Assignment 3:5: Spoken Illusions
6. Find three examples of names that need to be spoken aloud in order to catch the allusion. Discuss the examples as well as the reading technique that requires you to read aloud in order to make connections. Why does King want us to read aloud?
Relying on Jane Flicks guide to illustrate the three examples of names that need to be spoken aloud in order to catch the allusions that I have chosen to examine, the examples are as follows:
AHDAMN: (King, 40) A ”play on Adam and the Garden of Eden story in Genesis. Note that First Woman, not God, makes the garden,” (Flick, 147). This reference is reminiscent of the dichotomy between “The Earth Diver” and the story of “Genesis” in The Truth About Stories and how King continuously weaves between Christian teachings and Indigenous stories throughout his works. The wiping out of Indigenous traditions by Christian tutelage in Residential schools is indicated throughout Indigenous literature much to the point where the damaging effects are so irreparable its impossible to study the history of one without the other. The play on words of biblical Adam to Kings “ah-damn” is a toying with the notions of guilt and damnation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. King also switches the script to a matrilineal story where Eve appears before Adam, and also happily eats the apple that is given to them with no repercussion (King, 40).
SHAGGANAPPI: (King, 66) “The name of this lounge comes from the Algonquian word for rawhide cord. Since Alberta contemplates finding a sperm contributor here, perhaps this is a pun, “shag a nappy;” that is, shag (sexual slang) and nappy (diaper),” (Flick, 149). A slightly grotesque pun, this play-on-words reference’s are two-fold; firstly, Flick references Alberta’s seeking out of a mate by whom to have a baby, which as we later see in the novel she gets pregnant and the father is unknown, positioning her as a foil to the Virgin Mary. Again we see the intertwining of Catholicism and Indigenous beliefs, Alberta is set up in the story as a representation of hope for the future of her people. Secondly, due to the crass nature of this pun, King reappropriates the racist ‘Pidgin English or “Tonto-speak,”’ (Hirschfelder, 2018) often used in the multitude of Hollywood westerns referenced in the book.
GRAND BALEEN DAM: (King, 112) “Grande Baleine or Great Whale River Project, part of the James Bay hydroelectric project. Massive diversions of water from the Eastmain and other rivers destroyed traditional Cree hunting territories.” (Flick, 150). This reference is effectively literal as King describes Norma’s house as “right in the middle of the proposed spillway,” (King, 112). The significance of this reference is to address the removal of Indigenous peoples from their land and the horrendous effects the project had on their land, “with it came the flooding of 11,500 square kilometers of land, which lead to the drowning of 10,000 caribou and mercury poisoning of local water, which in turn poisoned local fish,” (Cadotte, 2018)
King incentivizes the reader to read out loud by lacing in puns, turns of phrase, and hidden play-on-words into the intricate text of Green Grass Running Water. By encouraging the reader to read aloud King effectively tricks (Coyote, is that you?) the reader into participating in Indigenous story telling. This seemingly playful act is also the gentle hand that leads the reader into exploring the multitudinous nuances, references, and deep, well mapped out Indigenous history that King has woven together. Without Flicks guide much of this novel would remain a mystery to be uncovered only by those who take the time to reread and research Indigenous history.
Works Cited:
King, Thomas. Green Grass Running Water. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1993. Print.
Flick, Jane. “Reading Notes for Thomas King’s Green Grass Running Water.” Canadian Literature 161-162. (1999). Web. April 04/2013.
Cadotte, Olivier, et al. “The Hydroelectric Crises: The Fight to Live in the North: Opinions.” The Link, thelinknewspaper.ca/article/the-hydroelectric-crises-the-fight-to-live-in-the-north.
Hirschfelder, Arlene, and Paulette F Molin. “Stereotyping Native Americans.” Stereotyping Native Americans – Jim Crow Museum – Ferris State University, 22 Feb. 2018, www.ferris.edu/HTMLS/news/jimcrow/native/homepage.htm.
Hi Emilia,
I think from reading your post that you would agree that not all these allusions came across as super obvious or blatant. I wanted to know that upon the discovery of these allusions, did it affect your interpretation of King’s work? Do you feel like that Flick helped with your current thoughts?
I liked your joke about Coyote! It really made me wonder for a moment, if it is an intentional correlation to some degree? I personally think that it does add to the overall tone and possibly the understanding of Coyote’s persona/essence, especially since we are attributing the stories to be in part of Coyote’s consciousness
Thank you!
Lisa
Hi Lisa!
I think unfortunately since we had read so much about King swork to begin with I was anticipating a lot of references and hiding allusions. However, in no way did that diminish the work at all, in fact without knowing ahead of time that as a reader I needed to be diligently on the lookout for such references and allusions enriched the reading overall. Without this prior knowledge I probably would have maybe even been a little put-off and frustrated with the style of the novel. I think I likely would have caught some of them like Ah-damn for example and been able to unpack it in the context of the first woman story, but others like Shaganappi, or the one that i’m a little embarrassed to say I never would have caught without Flicks guide, Dr Joe Hovaugh I wouldn’t have been as successful. I had flicked through Flicks guide (I couldn’t help myself haha) before starting the novel and I’m so glad I did. This book is like a history guide for those willing to learn and some of the references are so intricate and dated they could easily be missed (and would have been). So yes to answer your question the guide absolutely helped me with my current thought and enriched the whole experience, I relied on it heavily and it was open on my computer for weeks.
I wondered myself where King positions himself in the novel and I think that yes to some degree it must have been a deliberate correlation, there are too many layers at work for it not to be. And I agree, it definitely adds to the persona and Coyote’s consciousness! The book if rife with whimsy and playfulness as well as history.
Thanks Lisa!
Hi! What an intriguing blog post! I found the mention of the matrilineal story of Adam and Eve especially interesting! Why do you think King chose to do this? Do you think the matrilineal storyline interferes with his reference to the to ‘Ahdamn’?