Ever since Coyote closed the door the spirits of the dead have wandered over the earth, trying to find some place to go, until at last they find the road to spirit land.
This line shows how myths explain natural and emotional realities — in this case, grief and the unknown after death. The story uses the wandering spirits to make sense of human sorrow and the mystery of where souls go. It’s both poetic and tragic.
Coyote jumped up and said that people ought to die forever because there was not enough food or room for everyone to live forever.
This moment echoes Lewis Hyde’s idea of the trickster as a boundary-breaker. Like Coyote, he challenges the community’s decision and insists that death should be permanent. In doing so, he breaks the social and moral order that values life and rebirth. Although his actions appear selfish and cruel, they ultimately reshape the natural balance, showing how tricksters bring transformation through chaos and contradiction.
When at last he heard the whirlwind coming he closed the door before the whirlwind could enter.
I wonder why Coyote decided to close the door. Did he truly believe this would help the world, or was it pure jealousy and anger because his idea was rejected? This makes me think about how tricksters often act out of emotion, not reason.