The first question that always comes to mind is, why the Road Runner? What is it about that bird that Wile E. is so obsessed about? Is the bird the only source of food in the dessert? Take a look at the Road Runner, it’s a skinny little thing that is all legs and feathers. It can’t have much by the way of filling value. O-Kay, lets assume that the coyote and the bird are the only two living beings in the dessert, then, yes, the effort that he exerts would be worth catching the bird, since it would be the only thing to eat. But, the fact that desserts are thriving eco-systems throws the last statement out of the window. Then there must be some other driving force behind Wile E.’s obsession. Did the Road Runner commit some sort of heinous crime against Wile E., so that he feels compelled to seek revenge? Or, is it a Hatfield and McCoy thing? It would be hard to dig further into those statements because we are not given much insight into the main characters minds and motivations. All we know is that Wile E. is trying to catch the Road Runner.

Lets assume that hunger is the driving force. Hunger will make any person or animal do anything to get food. The book Alive is pretty good proof of that. So, we have a starving coyote chasing a skinny little Road Runner throughout the dessert. At what point dose the coyote collapse from utter exhaustion? If he is starving, where does the get the energy to come up with crazy schemes and to chase Road Runner all over the dessert? He must be getting some sort of energy, which usually comes from food. So, if he’s got food for energy, then why the Road Runner? O-Kay, so I’m assuming, but think about, do you feel like running around and trying to catch a skinny bird when your hungry? No, you usually go to the refrigerator and get food, or call for take-out. I know Wile E. doesn’t have a refrigerator, but he does have a phone and money, how else could he get his traps and stuff from the Acme Company? The last that I heard you needed money of some sort to purchase things, so why doesn’t he call for take-out? If you tip the driver well enough, he’ll deliver anywhere, even to the middle of the dessert. The driving force has got to be something other than hunger. (where does Wile E. get his money anyway?)

Is it an ego thing? When he first tried to catch the Road Runner, and failed, did he feel that he should have caught the Road Runner and now has to prove to himself that he is a manly coyote that can catch the Road Runner? Egos are delicate things that bruise easily, and a manly-man with a bruised ego is a dangerous animal. So, Wile E. has a hurting ego and now has to patch-up and raise it by capturing and devouring the Road Runner. Easy? Not really. Wile E. is upset and not planning ahead properly and is making many mistakes in the process, there-by, hurting his ego even more and feeling the need to prove himself even more. It’s a visous cycle that just goes on and on, never ending. Now we have an egotistical coyote running around the dessert with high explosives trying to catch a bird that is smarter and faster than he is. Scary, huh? If he ever got into a city, we’re talking mass destruction here.

I think that the next statement is pretty obvious. Wile E. wants what is unobtainable. It is a proven fact that everybody wants what they cannot have, the same for Wile E. It has been proven time and again that the Road Runner is smarter and faster and cannot be caught, but still Wile E. persists, even though he has fallen off of cliffs, been blown up, burned, crushed and hit by large moving vehicles. Repeatedly. I do believe that persistence is a good thing some of the time, but, when physical health and welfare is at risk, the ends are just not worth it. So, Wile E. should count his losses and try to catch something else while he still has all four limbs and two ears.