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Journal on Thomas King’s ‘A Coyote Columbus Story’

A Coyote Columbus story is a humorous account of Columbus as told through the eyes of a narrator in dialogues with a Coyote. On the surface, the story is an alternate account of Christopher Columbus discovery of the Americas and the Native Americans. The narrator says of the original story of Columbus discovering and conquering America was a myth told by a Coyote who cannot be trusted as most Coyotes tell twisted stories. The narrator describes Columbus and his men as explorers who do not even understand that they have discovered America as all they are keen on is finding China and items to sell back in Spain (King 124). All the characters in the story are portrayed as silly people with meaningless intentions as the Coyote’s only desire is to find people that can play ball with her. She is disappointed that Columbus and his men are only concerned with finding items they can sell back home.

The story is a direct attack on capitalism as it portrays the desire of modern capitalists to accumulate material items at all costs, which can turn such people into zombies with no appreciation for other aspects of life. The story also addresses the political sphere by challenging the readers to examine the validity of contemporary history, as it is commonly believed that Columbus discovered America and was a great explorer. Modern politics is compared to the Coyote as she represents the character of modern politicians who frequently lie to the public in order to gain support or votes. The story mocks contemporary history and challenges readers to question the discovery of the Americas and the way such history was recorded. The story is also an attack on the modern culture of the accumulation of physical assets.