Master Cat Character Analysis

Trickster tales were told throughout the ages by different cultures to bring light to dark times. A trickster is a clever animal or person who ploys against other characters in a tale. The trickster tales of, “How Stories Came to Earth,” “Coyote Steals Fire,” and “Master Cat: Puss in Boots” all share the commonality of cunning schemes; however, “How Stories Came to Earth” and “Coyote Steals Fire” have beneficial outcomes, while “Master Cat: Puss in Boots” has a destructive outcome for the other creatures in the story, also “How Stories Came to Earth” and “Master Cat: Puss in Boots” have characters that are considered insignificant, while “Coyote Steals Fire” has a superior protagonist.

In the trickster tale “How Stories Came to Earth,” retold

Master Cat devises plans that will keep him alive and his master happy. He does not have a care for the other animals, and does what he wants to achieve his goals. First, the cat kills animals to obtain good humor with the king. Therefore he devises a plan to catch the rabbits. Once the rabbits are in his pouch, the cat “pulled the strings in a flash, grabbed the bag, and without feeling the least pity for his prey, killed it” (Perrault 48). Since the cat kills animals for his benefit only, it is a destructive and death ridden outcome. Another example of a destructive outcome is when the cat forces others to say their property belongs to the cat’s master. The cat instructs, “If you do not say the fields you are mowing belong to the Marquis de Carabas, each and everyone of you will be cut into little pieces until you look like chopped meat!” (Perrault 49). This is a selfish act, and a destructive outcome. The cat forces the workers to lie to the king, which only benefits the Marquis and the cat. In this trickster tale, the cat performs schemes such as lying and killing, that are destructive and