The section that I will be covering in Green Grass, Running Water is the introduction of Eli Stand Alone with the focus upon on his role in the story: standing his ground by literally remaining inside his mothers house to stop the operation of the dam. The theme that is illustrated in these few pages and through Eli in the story is the characters self-journey to find themselves and in this instance to for Eli to find himself circulating back to his roots through the metaphor of water (dam).
Eli Stand Alone
Eli Stand Alone’s name is important when looking at his surname. Stand Alone as Jane Flick explains is suggested to reference Elijah Harper, the man who stood his ground and fought against the Meech Lake Constitutional Accord in 1990. He blocked the operation of this by being the standout vote in the Manitoba legislature. Stand Alone follows Harper’s actions by standing up against the government in their action to operate the dam that would ultimately tear down his mothers home; the home she built with her own hand; the home that Eli and his siblings grew up in, created memories; and the home that overall brings Eli back to his roots. The last name Stand Alone works to elucidate the physical aspect of Eli standing alone to prevent the dam from happening, it is only he who reside in the home without help from his siblings.
The blocking of the dam is another display of the differences between the values of the Government (westernized thinkers) and those of the First Nations. Eli argues with the question: “how come so many of them [(dams)] are built on Indian land?” (King 111). The geographical location of this damn, when it is made clear there were other options, is an example of the Government’s belief that First Nation land is not equally valuable to land which is not. The fight between Eli and Clifford Sifton (who represents the Government), the man in charge of operating the dam is clearly shown to an endless battle with neither side listening. “Eli shouted, thought he knew Sifton couldn’t hear him above the rush of the water. Sifton raised his walking stick and shouted back, but Eli couldn’t hear him either.” (110) this moment between these two men illustrates the way in which values, beliefs, superiority, laws and regulations prevent each side from clearly hearing the voice of the other.
It is also important to note that the lake Eli Stand Alone is working to protect is named Parliament Lake which is no coincidence. Stand Alone is fighting against an operation that is run by the government and overall on a lake named after the highest legislature, it foreshadows that this fight will not be easy.
Clifford Sifton
I wanted to continue looking at this scene between Eli and Clifford. But before I provide more evidence, it is necessary to look at Flick’s notes on this character. Flick points out that Sir Clifford Sifton was an aggressive promoter of settlement in the West. This aggressive nature that is connected to Sifton is physically demonstrated through the act of forcibly pushing through the water to get to Eli. “The water buffeted Cliff’s legs, and Eli could see the man rocking and balancing as he stepped from rock to rock” (110) the water doesn’t make it easy for Clifford. The water acts as another force against the Government and a parallel to the aggressiveness Sifton is associated with as the water aggressively pushes against Clifford.
Looking again at the moment where neither Eli or Clifford can hear one another over the water not only demonstrates the stubbornness and the ethnocentrism that is definitely seen within the White culture, and possibly within Eli’s belief of his culture and traditions, but is also an ironic moment. It is ironic because the Sir Clifford Sifton Flick discusses in her notes suffered from deafness his entire life. Once again King does not do coincidences. King’s choice in Sifton, as the man that symbolizes everything Eli (The Indians) are fighting against, to be Deaf is crucial in the demonstration that the Government’s ears are closed to those who do not run with them. Of course Sifton cannot choose to not be Deaf, but I think it displays a stronger impact in the denial that The government have upon choosing this land to build a dam on. In other words, Sifton hears what he wants to hear, and thus the Government will find ways to move forward in this fight, whatever the means.
It is also important to know that Sir Clifford Sifton was part of the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. A job that was only completed by the forced slavery of thousands of imported Chinese Workers. This fact is important in understanding that the Sifton Jane discusses was a man that placed himself as superior; in charge of a project that placed the imported Chinese workers as inferior and worthless, brutally treating them in harsh working conditions and paying them little for their great work.I believe that King hopes that the reader is able to connect the two Siftons and in doing so can realize the possibility that the story’s Sifton will do anything in order to complete the damn, just like Sir Clifford Sifton does to complete the Canada Pacific Railway: using slaves. It leaves the reader wondering: if the earthquake did not break the dam, at what lengths would Sifton have gone to in order to force Eli to step down? Would he have gone so far and as inhumanely as Flick’s Sifton does in the creation of the Canada Pacific Railway?.
Blossom
Blossom is the town that the story centers around and it is important in “the natural beauty and regeneration, and the smallness” that the name represents as suggest by Jane Flick. For a novel that structure mirrors its content; all of the Native American characters grappling with the balance of tradition and modernity, Blossom works to in a minute but beautiful way to coincide with this struggle. The characters are on journey of self-finding, and as discussed earlier, Eli’s journey leads him back to his roots. Regeneration is altered within Eli’s story as he reverses it, rather than moving forward to create a new him, he turns back to what he knows to regenerate the generations before him. If we are to think of the first thing that comes to mind when hearing the word blossom, a flower appears. Flowers blossom every year, and each year they differ a little depending on the location of pollination that must occur. In a sense King’s characters only blossom, in other words, find themselves when they relocate themselves to where they want to be. It could be said that the characters ultimately represent pollen and thus move to blossom. This is a far fetched idea but I like the connection here between man and nature.
Works Cited
Flick Jane. “Reading Notes for Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water.” Canadian Literature 161/162 (1999). Web.
Gall, Gerald L. “Meech Lake Accord.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada, 7 Feb. 2006, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/meech-lake-accord/.
Hall, David J. “Sir Clifford Sifton.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada, 22 Jan. 2008, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sir-clifford-sifton/.
Lavallé, Omer. “Canada Pacific Railway.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada, 6 Mar. 2008, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/canadian-pacific-railway/.n/
King, Thomas. Green Grass, Running Water, Harper Perennial, Toronto, Ont, 2007.
Hi Bryony-Rose,
I liked your blog post this week. I was particularly drawn to your paragraph on Blossom. I enjoyed how you compare the blossoming of a flower to character’s finding themselves when they find a place they feel the place where they would like to be. I really like your idea that the characters are pollen and move to blossom. I also like the connection that is formed through your idea between the human and the natural. Reading your ideas about this made me think about how sometimes we have to keep moving until we find a place where we feel we fit. I think this is more than just physically, as moving to blossom could involve the lessons learned along the way, the experiences endured, and the stories heard and also created. Do you think that perhaps Thomas King’s novel’s emphasis on balance is a key to acceptance? By this question I mean in the sense of accepting different ideas, stories, and traditions of cultures different from our own. It seems like everything works as long as there is balance, but that it often takes awhile to learn how to find and achieve that balance.
Thank you for your post Bryony-Rose!
– Chloë
Hi Chloë,
Thank you for your comment! I never fully thought about the town’s name in great detail, but this assignment definitely made me do this and it left me seeing certain aspects in a new and interesting lights. I think it is important to understand like you said that we have to keep moving forwards until we find a place to fit in and this was a great theme of the story. Lionel is the perfect example of moving towards what he wants – after he figures this out – and finding that place where he fits in. To answer your question about balance as a key to acceptance, I do believe that it is necessary. It is a must to accept different ideas, stories and traditions to encompass those around us and fit in and allow others to fit in. This is seen through Lionel and Eli when they listen to their elders constantly talk about the need to return to the reserve and their beliefs and values of certain topics. Lionel and Eli in a sense listen to their elders and balance their opinions with their own in order to find the balance for themselves within their culture. If that made sense?
Bryony
Hi Bryony-Rose,
Thanks for the post! I enjoyed reading your reflections on the different connections and meanings within King’s writing. In particular, your reflection on Clifford Sifton and Eli Stand Alone’s attempted conversation over the rushing water, as well as the name reference of the lake, struck me. I hadn’t considered the name of the lake in terms of the (Canadian) parliament being behind the dam, both in thought and in setting/naming, but I can really see that connection after reading your post!
I also appreciated your reflection on how Sifton’s challenges hearing Stand Alone (and vice versa) could have been alluding to challenges understanding each other, especially when divided by something as natural and benign seeming as water (or culture), and I enjoyed reading your historical references for both of their names. (On a somewhat related and funny note, before reading Flick’s reference guide, I initially didn’t realize that Cliff Sifton was the name of a historical figure; I thought his name sounded like “cliff sift’n” which I figured might have been a reference to the dam in the story.)
Your post also made me think of some of the more recent events relating to dam construction in Canada, especially the site C project in B.C. It seems that initiatives, such as the one in the story, are ongoing, even when Indigenous nations express their opposition or concerns about them. In this sense, do you think that reading a (fictional) story, such as this one, can help to bring attention to these discrepancies and ongoing colonial acts?
Thanks again for the post — I look forward to connecting with you soon!
Kaylie
Hi Kaylie,
Thanks for your comment! I am really glad that my post was so insightful for you. I too did not know that Clifford Sifton was a historical figure, so I am glad I was not alone! I believe that this story is effective in bringing attention to the reader of these discrepancies because it translates the problems through satire. King uses satirical humour to discuss sensitive topics in a way that is not too harsh for the reader, although I think in some cases, bluntness needs to be used in order to fully comprehend the seriousness of the topics being discussed. So in the case of this book for myself personally, it did make me stop and think about my opinions on the matters discussed, such as the construction of the dam, and the ways we (the westernizers/ eurocentrics) treat and respect those who do not fall within our spectrum.
-Bryony
Hi,
I enjoyed reading your post. Like others, I was really intrigued by your comments about Blossom.
As you allude to, Blossom is a name that signifies beauty and positive change. We see blossoms in spring time, and it demonstrates the change from cold winters to springtime. It’s almost like nature’s promise for a new beginning.
Do you think King used this name to connect the reader into the theme of GGRW that the native characters are stepping out into a new day? What do you think the ramifications would have been if the name had been more negative? Would it have changed our interpretations of King’s message?
Hi Tillie,
I didn’t realize my thoughts on Blossom would create such a response from you guys! I do think King used it in connection with the theme; if we look at the creation stories, they’re in a sense a way of stepping out into a new day, a new world and a new life. The creation stories as told by the Four Old Indians are blossomed by the oral telling of them.
I believe that the only use of a negative town name in this story would have been situated at the beginning when we learn about how Eli, Lionel etc feel about their lives. At the beginning these characters are in a bad place, in a place that they are unsure whether they should be there or not, they’re trying to escape from it. So here is where if a negative name could be used, it would fit in. It would work as another sub-conscious push to escape from the negativity. If the negative name was used for the entire story, I do think that it would create a hovering sense of no escape for the characters. King places emphasis on names of places and people more greatly than most authors, so there is no doubt that if he changed it to be more negative, it of course would change our interpretations.
Thanks
-Bryony
I enjoyed your blog…this was a super interesting book to investigate as it has endless allusions to consider. I also wrote about Eli and Sifton, but I did it from a different angle, so you may find it interesting. Sifton’s name is on the BC Treaty 8 document made in 1885 (or 89). Crazy hey. King shows astute awareness of the effects colonization has had on our Indigenous people.
Thank you for your comment Kimberly.
I will have to check out your post on it! and I had no idea, there is so much information that I really don’t know and never think about especially within this topic.