To begin with, one of the characters of the novel Kiss of the Fur Queen, written by Tomson Highway, who is known as Maggie Sees, is a form of the Trickster or Weesageechak in Cree. In other words, it is the mythological creature that “goes by many names and many guises” (Highway, 2005, p. 8). It does have a gender, and it should be expected to “trick” and deceive other characters with its speeches and actions.
In chapter 36 of the novel Kiss of the Fur Queen, Jeremiah, the protagonist of the novel, encounters the Trickster named Maggie Sees. She comes at the moment when Jeremiah has doubts about the path chosen. She says, “get over it, Alice. You ain’t got much time before that grand finale,” revealing that it is time for Jeremiah to act as if he does not want to die as any other ordinary man (Highway, 2005, p. 191). Weesageechak is not the antagonist, as, throughout the text, the readers are shown multiple times that the character is eccentric but not irrational or evil. As an example, Gabriel, the companion of Jeremiah, tells the story that Weesageechak killed the Weetigo as “Weetigo had to be killed because he ate people” (Highway, 2005, p. 105). It shows that the Trickster tends to help human beings, although its intentions are unclear.
It is possible to state that the author exploits Maggie Sees as the force that helps the story to develop. Weesageechak fixes the problematic points in the story plot and pushes heroes towards their goals. The encounter of Jeremiah with Maggie Sees is the pivot moment due to bringing the hero closer to the understanding of his path, which helps to develop the second part of the novel.
Reference
Highway, T. (2005). Kiss of the fur queen. Toronto: Anchor Canada.