Tricksters and their Tales

This week we read Coyote and the Buffalo and reflected on the defining characteristics of a trickster. Tricksters have been used in cultures and society to tell stories since the beginning of time. The notable characteristic of a trickster is greed. For example, in the short story Coyote and the Buffalo, Buffalo Bull gives Coyote a cow to sever a piece of fat to eat everyday and then after rub ashes on the bit he cut off so it would grow back. The Coyote eventually grew restless of just eating the fat and fantasized about the taste of the warm liver. He finally gave in and killed the cow but didn't get a chance to sink his teeth into the liver like he had wanted. Crows attacked the cow and ate every piece of meat except the bones. Even then Coyote fell to the suave ways of a woman by letting her “cook” the bones for him and was left with nothing but a pile of sticks. The punishment of giving into his own greed was nothing to eat and the distrust of Buffalo Bull and his herd. Another important characteristic of a trickster is their so-called “cleverness”. They think they can outsmart anyone but in reality they are the ones being deceived. A significant example of a “clever” trickster is Wile E. Coyote from the famous show Looney Tunes. He tries and tries again to beat the Road Runner at his own game. He thinks he’s clever by being sneaky and creative in trying to capture the Road Runner but Road Runner always sees it coming and repeatedly makes a fool out of Wile E. Coyote. In the end, tricksters never prosper.