Philosophy of Cartoons, Plato, Soul, Absurdity
Looney Tunes, Existentialism, Science, Nature, Three Parts of Soul
Sep 21, 2009
Cartoons in their own right are extremely absurd. Talking animals, which are capable of amazing feats, is only a small aspect of what makes cartoons bizarre. Roadrunner has many of these absurd notions as well. Neither character will ever die, no matter what happens. Coyote never seems to run out of his ACME supplies, and can pull amusing signs out of nowhere before plummeting off a cliff.
The absurdity of these cartoons is important, because it allows the viewers to throw away the legitimacy of the events ever occurring, but it is worthy to note that children will willingly accept this absurdity over time, and eventually forget to question it. As a result they live in a false reality when they sit down and watch these cartoons. The absurdity of these cartoons is only an image of reality according to Plato’s cave analogy.
Cartoons and Science vs. Nature
This cartoon also shows how science will never measure up to nature. Coyote’s solution for catching Roadrunner boils down to a different ACME device every time. And in every instance, these wacky devices never suffice. Whether it is the faultiness of the user or the equipment, he always fails. This is significant because he is betraying his own nature, and relying on science to do his dirty work.
The implication in the show is that the natural process is for coyotes to eat roadrunners. If this is so, then the Coyote should use his natural instincts to kill the Roadrunner. In this way, Coyote is making a commentary on today’s society: in which humans rely too heavily on technology, and to an extent deny their hunter/gatherer mentality.
Plato's Three Parts of the Soul
Plato’s three parts of the soul – spirit, reason and desire, can be applied to Wile E. Coyote. In Book Four of the Republic, Plato explains that the soul has these three distinctive parts that need to be in harmonious balance with each other for spiritual health to be achieved for an individual. Wile E. Coyote has not achieved spiritual health, because he lets his desire control his life. He has found from experience that chasing the Roadrunner only leads to pain and personal anguish, yet he continues his chase, regardless.
Plato would suggest that the part of Coyote’s soul that is determined to eat the Roadrunner is desire: the irrational part that feeds on instinctive cravings. The part of Coyote’s soul that is supposed to stop him from making these same mistakes is the rational part. However, for Coyote, it seems as though he uses his reason to calculate different ways to catch Roadrunner, instead of realizing that it would be smarter to give up.
The final part of the soul is the spirited part. It is this part that should compel Coyote to feel shame and embarrassment after each failure. He usually looks humiliated before falling cliffs, by showing the audience various signs revealing his incompetence; however, he continues to chase the Roadrunner.
Wile E. Coyote is a Slave According to Plato
Plato would suggest that Coyote’s appetite is ruling over him, and he has become a mere slave of his desire. He also said that reason should govern and the spirited part should assist reason, and together, keep control of desire. This is not the case for Coyote, who is seen salivating only seconds after feeling shame.
For Coyote, the spirited part of his soul is not providing enough shame, but rather furthering his desire to eat. He cannot seem to live a normal life, because of this. It also appears as though Coyote does not need Roadrunner to survive either. After years of chasing, he has yet to die of starvation. Coyote, then, does not require the Roadrunner to survive; further proving his desire is his downfall and his soul is not just and harmonious.
If you haven't already, read part 1 of this three part series. Here is the link for the third and final part of the Philosophy of Cartoons series.
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