Trickster

Medicine River presented many similarities to the book Green Grass Running Water, but unlike the book it identified with a larger audience. I think that the movie was more universal because it was easier to follow and it made the characters easier to relate to. The idea of a trickster was in both stories through coyote in the book and Harlen in the movie.  I found the importance of their deception in the plot very interesting because of the fact that western culture generally looks down on deception and lying.  In these films the trickster characters almost seem to be more important than anyone else because they are the ones who set all of the big events into motion.  The similarity between the female characters who want children but not husbands was also interesting. I think that this is a commentary not only on women being equals but on woman being sick of the problems the men they are surrounded with cause in their life. In Medicine River this it seemed to me that this conflict was resolved more clearly because she seemed to have a steady committed man in her life.  Both Medicine River and Green Grass Running Water contained interesting commentary on Native culture and ideals.