A Critical Analysis of Eden Robinson's Son of a Trickster: Essay

This essay provides a comprehensive analysis of Eden Robinson's novel, 'Son of a Trickster'. It delves into the character of Jared, a teenage boy navigating a challenging life, including his family dynamics, struggles with substance use, and connections to his Indigenous heritage. The essay examines the novel's themes of identity, family, and the interplay of reality and the supernatural, referencing key passages that highlight these elements. It also explores the author's writing style, the contrasting elements of the story, and the novel's portrayal of First Nation communities, while including critical perspectives from various sources. The analysis emphasizes the novel's ability to blend realism with elements of magical realism, offering a nuanced understanding of its characters and themes. The essay also touches on the novel's critical reception and its impact on the reader, highlighting its engaging narrative and thought-provoking content.

Eden Robinson’s “Son of a Trickster” is a novel about a sixteen year old boy called Jared,
who is an example of a typical burnout lad of the neighbourhood and high school. He is into
everything that an ideal kid should not be. He is into over drinking, smoking, selling of weed
cookies at school. But, at the same time he is a generous kid of the society who has an
impulsive nature of compassion for aged people who needs help. He has a mother whom he
can’t rely on for support, or his dad. Jared also has a maternal grandmother who dislikes him
to the core, and calls him the “son of a trickster”. However, Jared struggles to keep his family
floating and thinks of bringing stability to it one day.
The passage in page ............ where the
“Close your eyes. Concentrate on your breath. Remember that you were not always
earthbound. Every living creature, every drop of water and every sombre mountain is the by-
blow of some bloated, dying star. Deep down, we remember wriggling through the universe
as beams of light.” –
shows the connection of Jared with the aboriginal belief system and the real world. In the
story, the reader is shown the dilemma of a logical mind when Jared thinks that the things
that he gets to see or hear is the effect of weed and not real. He thinks those are
hallucinations. In spite of critics saying that Eden Robinson’s book is rooted in reality and
with violence and abuse, the reader gets to see that there are lines like the above as well in her
novel. She combines the two opposites like warmth and grit and creates a flawless flow of
ideas. The author takes her reader through a lot of emotions while reading (Dobson).
Sometimes the reader laughs, next in the few pages distraught and suddenly is awed by the
spectacles of the universe. At other times, the reader perceives the aching reality of the First
Nation and the next moment the story takes a hilarious turn. The contrast character of Jared
himself is an art in its own right. He is portrayed as a teenage disaster, with a battered family
life and at the same time he loves to help the aged community and gets close to animals. He is
a normal boy and at the same time, his grandma sees a streak of trickster within him.
The passage mentioned above is also a sign of the contrast that is woven so articulately in the
novel. The novel is explicit in nature with violence and ruthless abusive words, but it also
reveals the deep, thoughtful meanings of life and the world around through passages like the
above. The diminishing barriers between the world of Jared and the enchanting world that he
comes across is explained through quantum physics by throwing light on magic and altered
consciousness. The occasional burst of scientific knowledge is essential for the readers to
create an understanding of those who needs to be persuaded about the presence of ultra-
dimensional entities in the universe and is a natural feature of the same. The passage in
someway alludes to the matter of life and death and the passing of the soul through the
universe and being a constant entity, in spite of changes in the bodily appearances (Rose).
The novel has been rated by many critics as a page turner and entertaining, but it presents the
First Nation people and society in a very negative light. However, Eden Robinson being a
First Nation person herself knows the society, the nature of people and the livelihood of the
people at a deeper level. Thus, her presentation of the society is very vivid and exudes
originality in every page.

Bibliography
Dobson, Kit. “Book Review of Eden Robinson's Son of a Trickster.” Journal of Education
(2018).
Rose, Hilary A. “Son of a Trickster.” Journal of Family Theory & Review (2018).