Boy of the Painted Cave

“He knew it was a foolish hope, for he was born of no shaman, he was the son of no chief or leader. He was only Tao, the boy with the bad foot. He did not even know his own father. His mother had died long before he could remember, and there was no elder to help him. Because of this, and because of his bad foot, he knew that he could never become a Chosen One.”

Tao understands the limitations placed upon him by his clan and his position within society. He recognizes his status as an orphan and his disability lower his perceived value as a member of the community and eliminate him from consideration for such an elite position. Tao’s lack of power and connections place him in a peripheral, marginalized role and make his dreams of becoming a Chosen One foolish.

“He knew that Garth and the other hunters did not understand this. Even Volt, the leader, looked up on him as an idler and a dreamer, unworthy of respect or manhood.”

In this passage, the novel establishes Tao’s position within the clan. This is a culture in which the role of “manhood” is taken very seriously—it is the men who hunt and provide food, skins, and supplies for the tribe. Tao’s love of nature and his artistic longings further marginalize him in his community, making him not only poor, orphaned, and disabled, but also soft and useless. A man who is not a “man” is a burden on the clan, unable to contribute the way he is meant to.

“Born with a bad right foot, a foot that bent down and turned in slightly, Tao walked with a limp. However, by curling his foot around the shaft of his spear, he had learned to travel with greater ease and, when in a hurry, he could vault over the hills faster than a running man.”

Tao was born disabled both physically and circumstantially, but his intelligence, ingenuity, and adaptability allow him to thrive. Using his method, he can travel faster than a running man, demonstrating that what we may see as disabilities can become benefits to the people who possess them.