gets very concrete and almost compulsive.

Obviously, it also talks about the question - all too contemporary - of the relation between freedom and security. Here, the security clearly induces servitude, but also a longer life. The goat's choice is taken very quickly, but is it measured whatsoever ?

Globally, I feel that this tragedy can relate quite easily to children (let's say older than 6 years old), thanks to the colorful protagonists, with a rich and atmospheric background (the landscape of French Provence), thanks also to the obvious stakes of the action. All of this is very clear and lively. I'm sure that kids understand all of it. I'm sure that kids understand all of it. By the way, some kind of a moral of this story is added (maybe not for the better), with the role of parents : "you see, girl / son, parents avert and warn and it's easy to see (in the story) what happens when kids don't listen, right ?" Or other thinks like : "no, you won't do that with your life" ; "don't go this way, it too hazardous…" ; "this is bad company" ; "do you homework, do your studies, get a proper job, marry with the proper partner, found a family, buy a house as soon as possible," etc. All of those are actually potential prisons, if not really chosen… and that's sometimes not too easy to understand when it comes from within, from family habits, or even a reaction to those orders…
And yet (as any dictator would state) : "that's for their own good, isn't it ?"

I invite you to listen to a correctly version of the story : https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NphbtfSeEQE

Or let's have a good read : https://www.telework.ro/en/goat-mr-seguin-alphonse-daudet/

If you're interested in this short stories collection of Alphonse Daudet, I invite you to discover also : 

• The pope's mule
• The stars
• Master Miller Cornille's Secret
• The old folks
• The Locusts

Actually, the whole book is available for free at : https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/30442