The Trickster Archetype In Literature

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The trickster archetype is found throughout cultures, whether its oral and written tradition. Lewis Hyde, the author of Trickster Makes This World: Mischief, Myth, and Art, says that the trickster “must be masters of deceit” (Hyde 7) and that they are “the mythic embodiment of ambiguity and ambivalence, doubleness and duplicity, contradiction and paradox” (Hyde 7). A few of the tricksters in literature are the raven from the Native American cultures, the monkey from China and Southeast Asia and Anansi from West Africa. These tricksters are very important in their cultures because it’s part of their history, their upbringing. Several tricksters use sneaky ways to get what they wanted while others are seen as a “loveable trickster” (McDermott) and various people used them to teach morals and lessons and to explain how things came about. …show more content…

According to McWilliams the Raven “was as fickle and unpredictable as nature and its seasons” (McWilliams) and because of this, it was easy to deceive animals and humans alike. The “Raven was a shapechanger, who could assume any form- human or animal” (McWilliams) also that he is “a glutton and trickster” (McWilliams) in addition to “his trickery brought them the essentials for existence in a harsh world” (McWilliams). For example, in the story Raven Steals the Light, Raven wanted the light and he “had to find a way to get inside the hut” (Billman) and he used his shape shifting powers to turn himself “into a tiny hemlock needle” (Billman) which the girl drank. Since then, he changes himself into “a small human being” (Billman) and with that the Raven gained entrance into the hut where the light was kept. The story shows how the Raven will use patience and his trickery to get what he

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