Little Rabbit and Mr Punch

Yet on second thought, the sheer brutality of the Little Rabbit’s exploits separate it well from the other tales contained within the American Indian tradition. I’m curious what the influence of white settlers was on these tales, because the character Little Rabbit reminds me most of is an undoubtedly anglicized one: Mr. Punch.

Mr Punch was an anarchic, sadistic clown, popular in turn of the century British puppet shows. Through the course of each puppet show, which followed a rough formula, Punch would kill his way across the power system of England, eventually slaughtering the Devil and freeing all men to "do whatever they like." This stands in contrast to Rabbit's conclusion at the end of his story that "it seems like killing is not the answer," but until that point, both stories take a similar near-glee towards death.


Mr Punch opens his story in charge of the family baby. Warned not to let it cry, he decides to preemptively bash its head against the floor. Of course, the baby lets loose a ferocious howl, so Punch continues bashing it until it is silent, finally throwing the infant onto the ground. Of course, his wife Judy appears and is horrified, so Punch bashes her to death, too. From here, a cycle of grim slapstick continues, with Punch killing a village constable, a judge, a hangman, and, in the form of a ghost, his own conscience. Finally, he kills the Devil and sets all men free.

 

The first part of a traditional Punch and Judy show.

Perhaps the only real difference between "Little Rabbit Fights the Sun" and a Mr Punch show is the target at the end. Rabbit is attempting to kill the sun, a beneficent presence in the world. However, Punch kills the Devil, a force of oppression and darkness for men. Both Punch's and Rabbit's actions result in chaotic anarchy, but the cackling Mr Punch removes oppression and social restraint rather than the light and goodness represented by the sun. On a base level, the two characters are not so dissimilar at all.