“Power to the People”- A review of trickster tales by Gail Kimzin

I am fascinated by underdogs. They are small, unrepresented, and oppressed yet have the keen instinct to survive in a world that they do not control. The underdog seizes small and often risky opportunities to even the playing field or even to get ahead. This is a universal character in many folktales known as the trickster. His character is usually uneducated yet worldly, underemployed yet satisfied, and a bit of a rogue yet in the end, honest and truthful. His ability to fool the aristocracy with obviously simple schemes makes for amusing plots and tongue-in-cheek humor. Who doesn’t like a story where the upper crust is fooled and the commoner wins, the powerful remain powerless? Trickster tales are world-wide.

In two Irish folktales “The Farmer’s Answers” and “The Three Questions”, the wealthy and overbearing aristocrats contrive a game of three questions with the harsh consequences of eviction of a plot of land and death. The questions are dramatically simple such as “What am I thinking?” and “How many loads of sand are on the Irish shoreline?” The underdogs, the poor tenant farmer and the bishop, ally themselves with a trickster and are able to win and keep their land and their life. The underdogs’ oppressors appear as buffoons and the story tastes of sweet justice. The audience is entertained by the ridiculously contrived answers and the satisfaction that the story ends happily ever after.

In Spanish and Latin American folklore, a famous trickster is Pedro Urdemales. He is portrayed as a nomad seizing opportunities to prey on the aristocracy. In one story, he sells a “money” tree to a gentleman on horseback. By the time that he finds out it is merely silver coins tied on a branch, Pedro has left town. In another Pedro Urdemales story, he wedges silver coins up a donkey’s rear end. He convinces the king that his magical donkey produces money and trades the donkey for the king’s white stallion. When the donkey has expelled all of the coins and is now expelling excrement, Pedro has left to another town. Once again, both stories ridicule the aristocracy creating savory “Justice is served.”

Trickster stories even appear in modern urban legends. Calvin, a university student, goes into a semester final exam unprepared. Similar to other tricksters, he is savvy and smart. He is attending an Ivy League school, and is confronted with a challenge; he didn’t study for the test. Calvin is given two blue books for the essay exam. He slyly puts one of the blue books in his backpack and in the other, during the exam time, writes a letter to his “sweet” mother and “sickly” grandfather telling them all about his classes and wonderful professors. He drops off the letter in the pile of exam blue books and exits. At home, he completes the written final exam using his notes, the textbook, and the internet and sends that blue book to his mother. Within a few days, he receives a call from the professor about the letter and not the essay, “the mix up”. He apologizes profusely and offers to have his mom send the essay to her. The professor accepts his offer readily; after all, Calvin was singing her praises in the letter to his mom. Within a few days, an “A” was posted for the semester grade. Who would have considered Calvin a cheat and a liar?

Audiences love the “underdog” that uses shrewd decision-making skills in a crunch time. The public appreciates a character that is street smart over book smart. Tricksters will always win our hearts for we applaud the victories of the “little smart guy”.

Comments

[Genevieve]

The underdog is certainly a cultural hero in America and will continue to be. We want to see the little guy, the oppressed, those without opportunity and those of lesser status make good. We believe in opportunity and fairness for all.

[ChantelFreed69]

I love how you crafted this blog- this is great!

[Account Deleted]

Thanks for sharing, Gail! I especially liked the real story examples you gave--the Irish folktales sounded really interesting; I am going to check them out. This topic reminds me of the Biblical stories where ironically the younger brother gets a better share of the inheritance. In Jacob's case, he did it through trickery too. I agree that it's a common thread within humanity.

[Elizabeth Wunsch]

This is a great blog post benefitted by the telling of your underdog tales from class. A truthful insight into our trickster friends. Thank you for blog.