Wile E. Coyote turned 52 last September and remains as central to the
essence of man as he was when he debuted in 1949's "Fast and Furry-ous".
One sees the basest aspects of humanity, as well as the most inspired, in
his multi-faceted character. Called the "great American anti-hero" by
Warner Bros., he symbolizes the unchanging consistency that has led the
greatest geniuses of our time, and of all times, to their heights and to
their graves. Everyone, even mere mortals like us, has their own
infuriating, elusive Roadrunner, but few have the courage to keep after it
and make it into the history books. Wile E. Coyote is one of those brave
souls..
Physically, he is not a particularly handsome coyote, but the way he carries himself tells you a lot. There is genius, plotting and dastardly cunning in that arrogant swagger, but there is also a certain naïveté about the way the world works. Mother Nature, that supreme Newtonian fascist, seems intent on oppressing him. Gravity, for one, is a wall into which the coyote repeatedly batters himself, always in vain. Bloody, bruised and tattered, he always returns for another round, oblivious to the painful consequences of his actions. It is interesting to note that all his injuries are self-inflicted; how many men and women have killed themselves in agonizing, hot pursuit of their dreams? This vision and determination, this complete lack of self-regard, evidenced so clearly in people and myths like Marie Curie and Jesus Christ, are some of humanity's few redeeming values.
Wile's eyes are filled with a rabid madness, an unmatched genius that he channels into his one and only goal – catching the Roadrunner. His motivation, at first, is fairly obvious. He is, after all, a predatory animal, instinctually tracking down his prey. It is not long, however, before his desire to sate his appetite evolves into a quest to salvage his dignity. Suffering defeat after humiliating defeat, he loses all sense of purpose in his relentless drive for the Roadrunner. The sheer desperation with which he chases his target is very familiar to the ambitious: Hitler, for one, would certainly identify with the frenetic pace of Wile's life. Stopping anywhere short of total domination is not even an option.
In a wider philosophical sense, the coyote's relentless chase is doomed to go on forever. He simply cannot catch the Roadrunner, like the pining Romantic poet unable to return to nature, like Stalin unable to cure his paranoia, like Gandhi unable to solve India's problems. It is very fitting that the one time Wile catches his prey, he is only three inches tall and unable to tear into the soft, inviting flesh of the bird. That incident is analogous to Napoleon's brilliant conquest of Europe. By the time he was exiled to Elba, he realized that he was a little on the short side to be able to rule the whole world as one empire.
The 21st century man makes his appearance too, in Wile E. Coyote's helpless dependence on technology, and his blind brand loyalty. He is truly the dream consumer of modern corporations – his unerring faith in the utility of ACME products, which always fail him, would be a godsend for companies like Microsoft and General Motors. One theme that runs through all the Roadrunner cartoons is a Romantic one, that of technology versus nature. The coyote, equipped with all the latest, sophisticated gadgetry on the market, can never beat the organic, all-natural Roadrunner. Time and time again, nature is proved superior but Wile adamantly returns to the mailbox to await next month's ACME catalogue. This unshakeable conviction is evident in today's society, so dependent upon TVs, computers, mobile phones and, of course, the Cruise missile. This aspect of the coyote offers a powerful but frightening glimpse into an ominous future, where technology displaces and replaces religion.
One moment in the Roadrunner cartoons I still treasure is when the coyote chases his quarry over a cliff and runs several feet on air. Slowing down, he takes a look at the scenery beneath his feet and then, as the last of his belief dies, he plummets to the bottom of the canyon. I can imagine the expression on his face on Napoleon Bonaparte's face, as he marches into Moscow, left in flames by the czar's troops, and on John Keats' face, when he realizes the immutable song of the nightingale is forever out of his reach. I find it interesting that the coyote, and, by extension, all of us, can defy any law of nature as long as they have faith in it. Gravity is utterly meaningless if I refuse to believe in it. The fall begins when this denial starts to falter and give way to what materialists, objectivists and realists would call the "truth".
So what is this coyote's saving grace, the one thing that redeems his (and, consequently, our) humanity? His raw, rugged, gritty determination. If one theme can be drawn throughout all of human history, it is the theme of testicular fortitude. All wars are little more than contests of willpower. In times of revolution, the resilient, the strong and the charismatic shall rise; it is sad, though, that the resilient, strong, charismatic man is so often a wicked one, touched by the extraordinary genius of insanity. Douglas MacArthur and Adolf Hitler, to name but two men, were the smartest fanatics around, loose cannons in the worst and best senses of the word. All of these fascinating nuggets, crystallized moments in history, are clearly discernible in the mind of Wile E. Coyote.
Physically, he is not a particularly handsome coyote, but the way he carries himself tells you a lot. There is genius, plotting and dastardly cunning in that arrogant swagger, but there is also a certain naïveté about the way the world works. Mother Nature, that supreme Newtonian fascist, seems intent on oppressing him. Gravity, for one, is a wall into which the coyote repeatedly batters himself, always in vain. Bloody, bruised and tattered, he always returns for another round, oblivious to the painful consequences of his actions. It is interesting to note that all his injuries are self-inflicted; how many men and women have killed themselves in agonizing, hot pursuit of their dreams? This vision and determination, this complete lack of self-regard, evidenced so clearly in people and myths like Marie Curie and Jesus Christ, are some of humanity's few redeeming values.
Wile's eyes are filled with a rabid madness, an unmatched genius that he channels into his one and only goal – catching the Roadrunner. His motivation, at first, is fairly obvious. He is, after all, a predatory animal, instinctually tracking down his prey. It is not long, however, before his desire to sate his appetite evolves into a quest to salvage his dignity. Suffering defeat after humiliating defeat, he loses all sense of purpose in his relentless drive for the Roadrunner. The sheer desperation with which he chases his target is very familiar to the ambitious: Hitler, for one, would certainly identify with the frenetic pace of Wile's life. Stopping anywhere short of total domination is not even an option.
In a wider philosophical sense, the coyote's relentless chase is doomed to go on forever. He simply cannot catch the Roadrunner, like the pining Romantic poet unable to return to nature, like Stalin unable to cure his paranoia, like Gandhi unable to solve India's problems. It is very fitting that the one time Wile catches his prey, he is only three inches tall and unable to tear into the soft, inviting flesh of the bird. That incident is analogous to Napoleon's brilliant conquest of Europe. By the time he was exiled to Elba, he realized that he was a little on the short side to be able to rule the whole world as one empire.
The 21st century man makes his appearance too, in Wile E. Coyote's helpless dependence on technology, and his blind brand loyalty. He is truly the dream consumer of modern corporations – his unerring faith in the utility of ACME products, which always fail him, would be a godsend for companies like Microsoft and General Motors. One theme that runs through all the Roadrunner cartoons is a Romantic one, that of technology versus nature. The coyote, equipped with all the latest, sophisticated gadgetry on the market, can never beat the organic, all-natural Roadrunner. Time and time again, nature is proved superior but Wile adamantly returns to the mailbox to await next month's ACME catalogue. This unshakeable conviction is evident in today's society, so dependent upon TVs, computers, mobile phones and, of course, the Cruise missile. This aspect of the coyote offers a powerful but frightening glimpse into an ominous future, where technology displaces and replaces religion.
One moment in the Roadrunner cartoons I still treasure is when the coyote chases his quarry over a cliff and runs several feet on air. Slowing down, he takes a look at the scenery beneath his feet and then, as the last of his belief dies, he plummets to the bottom of the canyon. I can imagine the expression on his face on Napoleon Bonaparte's face, as he marches into Moscow, left in flames by the czar's troops, and on John Keats' face, when he realizes the immutable song of the nightingale is forever out of his reach. I find it interesting that the coyote, and, by extension, all of us, can defy any law of nature as long as they have faith in it. Gravity is utterly meaningless if I refuse to believe in it. The fall begins when this denial starts to falter and give way to what materialists, objectivists and realists would call the "truth".
So what is this coyote's saving grace, the one thing that redeems his (and, consequently, our) humanity? His raw, rugged, gritty determination. If one theme can be drawn throughout all of human history, it is the theme of testicular fortitude. All wars are little more than contests of willpower. In times of revolution, the resilient, the strong and the charismatic shall rise; it is sad, though, that the resilient, strong, charismatic man is so often a wicked one, touched by the extraordinary genius of insanity. Douglas MacArthur and Adolf Hitler, to name but two men, were the smartest fanatics around, loose cannons in the worst and best senses of the word. All of these fascinating nuggets, crystallized moments in history, are clearly discernible in the mind of Wile E. Coyote.