Part 1
In the novel, Green Grass Running Water, by Thomas King, there are many biblical and pop culture allusions contributing significantly to the plot of the novel. These allusions enhance the story by helping the reader understand the material and sometimes to provide comedic relief.
An example of a biblical allusion is the story of the Arch Angel Gabriel, and the miracle impregnation of Mary. In Thomas King’s version of the story, Thought Woman represents the Virgin Mary as AA Gabriel tries to trick Thought Woman into being pregnant. In the biblical story, Arch Angel Gabriel comes down to Earth and impregnates the Virgin Mary. This shows King’s witty and humorous approach to a very controversial issue in the Bible. It gives the readers a laugh and ties in something they may be familiar with in an otherwise difficult read. Thought Woman isn’t even aware of her pregnancy until AA Gabriel informs her in this quotation,
Here we are, says A. A. Gabriel, and that one opens that briefcase and takes out a book. Name? Thought Woman, says Thought Woman. Mary, says A. A. Gabriel. And he writes that down. Social Insurance Number? . . Sign here, says A.A. Gabriel… Virgin verification form, says A.A. Gabriel. Here’s a map of the city. We’re here, and this is where you’ll have the baby. . . We’re going to need a picture, says A.A. Gabriel. Could you stand there next to that snake? Snake? says Thought Woman. I don’t see a snake.” (p. 270)
A second biblical allusion is on page 235 where Babo is searching for the four Indians with Dr. Hovaugh, when she notices a bright star in the sky that is the Star of David. In the Bible, it leads the three wise men to the birthplace of Jesus. In the novel, it leads Babo and the Doctor to the Indians. This is a sneaky clue to the importance of the Indians and an understanding of what Babo, an old Indian woman sees that the Doctor does not. "In the distance, at the edge of the horizon, Babo could see a point of light, a star in the morning sky." (235).
A third allusion appears on page 236 when Babo notices a portrait behind the three men in the station at the Canadian border. The “woman in a formal with a tiara” represents Queen Elizabeth II, who is the current figurehead of the British monarchy. “A woman in a formal with a tiara.” (p. 236)
Another Biblical allusion is found on page 348 to 349. Coyote is listening to another story about Old Woman who is floating, and sees a young man walking on water looking for a fishing boat in rough seas. In the Bible, Jesus fed 5000 people, and sent his disciples out in a boat ahead of him, only to have to save them from the raging waters. However, King’s character, (Young Man Walking On Water) is unable to calm the seas to save the men. The Old Woman offers her help but is reminded of the “Christian Rules”. “The first rule is that no one can help me. The second rule is that no one can tell me anything. Third, no one is allowed to be in two places at once. Except me.” (P. 350). In other words, it is a man’s world and though she saves the men in the boat, the “Young Man” takes all the credit.
My final example of allusion in Green Grass Running Water takes place from page 316 to page 322 when famous Western actor John Wayne is referenced. This creates a pause from the crazy mystery and magic in the story where the reader can understand what is happening clearly. Every reader will recognize John Wayne and know he is supposed to win in the movie, so when he does not in the book, the reader knows something was changed. This helps contribute to the plot of the book because is shows a very real representation of Hollywood, which is necessary for the reader to fully believe that Charlie’s father Portland is actually a Hollywood star. If King replaced John Wayne with another no-name actor, the reader would not be so convinced that Portland was actually in a big Western.
Part 2
Eli Stands Alone
Eli sat down and waited for the coffee to brew and looked about the house at what he had become. Ph.D. in literature. Professor emeritus from the University of Toronto. A book on William Shakespeare. Another on Francis Bacon. Teacher of the Year. Twice. Indian. (p. 262)
In terms of modern day social status, Eli Stands Alone is among the top in his profession. There are very few people that make it to his level of achievement in society. He has all these impressive titles and milestones in his arguably successful life, yet there seems to be a deeper dissatisfaction. Later on, when Eli moves in to the native homeland, we realize that what Eli felt missing was his sense of identity. In other words, as an Indian, he felt more comfortable and felt like he belonged in the native homeland.
Lionel Red Dog
“Probably just a weird problem with the tape,” said Lionel, looking up and down the street. “It happens all the time with electronic stuff.” (P. 341)
This quote shows Lionel’s inability to notice what is going on around him. Even after he sees the Indians who were sitting beside him change the movie, he refuses to even consider the fact that the movie could be changed. Lionel does not have the initiative necessary to take action and correct the tape that has been switched. He makes a dumb excuse for pretending to not know what is going on and lets the mistake go unaddressed. He does not like to think outside the box or take risks, which leads him to have a calm, boring life.
Coyote
“Okay,” said the Lone Ranger. “Whose turn is it now?”
“Well, who went last?” said Ishmael.
“You did.”
“Then it’s Robinson Crusoe’s turn.”
“What about me?” says Coyote. “I’d like a turn.”
“That doesn’t sound like a good idea,” said Hawkeye.
“No,” said Robinson Crusoe. “That sounds like a Coyote idea.”
“Anyway,” said Ishmael, “it’s Robinson Crusoe’s turn.”
“Maybe Coyote can turn on the light,” said Robinson Crusoe.
“Yes,” says Coyote. “I can do that.”
“Okay,” said Hawkeye. “Let’s get going.”
“Watch me,” says Coyote. “Watch me turn on the light.” (230)
This quotation describes coyote almost like an over-enthusiastic child who is overly eager to participate in any way possible. It shows how desperate Coyote is to be included in the telling of the story and to be a part of the group. He tries to give his opinion on everything when nobody trusts his thoughts or actions.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
In Joseph Boyden’s novel, Three Day Road, there is a key scene in which Elijah, one of the main characters, starts to become a bloodthirsty killing machine. One night, when Xavier and Elijah are having a peaceful evening of drinking and relaxing, they meet a group of intriguing Frenchmen. At first they pay no attention to either Elijah or Xavier, but later ask if they would like to join them for a drink. Both Elijah and Xavier are interested in these Frenchmen, as they do tricks with knives and brass knuckles. When they begin to talk about a hunter who has killed many men, Elijah is ready to accept thanks, when they say it was a man named Peggy who killed all these Hun. You can tell right away that Elijah envies Peggy’s recognition and longs for people to respect him in this way. It is who Elijah is deep down to want to be the best and not being able to accept the “second place ribbon.” I am the same way competitively and I fully understand Elijah’s jealousy for this, “Peggy.” “And I can see he grows angry thinking about this Peggy…His whole arm is tender. Elijah practices self-control, knowing as he floods his vein that he is using the medicine right now out of anger.” (P. 203-204) Out of anger, Elijah resorts to morphine to take his anger away. Avoiding his problems by taking drugs is obviously a very irresponsible way of handling his anger, which will lead to his losing control later. When Elijah goes back inside, he is provided with a way of overcoming Peggy in respect and honour. At this point, Elijah is very vulnerable being so jealous of Peggy’s respect, and will accept anyway to gain this kind of respect. Since Peggy doesn’t collect evidence of his kills, one of the Frenchman tells Elijah he could gain honour by collecting this kind of evidence. “Do what we do. Collect evidence of your kills. Do what my people taught your people a long time ago. Take the scalp of your enemy as proof. Take a bit of him to feed you.” (P. 204). Considering the place Elijah is in, you know he will start to try to prove himself by skinning the heads of the men he kills. This is essentially the scene where Elijah’s former morals go out the window and he begins to lose all self-control. It is in this scene where the events to follow are foreshadowed, like Elijah starting to skin the heads of men, eating human flesh, and killing an innocent boy.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
The Boy in The Moon Reading Blog
Part A
In the early portion of chapter eleven, Ian Brown describes the life that he wants Walker to have. He says he wants him to be cared for and all of the required things be taken care of for Walker, but also to be “loved and forgiven.” After he finishes writing a story about Walker, the communications director for the L’Arche community invites him to Montreal to visit their community. Ian is completely blown away and says as his first impression, “I saw for the first time the outline of the unthinkable community I was looking for. In that community, I was the stranger.” (187) The way that Ian describes his experiences at L’Arche and the way he views it are oddly similar to my experiences and views on L’Arche. He describes how before he gets there he is anxious and timid about the whole idea, just as I was before going, but as he starts to have conversations and be a part of their community he says, “Surrounded for the first time in my life by intellectually disabled adults I had only just met, I suddenly realized I didn’t feel nervous anymore.” (190). Ian explains how people are just accepted for who they are in this world and that is one of the things that I liked the most about L’Arche. Whatever comes to one of these handicapped peoples minds they can just blurt it out without feeling nervous or judged or hated for being different.
In Montreal, Ian goes to visit one of these homes that members of the L’Arche community live in. A girl named Natalie who works with L’Arche says, “The biggest challenge for me is to be with people who aren’t handicapped, it’s more difficult to accept them. It’s easier with Isabelle. In my head, when Isabelle or Madeleine make things strange I think, oh, that’s just because they have a handicap. But I can’t use that excuse with normal people who don’t have disabilities, when they make things strange.” (192) Natalie goes on to say that handicapped people have more to teach us “normal” people than we have to teach them. On of the things she says we can learn is to act like yourself no matter what situation you are brought up with. Handicapped people can only act like themselves and thus teach us a valuable lesson. I believe from just my one visit to the L’Arche community that we can learn this and much more things from the disabled.
Part B
From what I have learned about Ian Brown’s novel, The Boy in The Moon, I get the sense that he is incredibly honest in the emotions that he has towards his relationship with Walker. You would expect that someone writing a book about the severely handicapped would sensor the emotions the author feels by fabricating the details. This is not at all the case when Ian describes his true emotions in having a severely handicapped child. “For all this nightly nightmare – the years of desperate worry and illness and chronic sleep deprivation, the havoc he has caused in our lives, threatening our marriage and our finances and our sanity – I long for the moment when he lets his crazy formless body fall asleep against me…Walker, my teacher, my sweet, sweet, lost and broken boy.” (7)
Ian describes the pain he goes through with seeing his child not being able to “perform” in such a demanding society we live in. It was interesting and yet deeply disturbing to learn of Ian’s daily life with Walker and the sorrow and helplessness that goes with it. He knows from seeing so many medical professionals that they really don’t know the answer to Walker’s problem and I can relate to this in my own much milder way. As many people know I’m a profoundly passionate runner and am pretty accomplished in running. About a year and a half ago I started to have trouble doing what I love because of extreme pains in my knees and hips. This just recently evolving into a very serious injury where my hip flexor muscle ripped off my pelvic bone, tearing a chunk of bone off with it. When I go to see countless doctors, surgeons, sports therapist etc. all “professionals,” I never get a straight answer as to how to fix the problem. When Ian talks about his child being so helpless and no one knowing how to fix his much more severe problem, I can relate entirely to how he feels, and can only imagine how extreme this feeling must be for him. Ian mentions Walker’s helplessness when talking of the medical toys that are prescribed to Walker to “fix” his problem. “…we reach this tiny, ugly, brutal, awkward, clumsy, two-holed yellow plastic corner of the system that has been reserved for my unfixable boy. The touching hopefulness and yet utter hopelessness of that label…Each yellow bucket as awkward to operate as the next one; each one a reminder of how dark and murky and flat-out basic our understanding of childhood development actually is, how little we know." (20-21)
Part C
Questions for Ian:
1) You mentioned in the book that you like to believe that Walker loves you; do you truly believe that he loves you?
2) Could you describe the feeling that you got when people didn’t know how to help your boy, but claimed that their product from government agencies would benefit Walker?
3) What reason did you have for writing a book about Walker and your difficulties in raising him? Was it to vent?
In the early portion of chapter eleven, Ian Brown describes the life that he wants Walker to have. He says he wants him to be cared for and all of the required things be taken care of for Walker, but also to be “loved and forgiven.” After he finishes writing a story about Walker, the communications director for the L’Arche community invites him to Montreal to visit their community. Ian is completely blown away and says as his first impression, “I saw for the first time the outline of the unthinkable community I was looking for. In that community, I was the stranger.” (187) The way that Ian describes his experiences at L’Arche and the way he views it are oddly similar to my experiences and views on L’Arche. He describes how before he gets there he is anxious and timid about the whole idea, just as I was before going, but as he starts to have conversations and be a part of their community he says, “Surrounded for the first time in my life by intellectually disabled adults I had only just met, I suddenly realized I didn’t feel nervous anymore.” (190). Ian explains how people are just accepted for who they are in this world and that is one of the things that I liked the most about L’Arche. Whatever comes to one of these handicapped peoples minds they can just blurt it out without feeling nervous or judged or hated for being different.
In Montreal, Ian goes to visit one of these homes that members of the L’Arche community live in. A girl named Natalie who works with L’Arche says, “The biggest challenge for me is to be with people who aren’t handicapped, it’s more difficult to accept them. It’s easier with Isabelle. In my head, when Isabelle or Madeleine make things strange I think, oh, that’s just because they have a handicap. But I can’t use that excuse with normal people who don’t have disabilities, when they make things strange.” (192) Natalie goes on to say that handicapped people have more to teach us “normal” people than we have to teach them. On of the things she says we can learn is to act like yourself no matter what situation you are brought up with. Handicapped people can only act like themselves and thus teach us a valuable lesson. I believe from just my one visit to the L’Arche community that we can learn this and much more things from the disabled.
Part B
From what I have learned about Ian Brown’s novel, The Boy in The Moon, I get the sense that he is incredibly honest in the emotions that he has towards his relationship with Walker. You would expect that someone writing a book about the severely handicapped would sensor the emotions the author feels by fabricating the details. This is not at all the case when Ian describes his true emotions in having a severely handicapped child. “For all this nightly nightmare – the years of desperate worry and illness and chronic sleep deprivation, the havoc he has caused in our lives, threatening our marriage and our finances and our sanity – I long for the moment when he lets his crazy formless body fall asleep against me…Walker, my teacher, my sweet, sweet, lost and broken boy.” (7)
Ian describes the pain he goes through with seeing his child not being able to “perform” in such a demanding society we live in. It was interesting and yet deeply disturbing to learn of Ian’s daily life with Walker and the sorrow and helplessness that goes with it. He knows from seeing so many medical professionals that they really don’t know the answer to Walker’s problem and I can relate to this in my own much milder way. As many people know I’m a profoundly passionate runner and am pretty accomplished in running. About a year and a half ago I started to have trouble doing what I love because of extreme pains in my knees and hips. This just recently evolving into a very serious injury where my hip flexor muscle ripped off my pelvic bone, tearing a chunk of bone off with it. When I go to see countless doctors, surgeons, sports therapist etc. all “professionals,” I never get a straight answer as to how to fix the problem. When Ian talks about his child being so helpless and no one knowing how to fix his much more severe problem, I can relate entirely to how he feels, and can only imagine how extreme this feeling must be for him. Ian mentions Walker’s helplessness when talking of the medical toys that are prescribed to Walker to “fix” his problem. “…we reach this tiny, ugly, brutal, awkward, clumsy, two-holed yellow plastic corner of the system that has been reserved for my unfixable boy. The touching hopefulness and yet utter hopelessness of that label…Each yellow bucket as awkward to operate as the next one; each one a reminder of how dark and murky and flat-out basic our understanding of childhood development actually is, how little we know." (20-21)
Part C
Questions for Ian:
1) You mentioned in the book that you like to believe that Walker loves you; do you truly believe that he loves you?
2) Could you describe the feeling that you got when people didn’t know how to help your boy, but claimed that their product from government agencies would benefit Walker?
3) What reason did you have for writing a book about Walker and your difficulties in raising him? Was it to vent?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Dead Cold Reading Blog
Part A
C.C. de Poitiers
“God that means she’s written more books than she’s read.” (P.30) This quotation has more meaning to it than one would first interpret. Everyone thinks of C.C. as a person who is very ignorant and self- centred. This quotation describes this when Ruth jokes about how bad her book is. By reading more books you would have a better understanding of how they are supposed to be written and C.C. did not grasp this apparently.
Ruth Zardo
“This elderly, wizened bitter poet from Three Pines had won the Governor-General’s Award.” (P.26) This quotation describes her very well in that she was not the most pleasant person to be around. This being said many were forced to admit, despite her filthy personality, that she was indeed an accomplished poet.
Clara Morrow
“But while Clara knew that was the sensible thing to do, most of her decisions weren’t really sensible. But they suited her life.” (P.9) Clara is a good-hearted woman but at times can be asleep to the world around her. One would call her naïve based on the fact that she rolls through life only to make decisions based on what she wants at the present moment without thinking of the future. This is what this quotation is talking about when they say most of her decisions aren’t really sensible.
Inspector Beauvoir
“Jean Guy Beauvoir was constantly at war with himself, at odds over his need to wear clothes that showed off his slender, athletic build, and his need not to freeze his tight ass off.” (P.75) Beauvoir is another character that would fall under C.C.’s category of self-centred. Maybe not as extreme as her, but from this quotation we can definitely see his level. It is clear from how he wants to show everyone his body how vain he is.
Part B
Crie Lyon is an overweight, desperate for attention fourteen-year-old girl in this novel. Crie, being the child of C.C. de Poitiers, was constantly judged by her physical physique. She was never truly appreciated for who she was as a person. There is nothing that she wants more in the world than to be noticed and be beautiful. Crie joins the Christmas pageant for the first year in her five years at Miss Edward’s School for Girls. She decides to become a part of this because in the past she had been jealous of the pretty girls in their little dresses dancing and signing. “To surprise mommy, she’d told herself, trying to drown out the other voices.” (P.8) Crie says she does it for “mommy,” and when C.C. does not show up to the pageant, Crie’s heart is broken. When Crie notices that her mommy is not there she literally freezes and it so upset she cannot move. “Move lardass.” “The insult slid off Crie, as they all did. They were the white noise of her life. She barely heard them any more. Now she stood on stage staring straight into the audience as though frozen.” (P.21) The main reason she kills C.C. in an ingeniously thought out fashion, is because of how she in underappreciated as a child.
Part C
One example of Louise Penny’s humour breaking the tension in this novel comes during the scene when inspector Gamache and Beauvoir are inspecting the crime scene. During this scene, all Beauvoir can worry about is how you can look stylish, but warm at the same time in a Quebec winter. “It was nearly impossible to be both attractive and warm in a Quebec winter. And Jean guy Beauvoir sure didn’t want to look like a dork in a parka and stupid hat.” (P.76) This quotation of humour breaks the obvious tension of going to a scene where a murder has taken place. Another example of Louise breaking the tension, takes place just after she writes about how devastated Crie is that C.C. isn’t at the pageant. C.C. is talking about her first guru, Ramen Das to Saul. She says that they met in the mountains and had an instant spiritual connection and that she wanted to “seek the truth.” When C.C. has finished rambling on about her story of Ramen Das, Saul thinks, “Saul wondered whether she was confusing an Indian mystic with a KKK member. Ironic, really, if she was.” C.C. goes on and on saying that Ramen Das told C.C. she needed to spread her spiritual message and to write the book “Be Calm.”
C.C. de Poitiers
“God that means she’s written more books than she’s read.” (P.30) This quotation has more meaning to it than one would first interpret. Everyone thinks of C.C. as a person who is very ignorant and self- centred. This quotation describes this when Ruth jokes about how bad her book is. By reading more books you would have a better understanding of how they are supposed to be written and C.C. did not grasp this apparently.
Ruth Zardo
“This elderly, wizened bitter poet from Three Pines had won the Governor-General’s Award.” (P.26) This quotation describes her very well in that she was not the most pleasant person to be around. This being said many were forced to admit, despite her filthy personality, that she was indeed an accomplished poet.
Clara Morrow
“But while Clara knew that was the sensible thing to do, most of her decisions weren’t really sensible. But they suited her life.” (P.9) Clara is a good-hearted woman but at times can be asleep to the world around her. One would call her naïve based on the fact that she rolls through life only to make decisions based on what she wants at the present moment without thinking of the future. This is what this quotation is talking about when they say most of her decisions aren’t really sensible.
Inspector Beauvoir
“Jean Guy Beauvoir was constantly at war with himself, at odds over his need to wear clothes that showed off his slender, athletic build, and his need not to freeze his tight ass off.” (P.75) Beauvoir is another character that would fall under C.C.’s category of self-centred. Maybe not as extreme as her, but from this quotation we can definitely see his level. It is clear from how he wants to show everyone his body how vain he is.
Part B
Crie Lyon is an overweight, desperate for attention fourteen-year-old girl in this novel. Crie, being the child of C.C. de Poitiers, was constantly judged by her physical physique. She was never truly appreciated for who she was as a person. There is nothing that she wants more in the world than to be noticed and be beautiful. Crie joins the Christmas pageant for the first year in her five years at Miss Edward’s School for Girls. She decides to become a part of this because in the past she had been jealous of the pretty girls in their little dresses dancing and signing. “To surprise mommy, she’d told herself, trying to drown out the other voices.” (P.8) Crie says she does it for “mommy,” and when C.C. does not show up to the pageant, Crie’s heart is broken. When Crie notices that her mommy is not there she literally freezes and it so upset she cannot move. “Move lardass.” “The insult slid off Crie, as they all did. They were the white noise of her life. She barely heard them any more. Now she stood on stage staring straight into the audience as though frozen.” (P.21) The main reason she kills C.C. in an ingeniously thought out fashion, is because of how she in underappreciated as a child.
Part C
One example of Louise Penny’s humour breaking the tension in this novel comes during the scene when inspector Gamache and Beauvoir are inspecting the crime scene. During this scene, all Beauvoir can worry about is how you can look stylish, but warm at the same time in a Quebec winter. “It was nearly impossible to be both attractive and warm in a Quebec winter. And Jean guy Beauvoir sure didn’t want to look like a dork in a parka and stupid hat.” (P.76) This quotation of humour breaks the obvious tension of going to a scene where a murder has taken place. Another example of Louise breaking the tension, takes place just after she writes about how devastated Crie is that C.C. isn’t at the pageant. C.C. is talking about her first guru, Ramen Das to Saul. She says that they met in the mountains and had an instant spiritual connection and that she wanted to “seek the truth.” When C.C. has finished rambling on about her story of Ramen Das, Saul thinks, “Saul wondered whether she was confusing an Indian mystic with a KKK member. Ironic, really, if she was.” C.C. goes on and on saying that Ramen Das told C.C. she needed to spread her spiritual message and to write the book “Be Calm.”
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