Cartoon Theories

× Road Runner ×

Wile E. Coyote is in hell.

Wile E. is stuck in a blasted, scorched desert landscape eternally taunted by his heart's desire being always present, but always out of reach.

In Greek mythology Tantalus was tormented in Tartarus by being placed in a river that would recede whenever he stooped to drink, and below branches with fruit that would rise whenever he reached up.

Tantalus never had to deal with being rocketed into a cliff face, or having the fruit branch bleat out a heartless “meep meep” before leaving his grasp.

Wile is clearly condemned to an eternal cycle of desire/false hope/brutally painful disappointment by cold, uncaring forces (those at Warner Bros.).

Since Wile E is clearly a sinner in the hands of angry gods, it makes sense to ask the question: what horrible crime did that canine commit in life to warrant this punishment?

There are two reasonable answers to be drawn from comparative mythology.

The more obvious is that he was some form of glutton, and that this torment is meant as cosmic irony.

This helps explain his emaciated frame, as well as his obsessive fixation on this one source of food instead of saying “Screw it, I'm getting Taco Bell.”

The more interesting explanation comes from the synthesis of another Greek myth about horrible, eternal torture, and a Northwestern American Indian myth. Prometheus stole fire from Mount Olympus and gave it to mortal man, and in return the gods chained him to a mountain and had an eagle rip his liver out ever day, only to have it magically restored in order to be ripped out again.

In Karuk Native American mythology it was Coyote who stole fire from the mountain top.

Mash these two myths together, do a shot of Old Crow, and squint real hard and you get: [Wile E.] Coyote stole fire from the gods and is therefore eternally tormented by a bird [roadrunner, eagle, what's the difference?] on a mountainside.

Wile E Coyote is in hell.