Your blog assignment is to hyper-link your research on the characters and symbols in GGRW  — according to the pages assigned to you on our Student Blog page.

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Pages 38-53 (1993 Edition) / 46-64 (2007 Edition)

Upon reading my assigned pages of King’s Green Grass Running Water more closely, the significance of these characters and the ways in which they relate to one another became all the more apparent to me. While that’s not to say I didn’t have some difficulty deciphering particular allusions or interconnections between these characters, this hyperlinking assignment was quite interesting to do.

Dr. Joseph Hovaugh and Dr. John Eliot

Dr. Joseph Hovaugh sounds like a play on the name Jehovah, which suggests that there is a Christian allegory in this context. In the section I was assigned, the beginning pages tell of a dialogue between Dr. John Eliot and Dr. Hovaugh, as they discuss the case of the four missing Indians in depth. As Dr. John Eliot appears to be an allusion to a missionary, it therefore makes sense that he would be fixated on further uncovering the truth behind their disappearance: “What I can’t understand is how did they escape. And where did they go? Have you ever thought about that, Joe? And why, in God’s name, would they want to leave?” (King, 48). Given that John Eliot was highly opposed to the enslavement of Indians, the fact that he is determined to uncover the truth seems to be fitting as well. For Dr. Hovaugh, on the other hand, has a job at the asylum where he is actually keeping the four Indians. In this regard, Hovaugh’s involvement strikes me as an allusion to one of the dominant issues we have discussed throughout the course thus far: the issue of the colonizers vs. the colonized. In this case, it would appear as though Dr Hovaugh, an authoritative figure, is the colonizer, while the Indians (historically as well) are the colonized. Put into this context, Dr. John Eliot can thus be depicted as a man advocating for the rights of the colonized, wanting to bring them justice.

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

These four characters are representative of the European and Western depictions of colonization and white superiority. Lone Ranger and Hawkeye are depicted in American literature as heroes. They are prominent Indian figures that symbolize Old West lawmen responsible for taking upon leadership roles within native communities. Of the four Indians, Lone Ranger and Hawkeye appear to be the main two in charge. Ishmael and Robinson Crusoe on the other hand, are representative of the weakened result of successful colonization; they are loyal companions but do not enforce or protect their kin like Lone Ranger and Hawkeye. Robinson Crusoe, referred to, as a “savage” is also a direct allusion to Defoe’s hero, Robinson Crusoe: a shipwrecked sailor that “survives through ingenuity and finds spiritual strength through adversity” (Flick, 142). Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe’s tenacity and unwillingness to succumb to his misfortune can perhaps be interpreted as an allusion to the state of the colonized Indians, for despite the dire circumstances they appear to be confined within, their perseverance and desire for freedom will prevail. Ishmael, the “soothing savage” is another variation of the faithful “Indian” companion.

Babo Jones and Sergeant Cereno

Babo’s character is a reference to Melville’s, “Benito Cereno”, in which Babo is a black slave that is both the barber and leader of the slave revolt aboard the San Dominick. He is described in this story as being deceptive, which King’s Babo also proves to be as well. This is made most evident when Sergeant Cereno is questioning her, as she refuses to divulge a straight answer and has difficulty staying focused on their conversation. Rather than being cooperative with the police, she comes off as shifty, neurotic, and even mentally unstable. Her failure to provide sufficient information to Sergeant Cereno and constant undermining of authority makes evident the duplicitous and manipulative persona that is derived from her allegorical import.

Norma and Lionel

“Music to my old ears to hear you talking traditional, nephew” – Norma

Norma is Lionel, a Canadian-Aboriginal young man’s aunt. In the section I am analyzing, it is apparent that Norma feels as though her nephew is purposely abandoning his Indian roots by taking on Western ideals and standards of living. For instance, she comments on his job selling TVs, and reminds him to come and visit them on the reserve more frequently. She is reminiscent of that traditional figure that we all have encountered at one point or another in our lives; the one person that is steadfast against assimilating or adopting Westernized standards. She serves as a constant reminder of the livelihood of Indian tradition and culture, and quite frankly, this seems to be a role that she enjoys playing.

“Get your life together. With your record, you’re running out of options”

Lionel, on the other hand, seems to have been getting along fine with his job as a TV salesman, despite his aunt’s continuous urges to adopt a more Aboriginal profession or way of life. There is a sense of irony that emerges in this section, for Lionel submits to his aunt’s request to hang out with Cecil, only to get wrapped up in a life-altering debacle. The irony lies in the fact that when he tries to reconnect with his Indian roots he encounters immense havoc. Contrary to Norma’s incessant impositions to better acquaint her nephew with his Indian heritage, it seems as though he was far better of living the Canadianized lifestyle he opted for. Poignantly, for Lionel, one day proves to have changed it all.

Latisha and Alberta Frank

Norma uses Latisha and Alberta as examples of Aboriginal people who have not abandoned their roots to Lionel. Alberta’s name is an immediate allusion to the Canadian province and home of Thomas King, as he is originally from Lethbridge, Alberta. She is the “principal female character in the realist story” (Flick, 144) and Flick notes that it is also quite possible that her name is derived from Frank, Alberta on the Turtle River; the town was the site of a major disaster and it was buried by the recognized Frank Slide of 1903.

 

Works Cited

“Differences between traditional Aboriginal cultures and mainstream Western culture.” Aboriginal Human Resource Council. Web. 30 March 2016.

Flick, Jane. “Reading Notes for Thomas King’s Green Grass, Running Water.”Canadian Literature 161.162 (1999): 140-72. 1999. Web. 23 Mar. 2016.

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

Grandin, Greg. “Obama, Melville and the Tea Party.” New York Times. New York Times, January 2014. Web. 30 March 2016.

Lloyd, Monica. “Hawk-Eye and the Crisis of American Masculinity in The Last of the Mohicans.” International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Vol. 4 No. 2. January 2014, pp. 126-135. Web.

“Lone Ranger”. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2016. Web. 30 March 2016 <http://www.britannica.com/topic/Lone-Ranger>.