Canadian author, W.O. Mitchell, is fascinated with the meaning of life. Whether this is a result of growing up during the depression or simply indicative of Mitchell’s deep philosophical thinking, this theme constantly shows up in his work. In both his humorous drama, The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon and the eloquent children’s Canadian classic, Who has Seen the Wind, Mitchell tackles the age-old question with grace, humor, and care. Not only is Mitchell concerned with the minute details of human existence, throughout his work, Mitchell constantly evokes a Canadian persona and creates literature based on the country. Despite Wullie MacCrimmon being a Scottish character, the drama itself is set in Canada during a curling bonspiel. Who has Seen the Wind is characteristic of Canada’s prairie provinces and creates an accurate portrayal of a child growing up in this landscape. Wullie and Brian are both concerned with the existence of God and evil forces in the world and their faith is tested throughout the texts. As Who has Seen the Wind is a post-depression text, Brian’s world is bleak and the thought of God is difficult to discern. In The Black Bonspiel, also a post-depression text, it becomes difficult for Wullie to trust in God as his church undergoes changes in its belief system.
Who has Seen the Wind is a fascinating experiment in literature, as it is written through the lens of a child. While this is a difficult literary exercise, Mitchell’s story which is told through the eyes of protagonist four to eleven year old Brian, Who has Seen the Wind is a heartwarming, beautiful tale of the pride and hardships of growing up in Canada’s prairie provinces. “Using the prairie he had known as a child … to stand in for the great mystery of life, and the constant prairie wind as a symbol for God, with stunning effect he matched a small child's innocent heart to the land's immensity, ” Sharon Butala writes. Mitchell used the land of his birthplace, Weyburn, Saskatchewan, to place an unknown small prairie town on a literary map. Butala concludes her article by stating, “for many western fans, he was someone who had lived as they did, who remembered their childhoods for them … the sights and sounds and smells of spring on the prairie, bringing to conscious awareness their joy and great good fortune in being Prairie people.” Who has Seen the Wind has become a cultural coming-of-age story for western Canadians. W.P. Kinsella argues that, “Who has Seen the Wind is the counterpart of The Catcher in the Rye. It’s the quintessential novel of growing up on the Prairies” (Shermata 40) and believes that Mitchell deserved a Governor General’s Award for his literature.
While Who has Seen the Wind is an account created with love for the prairies, The Black Bonspiel of Wullie MacCrimmon is a well-written, humorous account of a curling match, also indicative of Canadian culture. Alan Dilworth, a director of the play, states, “it is so...
