"Tricksters serve several important psychological functions. They cut big egos down to size, and bring heroes and audiences down to earth. By provoking healthy laughter they help us realize our common bonds, and they point out folly and hypocrisy. Above all, they bring about healthy change and transformation, often by drawing attention to the imbalance or absurdity of a stagnant psychological situation. They are the natural enemies of the status quo" (Vogler 77).

When I think of tricksters, I think of Hoggle from Labyrinth, The Big Bad Wolf, Pennywise the clown from Stephen King's It, The Riddler, leprechauns, and the Joker from your average deck of playing cards. The Trickster may take many forms, such as Jack Dawkins (better known as The Artful Dodger) in Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist, or Satan himself masquerading as a serpent in the Bible's Garden of Eden.

Tricksters ... well, tricksters trick. They may be smaller, slighter, and less physically inclined, but the Trickster uses his superior cunning and adaptability to triumph over his opponent. He's the penniless pauper who wins the princess's hand after using his intellect to solve the riddle no one else was able to decipher. She's the buffoonish sidekick who contributes her own special brand of comic relief (and a large dose of reality) to the storyline (Molly Shannon as Eve in Serendipity, for example). "Tricksters are often catalyst characters, who affect the lives of others but are unchanged themselves" (Vogler 79).

Who's your favorite Trickster? How does he or she move the story forward by effecting change on those around him or her? Respond with your thoughts and I'll share them in next month's newsletter.


I hope you've enjoyed this series about archetypes and found the articles helpful. Thank you for reading.



"The Trickster archetype embodies the energies of mischief and desire for change. All the characters in stories who are primarily clowns or comical sidekicks express this archetype" (Vogler 77).