OOH CANADA!

Hello everyone! I am sorry this is so late, but nonetheless, I assure you it will be worth the read! For assignment 3:7 we were tasked with writing a blog that hyper-links our research on the characters in Green Grass Running Water, by Thomas King, while also incorporating Jane Flick’s GGRW reading notes from our reading list. The pages I chose to discuss with you all are 11-21 because many characters are initially introduced in this section and it is relatively close to the beginning of the novel. I will begin by focusing on the first four characters introduced, known as the four Indians; Ishmael, Hawkeye, Lone Ranger, and Robinson Crusoe. I will then discuss in more detail two other characters who are much more developed; Dr. Joseph Hovaugh and Alberta Frank.

The Four Indians: Ishmael, Lone Ranger, Robinson Crusoe, and Hawkeye

One important aspect to note, as Jane Flick mentioned, is that ‘King purposefully plays with expectations of naming and gender’ (Flick, 141). The first character, Ishmael, is a variation of the faithful ‘Indian’ companion and is one of the main protagonists in the novel Moby Dick. Ishmael’s character development is still in the exposition phase and we do not get to know him very well in the pages I saw. 

The next character, the Lone Ranger, is known to be a white hero of Western books. My immediate thought when I heard the name Lone Ranger was the white saviour trope. The Lone Ranger also extends to King’s work as a photographer, which captures well known Native Americans wearing the Lone Ranger mask. The Lone Ranger appears to be the trusted storyteller in the pages I chose, but the other three Indians did not fully understand him until he started to speak in their native language. 

The third character, Robinson Crusoe, is known as the ‘savage companion’ because his role is based on survival, even if it means he must alter the truth to stay alive. Crusoe is ‘aided by his Man Friday, the “savage” he rescues from cannibals, and then Christianizes (Flick, 142). As Flick mentions, King mocks Crusoe’s passion for making lists and weighing the pros and cons of various situations (142). 

The fourth character is Hawkeye, who refers to a fictional character of a “white woodsman and guide with knowledge of ‘Indian ways’” (141-42). Hawkeye is the most famous of the frontier heroes in American literature and is another adopted Indian name. Hawkeye has a cultural presence in America that is signaled by popular taste. 

As mentioned, the Four Indians have adopted Indian names that have previous cultural meaning and popularity which King used to add further development and background to their characters. Through King’s use of fictional characters, he is able to connect them to Native American oral traditions and highlight the gap in knowledge and accuracy when examining Western’s representation of their culture.

Dr. Joseph Hovaugh

Flick described Joe Hovaugh as a play on the name Jehovah, which is also the Hebrew name for god. Joe Hovaugh is more interested in contemplating his garden than most other things (Flick, 144). From the first introduction we can see that Dr. Hovaugh is focused on certain things that may seem peculiar, and an example would be his wooden desk. King references him in a Christian mythological framework by stating the desk he was seated at was ‘stripped, repaired, stained blond,’ (King, 16). This is symbolic of the Passion and Ascension of Christ, who was crucified on a wooden cross. There is a correlation I found between Dr. Hovaugh’s character and god through his authoritative figure – he is seen as the one in charge who others follow. Another parallel I found was that since he is a doctor, he is seen to be above others and may be there only hope – seen as the ‘almighty and powerful’. While neither Flick or King mentioned this, it is something I drew upon and found to be quite interesting. Dr. Hovaugh’s characterization is not fully developed, but as a reader you observe that he is a tool that King used to comment on the relationship between Indigenous people and the Christian majority surrounding them. 

Alberta Frank

Alberta Frank is the principal female character in the story, and her name is a play on demographic. Alberta suggests the province in Western Canada, and Frank refers to her tendency to be quite blunt. Flick mentions that King may be showing possible favouritism or fondness since he lived and taught in Lethbridge, Alberta (144). Flick also mentioned that her name may have also been drawn on the Frank Slide of 1903 on the Turtle River, which has been speculated to be a disaster date that Dr. Hovaugh tracks (144). While Alberta is known to be frank and blunt, while she is teaching her class about Fort Marion, most of her students pay little to no attention to her. The students lack interest in the topics she discusses, and this lack of interest can draw a parallel to the lack of attention and respect people pay to Indigenous peoples, their cultural history, oral traditions, and livelihood.

I really enjoyed this blog post because it made me think outside of the box and push myself with the hyperlinks. I found myself wanting to back up my thoughts with what others thought, and that is where the internet and all these links came into play! Please give my hyperlinks a read, I found them extremely useful. Stay safe and healthy everyone.

Maya 🙂

Works Cited

Admin. “The Fort Marion Prisoners.” Native American Netroots, 24 Feb. 2012, nativeamericannetroots.net/diary/1269.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2015, June 7). Lone Ranger. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lone-Ranger

Sleeth, M. (2019, April 12). What Is the Significance of Trees in the Bible? Why Did Jesus Die on a Tree? Retrieved from https://www.christianity.com/wiki/jesus-christ/what-is-the-significance-of-trees-in-the-bible-why-did-jesus-die-on-a-tree.html

Dr. Joseph Hovaugh and Jehovah. (2010, July 19). Retrieved from https://litstudies.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/dr-joseph-hovaugh-and-jehovah/

Will, George F. “The Hawkeye Who Sleeps in All Americans.” Baltimoresun.com, 25 Oct. 2018, www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1992-10-08-1992282010-story.html.

(n.d.). Retrieved from https://biblehub.com/library/kinkead/baltimore_catechism_no_4/lesson_8_on_our_lords.htm

“The Real Robinson Crusoe.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 July 2005, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-real-robinson-crusoe-74877644/.

Fitzgerald, Michael. (2013). The White Savior and his Junior Partner: The Lone Ranger and Tonto on Cold War Television (1949–1957). The Journal of Popular Culture. 46. 10.1111/jpcu.12017. 

“Ishmael in Moby-Dick: Character Analysis & Symbolism.” Study.Com, study.com/academy/lesson/ishmael-in-moby-dick-character-analysis-symbolism.html. Accessed 17 Apr. 2020.

Flick Jane. “Reading Notes for Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water.” Canadian Literature 161/162 (1999). Web. April 4th 2013. 

King, Thomas. Green Grass Running Water. Toronto: Harper Collins, 1993. Print.