English Blog GGRW Parts 3&4

English Blog Parts 3 and 4 of Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King
By Josh Blake

There are many different biblical and cultural allusions in Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King.

A biblical allusion that is portrayed in this book is the story of Arch Angel Gabriel and the miracle impregnation of Mary (Thought Woman). “Name? Thought Woman says Thought Woman. Mary, says A. A. Gabriel. And writes that down.” P 270. A. A. Gabriel wants Thought Woman’s name to Mary because in the bible there is a Virgin Mary that A. A. Gabriel impregnates. This shows Thomas Kings humor towards this controversial topic. Thought Woman, now Mary, was also asked to sign a virgin verification form. “What is it? Asks Thought Woman. Virgin Verification form, says A. A. Gabriel.” P 270

Another biblical allusion is the Star of Bethlehem, “a point of light, a star in the morning sky” P 235. In the bible it leads the three wise men to baby Jesus. However in the novel it leads the Doctor and Babo to the Indians.

A cultural allusion in Green Grass Running Water is the reference to Queen Elizabeth II who is marginalized as, “a woman in a formal with a tiara” This shows us how people with different beliefs and backgrounds might view our relationship with the Queen.

At the end of the novel the three cars that the Indians have been driving; the Red Pinto, the Blue Nissan, and the White Karmann-Ghia. Are cultural allusions to Christopher Columbus’s ships: Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria. The colours of the cars are also symbolic of conquest and conquesting countries like France, USA, or the Union Jack.

Another cultural allusion that is used in Green Grass Running Water is John Wayne and Richard Widmark. This creates a pause from the mystery and magic of the story where the reader can understand what is going on clearly because they know and recognize John Wayne and Richard Widmark. The reader will notice that when John Wayne does not win, something has changed.

Eli Stands Alone
“Eli had to admit all the years of arguments and threats, and injunctions, he had won very little. The dam was there. It wasn’t going to go away. And, at some point in the future, Eli had no doubt that they would find a way to maneuver around him. The sluice gates would open, the turbines would begin to turn, and Eli and the house would be washed onto the prairies.” P 260

This quote gives the reader a sense of Eli’s stubbornness. He is stubborn towards the construction of the dam and towards the fact that he will need to leave his families cabin.


Lionel Red Dog
“Today, he shouted at the mirror, today things change. And he wacked himself in the stomach and grabbed his saggy chest for good measure.” P 240

This quote describes that Lionel knows that his life isn’t very successful. He is promising himself that he will turn his life around and become as successful as possible.

Coyote
“Through the blur of the windshield, Eli could make out four figures moving under the overhang, waiting for Bursum’s to open, and as he watched, a scraggly dog dashed back and forth, chasing its tail, spinning in the rain, as if it were trying to dance.” P 289

This quote tells the readers that Coyote is not just seen by the Indians it is real enough for regular people to see. It also shows that Coyote is a troublemaker because when ever he dances it rains. Coyote likes to interrupt the four Indians while they are telling their stories. This constant interruption by Coyote means that the Indians had to go back and fix part of their stories that got messed up by Coyote.

Three Day Road Blog

English Blog Post on Three Day Road
Josh Blake

A key scene in Joseph Boyden’s Three Day Road was when the French trapper raped Niska and she went away to find her spirits to help her. I think that this scene is so important to the novel because it shows the connection that the native people have with their spirits no matter how far away from home they are. Just like when Xavier, Elijah, and many other Native Americans went over seas to fight in the Second World War. Even though they were far away from home their spirits always protected them.


"When I heard the Frenchman’s voice in my head, my fear and anger came back to me so that I needed to prove to myself that I still had power. I constructed my shaking tent and went inside to pray. It did not take long for the spirits to come to me. My tent filled with a light as if a thousand fireflies had entered it. And then the spirit animals began to arrive, the spirit of the bear, the moose, the fox, the wolf, the sturgeon, rallying around my hurt in that tent like night insects to a fire. It was the lynx that came to me most strongly, his growl puffing out the walls of my tent like a great wind trying to escape. And I asked the lynx a favour that would change me forever. I asked him to go out and find the source of my hurt and extinguish it. As soon as I whispered my request, the tent went silent and the light of the spirit animals left it, so that I lay on my back in the dark of night, alone and shivering." Page 176

This scene connects with the rest of the book because it shows the immense trust and guidance that the spirits give to Native Americans. This is trust and guidance is evident through out the book from Xavier and Elijah’s first kill to their last in the novel. Many times in the book they talked about a persons ahcahk, or spirit making it to their spirit world. When Sean Patrick dies from a sniper shot Elijah and Xavier pray to their spirits, Gitchi Manitou, to take care of him. Spirits and the spirit world is a major theme in this novel and is talked about and performed many times. The French man that raped Niska later went mad and killed himself by jumping out of a hotel window. Niska’s experience with the lynx is only one example of the power that the spirits can have on people. Was it the spirit of the lynx that made the French trapper kill himself? We can only guess and speculate.