The Settler's Folly Anonymous College

Settler common sense, a term popularized by Mark Rifkin, refers to legal and political structures established during times of colonization which are designed to allow “non-native access to indigenous territories” (Settler Common Sense xvi), and which perpetuate this access indefinitely to the point where it becomes embedded in the nature of these structures. John Rollins Ridge’s novel The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta, originally published in 1854 under the name “Yellow Bird,” is riddled with evidence of this settler common sense. Set in the wake of the Mexican-American war, the novel depicts the lawful albeit barbarous treatment of liminal non-citizens in the then newly acquired California territory. While this is the most obvious evidence of Rifkin’s concept in the novel, more impactful is the unlikely connection which Ridge makes between settler common sense and the theme of liminality. Ridge complicates the stability of a system based on settler common sense by revealing a startlingly exploitable loophole which Murieta takes full advantage of in order to pursue his revenge.

Before exploring the loophole which Ridge presents, it is necessary to recognize Murieta’s status as a liminal figure. This extends far beyond...