Essay: Bad guys in Native American Marriage Tales

A common theme that I have noticed, not just in the Native American Marriage Tales Unit, but many different units. In this particular one, the bad guys all seem to have things in common. They intend to get whatever they want no matter what it does to other people. This appears to be a common theme for the bad guys in general. They are always wanting what they can't have and so they make it a point to do whatever it takes to get it.

I noticed this many times in the story Splinter Foot Girl. It appears as if everyone in that story was dying to marry the girl. The bone-bull was the first bad guy. He had the magpie ask the Splinter foot girl's fathers if he could marry her. He seemed fine at first until the fathers denied his request. It appeared that being told no was something that bad guys do not tolerate. If they want something, they must get it no matter the cost. So he remained persistent until they finally agreed to allow their daughter to marry him.

They became lonely though and decided that they wanted her back. The bone-bull refused to let her go and so they had to sneak her away. This angered the bull and he went after them. He attacked the tree for not allowing him to get to the girl. Like most bad guys, I think he would have been willing to hurt anyone who came in the way of him finding his bride. The bull, however, was unsuccessful as most bad guys are in the end.

One main issue that a lot of the bad guys run into is not being able to defeat love. The Splinter foot girl's fathers were determined to have her returned to them. They loved her so much that they were willing to fight in order to have her back. Love is a difficult thing to beat because if you truly love someone, then you will fight like hell to keep them safe. Most bad guys can't compete with that.

Bull. Source: Wikimedia Commons