For this week’s post: “The task at hand is to first discover as many allusions as you can to historical references (people and events), literary references (characters and authors), mythical references (symbols and metaphors).” – Dr. Erika Paterson

My Section in the 2007 Harper Perennial version is pages 167-179.

 

Summary:

The two parts which span over pages 167-179 are centred on Lionel and Alberta. Opening at a scene a day before his birthday, Lionel is situated at a ‘dead end’, having “[run] out of options years ago” (King 167). There is discussion of family and Lionel has decided that he would like to get married to Alberta. Alberta, on the other hand is determined to go through with artificial insemination without Lionel. The two sections are narrated through frames which are constantly switching, and the actual conversation about marriage which Lionel had intended is not shown. Alberta’s decision is a personal one and yet at the end of the second section, she is still considering what Lionel would want for his birthday.

 

Hyperlinking Green Grass Running Water:

“It’s human beings that need help” (King 167) is echoic, in my opinion, of environmental philosophy. Through the constant exploitation of the land and other living things, the effects of globalization, gentrification and ‘modernization’ has stripped the land of her goodness. This is often a topic of Native literature and perhaps a double entendre of King’s of the Western influence on humans as well.

“You can start with his jacket” (King 168) alludes to the saying ‘you are what you wear’. This implies the superficial yet important nature of how Lionel presents himself to others. His clothing is a significant topic in GGRW and is mentioned at different stages within the novel.

“If you’re serious about Alberta, you should bring her home so we can meet her” (King 169) alludes to what can perhaps be termed a ‘universal tradition’ of ‘meeting the parents’, considered a traditional ‘next step’ in an intensifying romantic relationship.

“No telling what’s going to happen tomorrow” (King 169) can be inferred to the uncertainty that is an inevitable of the passage of time. “Life is cyclical and ALL things are connected… which is central to a First Nations worldview” (Paterson). This is perhaps King’s method of suggesting the idea of ‘Carpe Diem’, which Lionel seems to avoid through his constant uncertainty and stagnancy in life.

Alberta is referred to The Bennett Clinic in order to receive her artificial insemination (King 177). Jane Flick suggests its reference to R.B. Bennett (1870-1947),  “a prominent Alberta politician, member for Calgary, who was Prime Minister from 1930-1945” (156). Bennett’s governance had initially been promising during the early years of The Great Depression, however his policies and reforms soon took a ‘chaotic’ turn of events and backfired (“Blaming”). Perhaps King’s allusion to Bennett had to do with the willingness and desire of the clinic to help Alberta fulfill her hopes of having a child, but their methods of achieving so were complicated and slow (King 177). In addition, although help was offered, during Alberta’s conversation with the receptionist, it seemed that her questions were being ignored and that and views were being forced upon her (King 178). Read out loud, “a lot of people make that mistake” seems to follow from the idea of women ‘not being married’ (King 178). Perhaps King was trying to further impress the views within the pre-WWII era through this dialogue as well.

The exploitation of the Natives for entertainment through mass media is subtly alluded to by King. Bill Bursum or rather King’s allusion to Buffalo Bill “makes [Lionel]” wear a “horrible gold thing” (King 177). In ‘Wild West’ and other Western portrayals of Native Americans, the image of the Natives are often grossly exaggerated into a form which would be entertaining for white audiences, or at least that would fit into existing stereotypes held. “The government hoped that touring with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West would help to “civilize” the Native Americans”, an enforcing of Western values onto the Other, considered more primitive and in need of adopting ‘civilized’ means of the West (Burrell). As with captivity narratives that were very popular during the discovery of New England, the West has always built on the assumed ‘savagery’ of the Natives. Although Buffalo Bill catalyzed an “overall positive effect”, this was not done without the exploitation or demeaning of the Natives (Burrell).

 

Works Cited

“Blaming the Prime Minister.” CBC Learning Online. n.d. Web. 10 July 2015.

Burrell, David. “Buffalo Bill and the Native Americans.” Historical Insights Online. 1992. Web. 10 July 2015.

Flick, Jane. “Reading Notes for Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water.” Canadian Literature 161/162 (1999). Web. 10 July 2015.

King, Thomas. Green Grass Running Water. Toronto: Harper Perennial, 2007. Print.

Paterson, Erika. “Lesson 3:3.” ENGL 470A Canadian Studies Canadian Literary Genres May 2015. University of British Columbia Department of English, n.d. Web. 7 July 2015.