The Repercussions Of Choices In Pandora's Box

1128 Words5 Pages

In the myths, “Coyote steals the Sun and Moon” retold by Richard Erdoes and Alfonso Ortiz and “Pandora's box” retold by Louis Untermeyer, there is a common theme that emphasizes the importance of thinking before one's actions. Pandora, opening the dowry gifted upon her front he gods, and Coyote, opening the box containing the sun and moon. Both stories present characters who make impulsive decisions that ultimately lead to negative consequences, highlighting the value of considering the potential repercussions of our choices. Within “Pandora’s Box”, examples are shown of how Pandora could have rethought the possibilities before her actions. Pandora, her eagerness to unravel the hidden treasures hidden within her dowry had taken over her own actions. Firstly to …show more content…

On page 478, Untermeyer writes, “ Never open the box. It is, I grant, a beautiful thing, too beautiful to destroy, and we will keep it. But hide it. Put it not only out of your site but out of your mind. Then we shall both be content,” (Untermeyer 478). Though Epimetheus warns Pandora about the dangers the gods pose. She does not heed his warning and rather becomes obsessed with the thought of the box. She is determined to figure out what the contents of the box are. Pandora realizes Epimetheus’s warning, but quickly forgets them as she is compelled with her dowry. Next, Pandora attempts to convey the opening of the box not as unloyal but as a right, on page 479 she claims, “After all, it was her dowry, and she had a right to see what the greatest of gods had conferred upon her,” (Untermeyer 479). Rather than focusing on what her husband's cautionary words, she focuses on how she can open the box without being guilty. She realizes that she is wrong, however she still keeps the thought of the box in her mind. This shows that the box not only had