25 pages • 50 minutes read
Iroquois Creation MythThe World on Turtle's Back
Fiction | Short Story | YA | Published in 1816A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Literary Devices
Allusion
An allusion is a reference to a well-known person, historical event, artistic work, etc. Creation stories often share similar elements without overt allusions; the culture that produced a given cosmogony might not even be aware of the existence of one with a similar creation myth. However, Cusick’s version of the Haudenosaunee creation story postdates the introduction of many Indigenous Americans to Christian stories and ideas, making explicit references more likely. In fact, Cusick’s own Christianity is evident at several points in the text—most notably, the description of Enigorio breathing a soul into the “nostrils” of the first man and woman, which directly parallels the Genesis account of God creating Adam. There are also several suggestive phrasings, including the reference to humans with “knowledge of good and evil” (20); in the Old Testament Bible, Adam and Eve are forbidden from eating from the “tree of knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9), and their defiance of this rule results in their expulsion from Eden. Cusick’s adoption of the phrase seems to locate humanity’s propensity for evil—a result of their fall, in Christianity—in their partial creation by Enigonhahetgea. Enigorio’s desire to “create a great light in the dark world” may also be an allusion, as it recalls Matthew 4:16: “The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,” a reference to Jesus. Such allusions likely reflect an effort to reconcile Christian teachings with Haudenosaunee cultural heritage.
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism involves giving human characteristics and behaviors to nonhuman entities. It is related to personification, but more extensive: Where personification figuratively ascribes human traits to animals, objects, ideas, etc., anthropomorphism creates nonhuman characters who think and act like people. Animals are often the subject of anthropomorphism, as they are in this story. When the underwater creatures learn that the woman will soon fall into their world, they are “alarmed” and gather where they predict she will land. This indicates the animals are communicating in an organized manner; they hold a meeting at a certain time and in a certain location. They then divvy up tasks in preparation for the woman’s arrival, as they want “to secure the woman from the terrors of the great water” (19). This suggests a high degree of empathy, as they are concerned about how the woman will survive and function in such a dangerous and unfamiliar location. The turtle eventually volunteers “to endure her lasting weight” (19)—a phrase indicating that the turtle understands the importance of the task and the degree of commitment it requires. Taken together, the use of anthropomorphism speaks to the Haudenosaunee’s respect for nature and humanity’s place within it; the animals are agents on par with any of the human characters, whom they play a vital role in (literally) supporting.
Hyperbole
Hyperbole means to exaggerate—to describe something as more than it actually is—and it colors the fight scene at the conclusion of the story. The first indication of hyperbole is that the fight “lasted for two days” (21); it is difficult to believe that two men actively fight for 48 hours without stopping to eat, sleep, etc. The next example of exaggeration is the devastation of the surrounding ground: The contest results in “pulling up the trees and mountains as the track of a terrible whirlwind” (21). Enigorio and Enigonhahetgea are clearly not “normal” humans, as they have creative powers more akin to those of gods. Nevertheless, the exaggerated scale of their showdown suggests its importance as a clash between good and evil. The battle also warns against fighting, which not only destroys lives but the environment for which one is fighting.
Dichotomy
A dichotomy is a division between two opposing ideas or forces, often mapped onto characters, settings, motifs, etc. “The World on Turtle’s Back” revolves around a number of dichotomies, beginning with the upper and lower worlds, which are opposites not only spatially but in their relationship to light: One is bright and one is dark. There is also an implied dichotomy between the upper world as a realm of people (and presumably society) and the lower world as a realm of “monsters”—beings who are not malevolent but are likely wilder than anything that exists in the upper world. The entry of a woman from the upper realm into the lower realm troubles this dichotomy, perhaps suggesting that our own world (which arises from her descent) is an amalgamation of the two.
The birth of the brothers establishes the framework for further dichotomies, particularly because they are twins: equal but ultimately opposing forces. The two embody various pairs of opposites, including order versus chaos and The Nature of Good and Evil, and their differences fuel the story’s major conflict. Enigonhahetgea continually attempts to perform the same acts of creation as his brother, only he twists the original concept to evil ends. Each time Enigorio brings something beautiful into the world, Enigonhahetgea, in parallel fashion, brings about something harmful and scary. These dangerous creations must then be overseen and modified by Enigorio, who is constantly attempting to restore peace and tranquility.
