When Legends Die
Protagonist Thomas Black Bull comes full circle in Hal Borland's novel When the Legends Die. A Ute native from Colorado, Tom spends a large portion of his childhood in the wilderness, where he befriends a bear cub and assumes the name "Bear's Brother." His affinity for nature is encouraged by his family, who fled their hometown Pagosa because Tom's father George Black Bull killed Frank No Deer. Learning and living the old Ute ways in the woods brings Tom in tough with his true self. However, Tom is tricked into returning to mainstream civilization. Spending years of his life in misery, Tom eventually returns to the woods at the end of the novel. The peace he feels in the woods is especially profound compared with his struggles in the modernized world and therefore, the old Ute ways clearly offer a better way of life for Tom.After spending many years on the Ute reserve, Tom and his family take some time to adapt back to the old ways. They rely only on a bow and arrow to go hunting. They learn how to preserve meats to store for the long winter. The family seeks an ideal site on which to build a winter cabin and teach Tom the old ways. After several years Tom grows into a traditional Ute boy and knows little else but the ways of hi
Thus in spite of losing his father and being isolated from other people, Tom grows up a strong, self-assured, confident boy. In fact, he deals with the death of his mother with grace, as if he were a mature man and not an adolescent. Blue Elk symbolizes the consequences of that conversion. They destroy Tom's spirit in the process even though like Tom, they are Ute too. Tom learns all about the old Ute ways during his childhood and directly from his parents. The burial of Black Bull and Tom's assuming the name Bear Brother are both in keeping with age-old Ute traditions. Also, Tom brings his best friend the bear cub with him. His work at the rodeo symbolizes Tom's own life: he has been tortured and reigned in while being used as a tool of society. During this time, Tom loses himself. Instead of learning from Tom and listening to his point of view, the townspeople try and twist Tom into being more like them. When Tom asks if he can bring the old Ute ways back to the community, Blue Elk refuses for no apparent reason other than he feels the old ways are irrelevant and dead. However, Blue Elk has become brainwashed and is convinced that letting go of the Ute traditions is the best way to survive in the modern world. When his father dies in an avalanche, Tom is prepared to become a man and carry on the Ute ways of life. The old ways are better than the new ways for Tom because they teach Tom how best to survive and stay physically and mentally healthy.
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Acceptance Essays
