Faith in Farts

Native American Indians are famous for telling legendary folktales. Story telling was an elaborate way for elders to pass on religious beliefs to their tribes. Trickster eats the laxative bulb, is a story about a Trickster who defies nature by challenging a talking plant that ensures him that he will defecate. The story's character is a head-strong egomaniac that is full of vulgar farts and huge dung piles to attract the attention of a teenage audience. Richard Dieterle retells the Trickster story to allow the coming of age reader to discover the truth about the power of faith.
Trickster is a character who does unimaginable, unthinkable stunts to prove that he is "a great one". While walking through the woods a plant claims that "if you eat me you will defecate", foolish Trickster eats this bulb and continues "merrily on his way". He laughs aloud and recalls the pledge of the small plant and says "I'll defecate when I feel like it". Continuing through the woods, Trickster "expels a bit of gas", and reminds himself that "even a great one like" himself has gas "every now and again". He continues on his journey when he begins "to break wind over and over again" until "his rectum is nearly ripped". Pride full and proud the Trickster considers these farts to be great like himself.
Trickster soon realizes that the plant he eats has power over his farts, and with an angry tone he duels with the plant in his belly. He enjoys the challenge and with each fart, they become stronger and stronger. Trickster destroys logs, trees and even a small village with his powerful butt winds. This makes him "laugh until his sides hurt" and he cheerfully walks away from the destroyed ruins of his nature walk.
Trickster basks in his arrogance remembering the promises of the bulb and smiles gleefully as he has not had the urge to defecate. No sooner than the thought escapes him, he begins to feel his belly rumble and squats a "dung pile so high that it touched his body". Trickster climbs the tree and with each new height his excrement follows him. Now at the top of the tree, Trickster has no place to go, he slips and lands in the middle of his own crap. He is covered head to toe and stumbles about looking for water.
Trickster is unable to see and relies on the help of four tree spirits to get him to the lake to wash off. In the lake he rejoices as he washes off the dried dung. "Had not the trees helped him, he would surely have died".
Dieterle retells this story to the adolescents of today to reveal that relying on sight alone will destroy the things around you but when you guide yourself with the power of faith you will be cleaned. In this story, adolescents of today can relate to Trickster with his know-it-all attitude. Trickster thought of himself as "a great one", but really was nothing great without the help of the unseen guidance of the tree spirits. Richard Dieterle clearly reveals to readers that this attitude leads to destruction and with the power of faith in the unseen things around you, you will be guided to the purity and freshness of a second chance.