The Environment and Human Destruction Theme Analysis

Son of a Trickster takes place in a First Nations community in British Columbia. Interspersed with the main story that centers on Jared and his experiences, there are several chapters that switch to the perspective of an unnamed narrator whose tone is omniscient and ethereal—almost god-like. This narrator relays how First Nations people’s spiritual beliefs center on a reverence for the natural world and an understanding of the interconnectedness of all living things. And alongside this, the book warms that people have forgotten their ties to nature and the rest of the universe, and that this arrogant attitude toward the environment could lead to disaster. In this way, Son of a Trickster emphasizes that because people have become ignorant of their intrinsic relationship with nature, they are now on a path to destroy it and perhaps even themselves as a result.

The book’s unnamed narrator establishes how people have forgotten how connected they are to the natural world. Early in the book, the narrator instructs readers to remember that every living thing in nature used to be a dying star, and that human beings were once “wriggling through the universe as beams of light.” This suggests that human beings are made up of the same elements as everything else on the planet, and that we have been connected to every other being since the beginning of time. Yet the narrator also notes that people usually cannot recall these ancient times, suggesting that they have now forgotten their connection to the natural world. The book goes on to say that people are “transitory vessels built from recycled carbon like every other living being on this planet,” again emphasizing how humanity is interconnected with nature. More than that, by observing that people are “transitory vessels,” the narrator emphasizes that human beings have a role to play in making sure that Earth can continue its life cycles, even though we often think of ourselves as superior to other beings or nature.

Next, the book emphasizes how people are destroying the very environment to which they are deeply connected. The protagonist, Jared, has a mysterious connection to a magical realm, which causes him to encounter strange visions. At one point, he meets “Fake Sarah,” a river otter who takes on the shape of his girlfriend, Sarah. Fake Sarah criticizes Jared, explaining, “You're killing the world and you have the nerve to wonder why we hate you,” emphasizing that people are responsible for destroying the environment, and as such, magical beings and animals are turning on people in order to protect the environment. Later in the book, the river otters kidnap Jared and bring him to a cave. They explain that people are taking all the fish, and that “the rivers burn and taste like shit,” so humans are the only thing left to eat. The otters then bite off one of Jared’s toes and burn his flesh, which sends the message that humanity’s destruction of the natural world is so harmful that human beings themselves must be destroyed in order to counter it.

The book then suggests that humanity’s destruction of the environment is so severe that it will lead to a mass extinction event—one that will ultimately destroy human beings as well. At a party Jared attends, a girl who says she is a Selkie (a mythical being that can shapeshift between a seal and a human) says that Earth has reached the “Anthropocene.” This refers to the geological period in which human beings are the dominant influence on climate and the environment, which will inevitably cause mass extinction of both wildlife and humanity itself. This not only reinforces the idea that people are destroying the world, but that as a result, they might cause extinction even for themselves. Another chapter talks about the mass extinction events that wiped out the trilobites (a species of invertebrates) over 252 million years ago. The narrator relays that it happened when the trilobites were “going out for Starbucks before work,” and that they were blindsided by the end of their world, saying, “whoa, man. What the hell?” Attributing human behavior (like going to Starbucks) and speech (“What the hell?”) to the trilobites implies that people could be just as blindsided by a mass extinction even if they don’t stop destroying the environment.

Finally, the book connects this environmentalist message to Native culture when Sarah references Idle No More, a real-life movement started by First Nations people in Canada to fight against environmental degradation. Sarah describes how “Native people are rising up. We’re protesting the omnibus budget bills that are stomping all over the treaties and this oil company called Enbridge.” While many people are ignorant of their connection to nature and continue to pollute the planet, the Idle No More movement emphasizes how those who appreciate their connection to nature—particularly Native people—understand the importance of protecting it. And by referencing a real movement, the book emphasizes that this issue is anything but fictional and suggests that everyone needs to acknowledge their connection to nature and fight against environmental destruction.