The third and final theme of the story states, be careful what you wish for. One way this theme is shown in the story is when Mr. Peters says, “I wish for a wife as beautiful as the forest.” In most stories, wishing for love never goes as planned. Of course, this being one of these stories, this wish didn't go as planned. His wife, Leita, was actually a shapeshifted swan, who was very miserable being human. Eventually, Mr. Peters himself couldn’t endure Letia’s sorrow, so he turned her back into a swan wasting his first two wishes. The lesson of this theme was to think over before you wish. Mr. Peters in no way did he think about any consequences that could have occurred after this wish.
