Coyote's Heart Divided

The story opens with the Apache myth of Coyote, who splits his heart to evade capture, setting the tone for a narrative about divided selves, survival, and transformation. This myth foreshadows the fractured identities and dualities that will haunt the protagonist, Snow White, and those around her. The West is a place of magic and violence, where stories and lives are split between worlds—white and Indigenous, myth and reality, life and death. The motif of the divided heart becomes a lens through which the entire narrative unfolds, suggesting that to survive in a world that wants to own or erase you, you must learn to live with your heart in two places at once.

Daughter of Silver and Crow

Mr. H, a wealthy white prospector, becomes obsessed with Gun That Sings, a Crow woman. His desire is not just for her, but for ownership and transformation—he wants to make her "civilized," to mold her into his world. Despite her resistance, he ultimately marries her, and she gives birth to a daughter. The child, who will become Snow White, is marked by her mother's darkness and her father's hunger for whiteness. Gun That Sings dies in isolation, her spirit broken by the violence of assimilation. The child is left with a legacy of loss, shame, and the impossible expectations of two worlds that will never accept her as their own.

The Secret in the Castle

Snow White grows up in her father's opulent, isolated estate, a secret kept from the world. Her father loves her as a possession, dressing her in costumes that highlight her difference. She is both cherished and hidden, a living contradiction. Her only companions are animals and the trappings of wealth—a zoo, a boardwalk, a gun named Rose Red. She learns to shoot, to survive, to be alone. The castle is both paradise and prison, a place where she is taught to be a doll, a secret, and a weapon, but never a whole person.

The Arrival of the Stepmother

Mr. H remarries, bringing a beautiful, ambitious woman from Boston into the castle. The new Mrs. H is unaware of Snow White's existence, and when she discovers her, she is horrified by the girl's mixed heritage. Mrs. H is a force of refinement and cruelty, determined to erase the "savage" in her stepdaughter. She renames her Snow White, a name that is both a curse and an impossible standard. The stepmother's arrival marks the beginning of Snow White's true suffering, as she is subjected to violence, humiliation, and the relentless demand to become something she can never be.

Mirror, Moon, and Magic

Mrs. H brings with her a mysterious mirror, a portal to another world and a symbol of her own dark bargains. Snow White becomes obsessed with the mirror, which shows not her own reflection, but visions of Mrs. H's past and the moon's cold, watchful eye. Through the mirror, Snow White glimpses the stepmother's origins—her own suffering, her pact with the forest, and the magic that has shaped her. The mirror is both a source of power and a trap, reflecting the ways women are made and unmade by the stories told about them.

Becoming Snow White

Under Mrs. H's regime, Snow White is subjected to rituals of purification—milk baths, starvation, beatings—all meant to "whiten" her, to make her human in the eyes of her stepmother. She learns that love is violence, that beauty is suffering, that survival means becoming hard and cunning. The name Snow White becomes a mask she wears, a role she is forced to play. Yet, through this ordeal, she also gains a fierce sense of self, a cunning that will serve her when she finally breaks free.

The Making of a Gunslinger

Snow White's only inheritance is her gun, Rose Red, and the skills her father taught her. When the abuse becomes unbearable, she escapes the castle, disguised as a boy, and rides into the wild. She becomes a gunslinger, surviving by her wits and her aim. The Western Setting as Mythic Space is brutal, but it offers a kind of freedom she has never known. She learns to live by her own rules, to trust no one, and to keep moving. Her journey is one of self-invention, as she sheds the roles others have forced upon her and claims her own story.

Escape into the Wild

Snow White's escape is both physical and spiritual. She rides north, pursued by a Pinkerton detective hired by Mrs. H. The land is vast and indifferent, filled with danger and possibility. Snow White survives by hunting, gambling, and fighting, always one step ahead of those who would capture or destroy her. The Western Setting as Mythic Space becomes a crucible in which she is remade, her identity forged in the fires of violence, loneliness, and the relentless pursuit of freedom.

Pursued by the Pinkerton

The Pinkerton detective is a man of principle and violence, hired to bring Snow White back—dead or alive. Their cat-and-mouse chase is a battle of wits and wills, each recognizing something of themselves in the other. When they finally confront each other, Snow White cheats death by outdrawing him, but spares his life, sending him back with a deer's heart instead of her own. This encounter cements her legend and marks her as a figure both feared and admired in the lawless West.

Blood and Bullets in the West

Snow White's journey is marked by bloodshed—she kills to survive, and each act of violence leaves its mark. She works in mines, fights off would-be attackers, and learns the hard truths of life on the margins. The Western Setting as Mythic Space is a place of broken people and broken promises, where everyone is running from something. Snow White's mixed heritage makes her an outsider everywhere, but she finds a kind of kinship with other outcasts and outlaws, especially the women who have carved out their own space in a world that wants to erase them.

The Outlaw Sisterhood

Snow White stumbles upon Oh-Be-Joyful, a town run by women outlaws—each with her own story of violence, loss, and survival. Here, Snow White finds a semblance of home, a place where she can rest, heal, and be herself among those who understand what it means to be hunted. She builds a house, forms bonds, and learns that community is possible, even for the broken. Yet, the past is never far behind, and the threat of discovery and betrayal looms over everything.

The Red Deer's Hunt

In the world of the mirror, Mrs. H has birthed a son—a boy with deer's legs, born of magic and longing. This Deer Boy is sent to hunt Snow White, believing that her heart is the price for his own belonging. His journey is one of confusion and yearning, as he seeks the sister he has never known, driven by the same forces of love and violence that shaped her. Their destinies are intertwined, each the other's reflection, each searching for a place in a world that has no place for them.

Three Deaths, Three Awakenings

Snow White is visited three times by death—first by the ghost of her mother, then by her stepmother, each time offered a poisoned gift. Each time, she dies and is brought back by the love and care of her outlaw sisters. These deaths are not just physical, but symbolic—each one a shedding of an old self, a rebirth into something new. The cycle of violence and resurrection echoes the old stories, but with a difference: here, it is the community of women who save her, not a prince.

The Glass Gunslinger

After her third death, Snow White is placed in a glass box, displayed as a curiosity in a traveling show. She becomes an object, a legend, a story told and retold. The Deer Boy, now grown, finds her and tries to bring her back to life, offering his own heart in exchange. The world moves on, but Snow White remains, caught between life and death, myth and reality, waiting for the moment when she can choose her own fate.

The Heart's Exchange

The Deer Boy's act of love—offering his heart to Snow White—breaks the spell that holds her. Their connection is both literal and symbolic: two outcasts, two halves of a broken family, finding in each other the possibility of healing. The exchange of hearts is an act of mutual recognition, a refusal to let the world define them by its violence and hatred. In this moment, the old stories are rewritten, and the possibility of a new future is born.

The Choice and the Flood

Snow White finally awakens—not through a prince's kiss, but through her own will and the love of those who have chosen her. The world has changed; the old West is gone, washed away by time and the literal flood that destroys her glass prison. Snow White emerges into the modern world, scarred but alive, ready to claim her own story. She finds work, studies, and builds a new life, always haunted by the past but no longer defined by it.

The Sky Held Up

Snow White becomes a builder, a scientist, a woman of the world. She holds up the sky, not as a victim, but as a survivor and a creator. The story ends with her discovering a new pulsar—a star that beats like a heart in the darkness. The talking mirrors of her childhood are now telescopes, reflecting her face and her story back to her. She is both legend and woman, alive and dead, always running, always choosing.

Pulsars and Talking Mirrors

The final image is of Snow White listening to the heartbeat of a distant star, her own story echoing through the universe. The talking mirrors are everywhere now, but she is no longer trapped by them. She is her own reflection, her own myth, her own future. The story ends, but the pulse goes on—thump, thump, thump—reminding us that survival is an act of defiance, and that every story can be rewritten.

Characters

Snow White

Snow White is the mixed-race daughter of a white prospector and a Crow woman, caught between worlds that reject her. Raised in isolation, she is shaped by her father's possessive love and her stepmother's cruelty. Her journey is one of transformation—from secret daughter to abused stepchild, from gunslinger to outlaw, from legend to survivor. Psychologically, she is marked by trauma, resilience, and a fierce will to live. Her relationships—with her parents, her outlaw sisters, and the Deer Boy—are fraught with longing, betrayal, and the search for belonging. Over time, she learns to claim her own story, refusing to be defined by the violence done to her.

Mrs. H (Stepmother)

Mrs. H is Snow White's stepmother, a Boston socialite with a dark past and a hunger for power. She is both victim and perpetrator, shaped by her own suffering and determined to control her world. Her relationship with Snow White is one of projection and violence—she seeks to erase the girl's difference, to make her "white" and "human." The mirror she brings is a symbol of her own divided self, her pact with the forces of the forest, and her inability to love. Psychologically, she is driven by fear, envy, and the need to survive in a world that values women only as objects or wives.

Mr. H (Father)

Mr. H is a self-made man, driven by the desire to own and transform everything he touches—land, women, children. His love for Snow White is possessive and conditional; he values her as a reflection of his own power. He is absent for much of her life, chasing wealth and leaving her to the mercies of others. Psychologically, he represents the violence of colonization and the emptiness of a life built on conquest. His inability to love fully or honestly shapes the destinies of both his wives and his children.

Gun That Sings (Mother)

Gun That Sings is Snow White's Crow mother, a woman of strength and resistance who is ultimately destroyed by the forces that seek to own and erase her. Her brief presence in the story is marked by longing, loss, and the refusal to be transformed. She haunts Snow White as both a memory and a ghost, representing the possibility of another life, another way of being. Psychologically, she is a figure of both trauma and hope, a reminder of what has been lost and what might still be reclaimed.

The Pinkerton Detective

The Pinkerton is hired to bring Snow White back, embodying the lawless violence of the West and the moral ambiguity of those who enforce its rules. He is both adversary and kindred spirit, recognizing in Snow White a reflection of his own divided self. His pursuit is relentless, but when confronted with her humanity, he is forced to reconsider his role. Psychologically, he represents the forces that seek to control and punish those who refuse to conform.

Deer Boy

Deer Boy is the son of Mrs. H, born in the mirror world, half-human and half-deer. He is driven by the need to belong, to be loved, and to fulfill the bargain that brought him into being. His quest to find Snow White is both a hunt and a search for connection. Psychologically, he is marked by confusion, yearning, and the pain of being split between worlds. His ultimate act of sacrifice—offering his heart to Snow White—breaks the cycle of violence and opens the possibility of healing.

Bang-Up Jackson

Bang-Up is one of the women who run Oh-Be-Joyful, a town of exiled women. She becomes a friend and lover to Snow White, offering her a place to rest and heal. Bang-Up is tough, practical, and fiercely loyal, embodying the possibility of community and solidarity among the broken. Psychologically, she is a survivor, someone who has learned to make a life out of what others have thrown away.

Little Mab Volsky

Little Mab is another member of the outlaw sisterhood, a bank robber and leader. She is bold, reckless, and full of life, offering Snow White both friendship and the thrill of rebellion. Her presence in the story highlights the possibilities of female agency and resistance in a world that seeks to crush both.

Witch Hex Watson

Witch Hex is the camp's resident witch, a woman who has survived her own traumas and offers Snow White both guidance and caution. She understands the dangers of stories and the importance of choosing one's own path. Psychologically, she represents the wisdom that comes from suffering and the possibility of breaking free from the cycles of violence and repetition.

Old Epharim

Old Epharim is the camp's cook and caretaker, a bear of a woman who feeds and protects the community. She is a figure of stability and kindness, offering Snow White the care she has rarely known. Psychologically, she represents the possibility of healing through work, community, and the simple acts of daily life.

Plot Devices

Mirrors and Reflections

The mirror brought by Mrs. H is a central plot device, serving as both a literal and metaphorical portal. It reflects not just appearances, but histories, traumas, and the bargains women make to survive. Through the mirror, characters confront their pasts, their desires, and the magic that shapes their lives. The motif of reflection recurs throughout the narrative, symbolizing the ways in which identity is constructed, contested, and transformed.

Transformation and Rebirth

Snow White's journey is marked by repeated deaths and awakenings, each one a shedding of an old self and the birth of a new one. These transformations are both magical and psychological, reflecting the ways in which trauma, violence, and love can remake a person. The motif of rebirth challenges the traditional fairy tale narrative, offering instead a story of survival and self-invention.

The Western Setting as Mythic Space

The American West is not just a backdrop, but a character in its own right—a place of violence, possibility, and transformation. It is a space where old stories are rewritten, where outcasts can become legends, and where survival requires both cunning and courage. The Western setting allows for the blending of myth, history, and fantasy, creating a world in which anything is possible, but nothing is easy.

Foreshadowing and Cyclical Structure

The story is structured around cycles—of violence, escape, and return. Foreshadowing is used to build tension and to suggest that the past is never truly past. The opening myth of Coyote's divided heart echoes throughout the narrative, reminding us that survival often means living with contradiction and ambiguity.

Analysis

Six-Gun Snow White is a fierce, lyrical reimagining of the Snow White myth, set against the mythic violence of the American West. Catherynne M. Valente's novella interrogates the ways in which identity is constructed and contested—by race, gender, violence, and the stories we inherit. At its heart, the book is about survival: the survival of women, of the marginalized, of those who refuse to be defined by the violence done to them. Through Snow White's journey, Valente explores the costs and possibilities of transformation, the power of community, and the necessity of rewriting old stories. The narrative's cyclical structure, its use of mirrors and magic, and its refusal to offer easy resolutions all serve to challenge the reader's expectations. In the end, Six-Gun Snow White is a story about the endless work of becoming—of holding up the sky, of listening to the pulse of distant stars, and of choosing, again and again, to live.

Last updated: August 31, 2025