Tales of Juha: Wit & Wisdom

Reading the reviews and preface of Tales of Juha made me feel like I was the one kid at recess in elementary school that hadn’t heard the latest rumor. After completing the first section, I definitely agree with the universal role and symbolism of Juha that was proclaimed in the preface and reviews, but I don’t feel so much like I have missed out on some well-kept secret to enlightenment. The morals of the anecdotes carry universal themes and are just represented in a different cultural context in this novel.

The format of Tales of Juha kept me intrigued. They were easy to read and flowed together pretty well. Although most people appreciate continuity and beautiful flowing novels, choppy and witty anecdotes all connected (and some even more disconnected) are fine with me, especially clever little tales about a clever little protagonist.

I expected Juha to be a pristine character, clearly defined and described by the author (after all, the book is his namesake.) This was not the case. While Juha is definitely esteemed and well regarded by his community he is not easily defined, classified, or put into just one category. The character goes from beggar to scholar and from foolish to cunning. This is one of the ways that Juha’s universality is manifested. This also kept my interest piqued after reading the first portion of the novel. You never can predict Juha’s reaction or advice, other than the fact that the outcome will be in his favor.

 Juha’s character continued to violate my expectations as his advice and wisdom went from traditional or customary to witty and offbeat. (The section’s title was definitely fitting.) For example, when asked why Juha was eating with five fingers, he replied, “I don’t have six!” This was one of the many moments when Juha violates your expectations (yes, cognitive shift) and you can’t help but giggle. This book, as with the others in this course, is definitely not a laugh out loud type of read but it provides some interesting cognitive shifts along with a few opportunities to appreciate Juha’s snarky comebacks. Juha’s ever-changing modalities and ceaseless success in any situation he encounters certainly is fun to follow along.

Another quote that I enjoyed that defied the stereotypic response that one may expect was when Juha was asked about the proper etiquette for walking in a funeral procession. Juha replied “as long as you are not in the coffin…you can walk wherever you like.” I appreciate these quotes because they keep the reader on their toes about what Juha will say next and integrate some light-hearted answers as alternatives for potentially boring or daunting rants about social norms.

As I mentioned earlier, I don’t think any of the truths offered by Juha are profound or unheard of by our culture. I feel as if every culture has their own Juha with the same tales and morals to share. It could be helpful to have more cultural context for some of the anecdotes, it’s a little hard for me to relate to a story about a stolen donkey, but the motifs global nonetheless.