The centralized theme of the novel is the evil of mankind. In the novel, evil is an entity that can possess people against their will – like a spirit. Although that may sound like the run-of-the-mill Webster’s definition of evil, there is a difference, which is that in the novel, evil is personified. The novel uses its events to show how evil works in the real world, in a slightly mellow dramatic, but realistic way. Also, evil in this novel is known as Coyote, and this is because evil is being represented from the Native American point of view: “The thing is, Coyote keeps getting born, over and over,” said Bertha Moses. “He rides on the spirit of a newborn into this world. It don’t have to be a human newborn, it can be an animal, but once he’s born into this world, he slips off and goes walking until he
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Throughout the book Coyote is represented in such a way as something that follows you but is never seen, but in spite of this it can affect you. This reminds me of turning the lights off and going upstairs. Even today my stomach churns and I feel like some dark entity is going to snatch me away. The prime example in the novel is Filthy Billy. From a modern perspective, he is a boy with Tourette’s disease, but from a First Nation’s perspective, he is under Coyote’s influence: “He’s got a (fuck) demon riding him (shit)” (Dargatz 105). Coyote also moves into a boy named Parker, during which time Billy’s swearing had gone away. In the novel Coyote can be racked in this order; Coyote jack is the source, Billy is infected, and parker gets consumed temporarily. Once Coyote Jack dies – Coyote vanishes from all of the characters. The other important concepts in the novel are death and desire. Death can be seen numerous times in the novel. Death is seen when the sheep are murdered by coyotes, in the homesteader’s children, and at the funeral of Sarah Kemp. Every death has a common purpose. Death in the novel is symbolic of darkness and
Throughout the book Coyote is represented in such a way as something that follows you but is never seen, but in spite of this it can affect you. This reminds me of turning the lights off and going upstairs. Even today my stomach churns and I feel like some dark entity is going to snatch me away. The prime example in the novel is Filthy Billy. From a modern perspective, he is a boy with Tourette’s disease, but from a First Nation’s perspective, he is under Coyote’s influence: “He’s got a (fuck) demon riding him (shit)” (Dargatz 105). Coyote also moves into a boy named Parker, during which time Billy’s swearing had gone away. In the novel Coyote can be racked in this order; Coyote jack is the source, Billy is infected, and parker gets consumed temporarily. Once Coyote Jack dies – Coyote vanishes from all of the characters. The other important concepts in the novel are death and desire. Death can be seen numerous times in the novel. Death is seen when the sheep are murdered by coyotes, in the homesteader’s children, and at the funeral of Sarah Kemp. Every death has a common purpose. Death in the novel is symbolic of darkness and