What are the major differences or similarities between the ethos of the creation story you are familiar with and the story King tells in “The Truth About Stories” ?
King tells two creation stories in The Truth About Stories, since his second story is the biblical version ( the story I am familiar with) I will focus on his first story – A nosy woman.
A Casual Paraphrase….
His story is about a woman called Charm who is very curious. As she goes about her day, she encounters things (toes, moose etc) and is told she shouldn’t be so curious. There is no apparent ‘consequence’ to her curiosity, until she meets badger who tells her to not dig too deep and to not blame him if she makes a mistake. Charm, of course, does dig too deep and falls through the sky. She lands in the ocean where she meets a bunch of animals who try and figure out what to do with her. She asked them if they can get her some mud, and so otter dives down to the bottom of the ocean and brings up some. Charm then creates land, and some animals live on it with her. She then births her twins, who go around the earth creating trees, mountains, water falls, valleys and, finally, humans.
Similarities and Differences between the Ethos of the Two Stories
So, the creation story that I grew up with and still hold to be true is the Christian story of Creation. I shall be comparing the story of Charm to it. I believe that the creation story is in fact of a Hebrew Poetry genre and so that opens up my analysis for some metaphorical and not strictly literal interpretation (this is a funny video that always comes to mind when I say literal or literally…). Although I do believe in a God who could easily create a world in 7 days, 1 hour, 1 sec (you catch my drift) I think that the authors of Genesis wanted us to experience the awe-some-ness of creation rather than the technicalities.
What I found interesting about these two experiences of a creation narrative is how the story of Charm already has animals (who talk!!!!!) in existence before land and vegetation, whereas the Christian story is a play-by-play of how everything in this world builds on each other. When it comes to the experience with an animal before each character’s fall, we have a snake who tempts Eve and Adam and we have the badger who warns Charm.
When we compare the consequences we see that Charm literally falls, whereas Eve and Adam spiritually fall. Additionally, Charm’s story continues with the creation of the earth coming from her fall, whereas Adam and Eve’s story ends and the biblical narrative of the redemption of humankind begins. Charms curiosity can be parallel to the tree in the garden, but instead of it being a rule and a sign of man’s freewill, animals just tell her that she shouldn’t be curious.
It is amazing how these two narratives, although quite different, share the similar principle that the rejection of the rules set out to make us thrive have consequences – big or small.
So reader, what do you think?
Works Cited
“Genesis 1 Is Hebrew Poetry.” YouTube. YouTube, 6 Dec. 2013. Web. 09 Mar. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnerB4Wwk_Y>.
“Key & Peele – You Can Do Anything.” YouTube. YouTube, 26 Sept. 2012. Web. 09 Mar. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlD9JYP8u5E>.
King, Thomas. The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative. Peterbough:Anansi Press. 2003. Print.
Hi Susie,
I’m glad I came to see your take on this question! You pointed out some similarities that I never considered while writing my response to this question. You bring up here (and in the response to my blog), that Genesis is Hebrew Poetry. This is actually the first time I have heard of it put that way before and that video is quite interesting in the way it breaks down the text. For me I see the creation story of the Bible is just a simplified version of Gods process so that we may understand it no matter what age or religious background. As a child I took the story at face value, believing that everything was created in a week and that Adam and Eve were really the first two people. Now I believe many stories in the Bible to be metaphorical. I find it hard to believe just one story to be true when there are several versions in the bible and many religions around the world who believe their story to be true. So how do we know ours is the right one and that the Bible is indeed ‘fact’? I think, however, that many religions have the same values and all share the common element of an all powerful God. That’s where Charm comes in. As you pointed out these two stories share many of the same principles, so what really matters? The actual story or what it teaches us?
Sarah C.
Hi Sarah,
I think your response brings up a key answer and that “Faith”. You ask how can we know what story is true, and the answer is that we never will be able to know, however, ONE of them has to be the “true” one because, by simply logic in my opinion, having multiple ‘true’ stories renders them all un-true.. make sense? I know that it is not a satisfying answer, but I don’t think it needs to be – sometimes the answer is what it is ahha 🙂
Thanks for the feedback!
Susie
Hi Susie!
I really like how you demonstrate the literal and figurative aspects of each story. I also posted on the same question but didn’t fully recognize the differences in the literal and figurative meanings. I did see the difference in the fact that Charm did have talking animals with her along her journey, before the land was created. Does that mean that King’s creation story rests upon the creation of the land and not of the living creatures? Unlike the Christian creation story, where as you noted God creates the Earth in seven days, Charm already has the animals helping her along her way even before the notion of land is created. I think this puts an emphasis on the importance of animals and help in King’s story, as Charm is helped by the animals to create land. In the Genesis version, God is the creator of all that is on Earth. I find that King wants the reader to understand the importance of helping others, while not by creating land necessarily, but by doing so in any means. Like you stated, each creation story has the same basic principles and morals, which makes them each true and valid in their own way. With so many creation stories in the world, I think it is amazing that we got to learn about the story of Charm as well 🙂
Hi Alexandra,
I think your question answers itself – basically yes, I would say that Charm’s creation story is about how the earth was made, which I think ties in nicely with the ‘earthy’ feel to the aboriginal culture! I don’t think that because they share similarities that that makes them both true. I, personally, struggle with the idea of believing in multiple creation stories and I think that by doing so you render them false? Yes that makes me sound rather black and white…. We all know the earth was created, or came into being, so we can agree on that – but how exactly? I think that that is where we all have our stories and what we choose to believe happened!
Thanks for the comment!
Susie
Hi Susie and Alexandra and Sarah –
Here is something to consider; Charm’s story is also metaphorical, and not literal. The awe-some-ness in Charm’s story, is how everything is created through co-operation and then balance. In the story of Genisis a single authoritative god creates all and makes the rules. In the story of Charm, everything is created when all the water animals co-operate and work together in an effort to fulfill Charm’s needs – she is about to give birth; which is the act of pro-creation.
Both stories are metaphorical. The differences in ethos are found in the differences between the “awesomeness” of a single powerful force and the “awesomeness” of a co-operative force. Simply put, one story asks us to believe in the power of divine authority, the other story asks us to believe in the power of co-operation.
And then there are the twins; who do not co-operate as they create the earth; but rather, what do they do? They balance each other. So, the world is created through co-operation in the act of pro-creation and then completed through acts of balance. Metaphorically, Charm’s story is about the power of co-operation and balance.
I am a little confused with your final sentence here:
It is amazing how these two narratives, although quite different, share the similar principle that the rejection of the rules set out to make us thrive have consequences – big or small
Hmmmm, so you see Charm’s fall as a resulting from her breaking a rule? Consider the differences between a supreme being who has created everything all by himself, telling you not to eat the fruit of knowledge, and a badger warning you’ll fall though if you are too curious?
Thanks for another great blog.