"When the Legends Die"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how protagonist Thomas Black Bull comes full circle in Hal Borland's novel "When the Legends Die". It examines how as a Ute native from Colorado, Tom spends a large portion of his childhood in the wilderness, how he is tricked into returning to mainstream civilization and how, after spending years of his life in misery, Tom eventually returns to the woods at the end of the novel. It discusses how 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 and how, in many ways, the novel is about survival.

From the Paper:

"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 his ancestors. When his father dies in an avalanche, Tom is prepared to become a man and carry on the Ute ways of life. Even Tom's transition into adulthood is marked with Ute traditions. The burial of Black Bull and Tom's assuming the name Bear Brother are both in keeping with age-old Ute traditions. "

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