Hyperlinking Green Grass Running Water

Write a blog that hyper-links your research on the characters in GGRW using at least 10 pages of the text of your choice.

For my blog post, I decided to do more research in to pages 53-63 (2012 edition) of Green Grass Running Water. These are the first ten pages of the second part of the Novel, and in them many characters are introduced, and each scene has a way of interconnecting in with the next. There are many illusions in this section, both in the name of the characters and in the symbols present in each scene.

4 Indians, Coyote and I says

At the start of this chapter, it becomes Ishmaels turn to tell the story. The name Ishmael could either be reference to the narrator of Moby dick, or it could be a biblical reference (really, it could be both). The name itself means “He (capital H, meaning God) has harkened, which Lindsay Jones suggests that “a child so named was regarded as the fulfillment of a divine promise” (4326). Coyote is also featured in this scene, he and ‘I Says’ are listening to the story and commenting on what is happening. Ishmael is telling the story of the Changing Woman, and it is revealed that when she falls out of that sky, she lands aboard a big white canoe that is “full of animals” (54). I believed this to be a reference to Noah’s Ark, a story from the Bible. It is revealed later on in the novel that it is in fact Noah’s Ark.

The four Indians, Ishmael, The Lone Ranger, Hawkeye, and Robinson Crusoe, are all described in Jane Flick’s Reading guide as Hero’s in certain references. They have set off to change to world, which is how they find themselves getting in to a car driven with Norma and her nephew Lionel on their way to Blossom.

Charlie Looking Bear

Charlie Looking Bear is a Blackfoot man who goes to school to become a lawyer. When he is fresh out of law school, he is hired by Duplessis International Associates. The law firm had been fighting a case for the past 10 years against Eli Stands Alone over a dam, and as Charlie even admits, “They hired him because he was Blackfoot and Eli was Blackfoot and the combination played well in the newspapers” (59).  The firm itself, Duplessis, could be an allusion to Maurice Duplessis. He was the Premier of Quebec for five non-consecutive terms between 1936 and 1959. His term in office is referred to as “The Great Darkness” due to many controversial decisions, and primarily what happened to the Duplessis Orphans. The story of the orphans contains a sticking amount of similarities to what happened to First Nations children in residential schools. For instance, the involvement of the catholic church (who then later confessed to no wrong-doing), mistreatment of the children and children being taken away from their families and deemed to be “orphans.” Charlie himself is described as being very materialistic. He values money over everything, and often thinks in terms of what he can get. Interestingly, he relays the story of a teacher who once told him that the “Alberta sky reminded her of an ocean, [into] which you can look and see the soul of the universe.” Upon hearing her description, Charlie responded “Look again” (60)

Eli Stands Alone

In 1981 Elijah Harper, a First Nations man from Red Sucker Lake won the race to be an MLA in the Albertan Government. He was the first Aboriginal to do so. The character of Eli Stands Alone in GGRW shares many life experiences to that of Elijah Harper. For instance, Harper opposed the Meech Lake Accord, much in a similar way that Eli is opposing the Parliament Lake build, to which he is in an ongoing battle with Duplessis International Associates over. Jane flick also believes that this is who Eli is alluding to, but adds that “Stands Alone” could be a reference to Pete Standing Alone, a blood elder. In this particular section of the book, Eli is having a conversation with Clifford Sifton, who is one of the men working on building the dam. I found the dynamic between Eli and Clifford to be quite interesting. While Eli is working to oppose the dam, which he is very active at, Clifford is presented in a much more passive light. Instead of believing himself capable of doing anything about the builds, he instead stands by the fact he “just build them.” I believe in doing this King is setting up another dichotomy, as these two characters seemingly interact in a comfortable manner however having morally opposing points of view.

Note: With everything going on right now, I was unable to finish this assignment on time, and it is likely I will read through and edit/add more allusions later on this week. I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy!

Works Cited

“CBC Archives.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/society/youth/the-duplessis-orphans/topic-the-duplessis-orphans.html.

Flick, Jane. “Reading Notes for Thomas King’s Green Grass Running Water.” Canadian  Literature 161-162. N.p., 1999.

Jones, Lindsay. Encyclopedia of Religion. Macmillan Reference USA, 2005.

King, Thomas. Green Grass, Running Water. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2012. Print.