The Juggler's Failure In The Shivering Tree And His Grandmother

Abu Bakr, a senior companion to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad, once said, “Do not follow vain desires; for verily he who prospers is preserved from lust, greed and anger.” In the Aboriginal stories of The Shivering Tree and Raven and His Grandmother, there are characters who end up failing to flourish because of their pride. The personal vanity of the Juggler in The Shivering Tree and the Villagers in Raven and His Grandmother leads to negative or unfortunate consequences as a means of discipline or revenge. In both stories, unfulfillment influences the Juggler and the Villagers and ends up ruining their lives. Being greedy for what they do not have leads the Juggler and the Villagers into their own demise. The arrogance of the Juggler and the

For the Juggler, he now spends his life as a tree, waiting for the moment he can show off his power not knowing that it will never happen. For the Villagers, they no longer live on in the village, because they passed away from suffocation, too displeased with their starvation. Gluttony for the things that they do not have rather than looking at what they do have, the Juggler and the Villagers lead their lives to collapse. The Juggler never has shown enough people his power and the Villagers never have enough food. Since they try to take so much, it leads to their own unsatisfying fate. The Juggler has not moved from his spot for so long that he became rooted to the ground, both figuratively and literally. The Villagers filled their stomachs and homes with so much food that there was no more space for air to breathe, stifling their own lives. Lastly, the ego of the Juggler and the Villagers instigated them to think that Nanabush and Raven are not good enough for them. As a result of their pride, they wreck their own chance for a future. The Juggler still waits for his day to shine to come for him, spending eternity restless until it happens and the Villagers are gone, with no trace of them left