Briar Patch

In the book Talk That Talk by Linda Goss and Marian E. Barnes, there is a short story that deals with lying called “Briar Patch”. This story is about Brer Rabbit getting away with lying. I believe the main character is Brer Fox and the antagonist is Brer Rabbit. Two reasons why I enjoyed this short story was because of the humor and sarcasm along with the thoughtfulness of the characters behavior.

Reading short stories can teach one lessons. In “Briar Patch”, I learned that if someone lies they will eventually get caught and the consequence will be worse than telling the truth. Another lesson that I learned was, if someone lies once they will lie again. These two lessons were taught in the short story by Brer Rabbit’s behavior. At first when Brer Fox asked Brer Rabbit a question, he lied and the lies started pilling up. Brer Rabbit got caught in a mess with his own lies and finally the truth came out that he was the one that stole the butter. That is why it to not good to lie.

Trickster stories are fun to read because they cause excitement, luckily this story happens to be one. The trickster is Brer Rabbit. It all starts with one simply lie. Brer Rabbit wanted to eat the butter but he didn’t want to tell Brer Fox, so he tells him that he needs to go home because his wife is about to give birth. That was a lie because Brer Rabbit’s wife was no due. When Brer Rabbit comes back, finished with the butter, Brer Fox asks him how the delivery went and what he named his son, Brer Rabbit answered, “His name Lickbottom”. Brer Rabbit was lying because he did not have a son. When it is time for dinner, Brer Fox realizes the butter is gone and therefore asks who stole it. Brer Rabbit did not confess once again making him a liar. At the end Brer Fox finds out that it was Brer Rabbit who ate it because he was put next to flames and butter started melting from him. Brer Fox decides that he will throw him into the Briar Patch so that the owner can kill him. The funny thing was that Brer Rabbit had tricked them all because he was born and raised in a Briar Patch.

The story quickly unfolds that Brer Rabbit is assigned to be the trickster. Rabbits are often portrayed to be the tricksters of the story because they are quick and smart. In the story Brer Rabbit was quick when thinking of lies and making sure he did not make things obvious that he was telling a lie. I find it fascinating how one white lie over wanting to eat butter can go as far as getting someone killed. Then again, Brer Rabbit knew what he was getting into and therefore did not get caught.