A trickster is a dishonest person who defrauds others by trickery (Merriam Webster). Trickster’s can also show some empathy for others, but for the most part are neutral characters who are just in it for themselves, and they rarely follow social norms. Bart Simpson, a ten-year-old kid from the popular television show, The Simpsons, perfectly fits the trickster archetype with his ability to easily trick people for his entertainment. Bart likes to prank call restaurants and harass teachers at his school for his enjoyment. The Trickster, from “The Trickster Myth of the Winnebago Indians,” also deceives people for his enjoyment. He plays tricks on kids, women, and even ducks just to get a good laugh. Bart Simpson fits the trickster archetype just like the Trickster from the Winnebago tribe in that he loves playing practical jokes and disregards human life for his entertainment, while also demonstrating empathy for people he cares about.
The Trickster and Bart Simpson both love playing practical jokes on others for their enjoyment, without considering the repercussions they cause. The Trickster likes to fart a lot so that everyone’s clothes near him blow off, so that he can see them naked. Even though this negatively affects everyone who had their clothes fly off, he does not care, due to the enjoyment he had when their clothes blew off. Furthermore, when the women took off their clothes, the Trickster would snatch the clothes and hide them in trees. He would play these practical jokes for his amusement, without understanding the repercussions and displeasures the people would feel. Bart Simpson also loves playing practical jokes on others for his enjoyment. One of the practical jokes Bart Simpson loves to do over in over again is prank call Moe’s Tavern, a nearby restaurant. Bart Simpson prank calls the restaurant because he does not care what repercussions this restaurant could have, do to his practical jokes. The Trickster and Bart Simpson play practical jokes to feel happy at other people’s expense.
The Trickster and Bart
The Trickster and Bart Simpson also disregard human life for his entertainment, due to them both lacking empathy. An example of this is that the Trickster rapes women for his pleasure. In addition, the Trickster kills children for fun. The father of the child tells the Trickster he “will die for this…” and that the Trickster “killed (his) children.”(10) This raw emotion speaks volumes to the harm the Trickster is doing, and the pain the father is in. The Trickster’s inability to view himself as the same as the women he rapes, and the children he kills, causes him to act inhumane and grotesque. Bart Simpson is a lot like the Trickster, in that he does horrendous things to humans for personal entertainment. In particular, Bart Simpson throws rocks at his teachers for fun. Both the Trickster and Bart Simpson disregard human life because they are incapable of feeling empathy most of the time.
On the contrary, the Trickster and Bart Simpson sometimes show empathy, specifically to people they cared about. After doing a lot of grotesque things, the Trickster decided to help out a nearby village, by “push(ing) the falls onto the land” out of the space where the people in the village wanted to live. (52) Bart Simpson also showed empathy, by writing on the chalkboard “WE’LL MISS YOU MRS.K” after his teacher had to take an abrupt leave of absence. These actions by both the Trickster and Bart Simpson prove that they both can empathize with people they care about.
To summarize, Bart Simpson fit the trickster archetype just like the Trickster from the Winnebago tribe in that he loves playing practical jokes and disregarding human life, but can show empathy for people he cares about. An example of this from the real world would be online trolls. Just like the trickster archetype, online trolls get a rise out of people, for their entertainment, but can sometimes show empathy towards others.