In Louise Erdrich's Book, Tracks, Is Nanapush a Trickster Or Not?

Introduction: The concept of the change and longevity of the fairy tale (or myth) is well illustrated in the story “Yellow Woman” by Leslie Silko. Not only is the story a modern explanation of a traditional Native American myth, but the style that Silko uses to tell it evokes and adapts the oral communication style that those old myths were passed down with. The story is also very self-consciously aware of its place as a modern revision of a myth, and makes many internal references to this aspect of itself. “Yellow Woman” becomes, in effect, the modern version of a Native American myth or legend, and therefore is a perfect example of the way in which old tales are made new.

Native American literature is considered by many as the traditional written and oral literature of Native cultures around the world. Many of these literatures are transmitted over periods of time by storytellers. This particular literature has many features that includes a mixture of oral tradition techniques along with tribal mythology. The majority of these historic manuscripts of the Native Americans is deeply rooted in symbolic and mythic standards. This assignment will focus on how Native American literature is rooted in storytelling. The selected text of choice for the assignment is

Stories of beings such as Raven, Coyote, the "Trickster" have educated indigenous people about "principles of storywork, respect, responsibility, reciprocity, reverence, wholism, interrelatedness, and synergy" which all aid in the passing on of life lessons. Oral tradition stands as a “tool kit of literacies” in relation to

Although stories are a universal art form, they hold a more significant role in Native American culture, and literature. This occurs due to the millennia spent in isolation from the rest of the world, and having stories as the main source of entertainment. Thomas King’s statement, “stories can control our lives,” is an important notion, because it embarks on the idea of molding the diseased into more interesting versions of themselves. The statement is prevalent in many pieces of literature which fuse reality into the imagination, and cause people to lose themselves in the fictitious realm. Native literature is all closely related, and they all hold messages within their stories that show their great culture; both the good and the bad. Story

This story offers a metaphorical message for how the Trickster still lives on in the imaginations of contemporary Native Americans.

Trickster tales have been an important part of the Native American culture for hundreds of years. Trickster tales are an oral storytelling tradition and are continuously passed down from generation to generation of Native American Indians. American Indians enjoy listening and telling trickster tales because it is a fun and interesting way to tell a story with a valuable lesson. In many tales, the trickster has a name associated with an animal, and a majority of listeners assume they are animals; however, in some tales, characteristics may appear more human-like. Trickster tales allow Native American cultures to use their imagination and thoroughly understand the moral lessons presented in the tales, and therefore may help with one’s

Lena tells the story as a narrator. Ezol, “a Choctaw woman from the past” experiments with time, educating Lena through her notion that “time is not the same for whites and Indians” (Howe, pg. 24 & 52). Readers leap between important moments of the past and present. Howe’s magical writing allows for a sense of traveling with the characters, back and forth through time to experience it “like a majestic dance” (Howe, pg. 44).

I think tricksters are essential to any world belief system. Human beings work so hard at figuring out the rules of the physical and spiritual world! We create language, governance, religion, music, art … and they all come with rules and rituals, regulations, do’s and don’ts. The problem comes when we make our lives so safe, so predictable, that we lose our ability to innovate, to meet new challenges, to deal with the unexpected or tragic. A trickster like Coyote is the crazy, creative, inventive energy that gets us out of that rut and comes up with solutions that our rules won’t allow us to see.

The viewpoint of the world that the narrator has, completely alters as certain events take place throughout the story. His outlook on nature transforms into a wholly different standpoint as the story progresses. As his tale begins, the narrator sees himself as a tough guy or "bad character". He believes he is invincible. There is nobody as cool as he is or as dangerous as him and his friends are. With his

In May-Lee Chai’s “Saving Sourdi,” Nea would be the antagonist of the story if the literary development of point of view and characterization were different. Point of view and characterization in literature is what allows us to see, hear, and feel a story the way it is designed. An author’s attention to detail is crucial. He or she may put more focus into every small element in a setting or they may emphasize more on development of plot or character. Every literary piece is different. Point of view is an essential tool in arranging the world in a story that sets itself apart. Development of character can only begin after we know from where the story is

After Byron got his lips stuck to the mirror of the car and momma painfully ripped him off, Kenny said he was going to create his own comic starring a superhero called the, “Lipless Wonder. All he does is beat up on superheroes smaller than him and the only thing he’s afraid of is a cold mirror!’” One of the authors strengths was his utilization of symbolism. Curtis used symbolism several times throughout the book as a creative way to tell the reader what the characters were thinking. One example of symbolism is the Wool Pooh.

Characters are created with a unique purpose such as being a narrator or to increase the dynamics of the story. Nanapush’s main function in Tracks is being a narrator. Although Nanapush is presented as a powerful bear and a loyal person, he can also be comprehended as an unreliable narrator. However, his characteristic can still convince some readers to believe in his side of the story. Nanapush’s actions such as reading the newspaper on page 47 suggests how he is educated and reliable. Regardless of how newspapers are supposed to be reporting the truth, newspapers can still be biased. Likewise, even though Nanapush believes or acts as if he is neutral and truthful, he can still be unconsciously biased. The close and long lasting relationship between Nanapush and Fleur puts forward the idea that as an observer, Nanapush knows a substantial amount of facts about Fleur. The story, Tracks, revolves around Fleur, thus, Nanapush can be interpreted as a more knowledgeable and a more reliable narrator. Nanapush’s leadership quality also makes him more reliable. Despite the fact that loyalty is a honorable quality, Nanapush’s excessive loyalty can make him less reliable and more biased. Nonetheless, humans are inherently unreliable because humans barely remember the exact things, especially when the story is manipulated orally. Thus, both narrators are unreliable because both does not know exactly what happened, particularly because the story is driven by and focused on Fleur, not

     Throughout Ceremony, the author, Leslie Silko, displays the internal struggle that the American Indians faced at that time in history. She displays this struggle between good and evil in several parts of the book. One is the myth explaining the origin of the white man.

Although it is a cartoon, Wile E. Coyote is a famous trickster. Wile E. Coyote is notorious for consuming his entire day and night with attempting to overtake the infamous road runner. His trickery is in the usage of various contraptions and bait to try to snatch the road runner. Wile E. may be a trickster, but his tricks never work out, generally only slightly missing the road runner. They intermittently fail on him and practically always injuring himself, allowing his prey to get away (Windling, 1995). This continuous stalking seems to be one of the most intense pursuits ever manifested. The buzz of the road runner resonates throughout people’s minds as they see this suspiciously swift bird that flings debris as he accelerates along the terrain. What makes this coyote a trickster you may ask? There are many qualities that categorize him as tricksters commonly know to all. First, Wile E. is extremely mischievous, and manipulative. He is always searching for ways to trick the road runner into one of his traps. Only Wile E. will go on such a quest to catch this particular road

The Native American Trickster is usually described as a character that “is a wandering, bawdy, gluttonous, and obscene” (72). The Trickster is “usually male but able to alter his sex at will,” he “may copulate with his daughter or daughter–in-law or send his penis swimming across rivers in search of sexual adventure” (72). He is often characterized as being “selfish, amoral, foolish, destructive, and as his name indicates, given to duping others in his own interest” (72). However, the trickster “is also a culture hero, someone often with godlike power who long, long ago helped to establish the order of the world that we know today” (72). Though, his folly caused him to forget his purpose of ridding the earth of evil entities, he is still a staple in Native American tales. Every tribe has their own version of the trickster!