There are several instances in Green Grass, Running Water in which traditional narratives are altered in order to “extricate the characters’ lives from the domination of the invader’s discourse.” I plan to discuss two of these instances, beginning with the “fixing” of the fictional John Wayne film by the Four Indians in Bill Bursum’s electronics store (316-322).

It is important to note, especially in the context of our previous assignments, that the Four Indians “fix” the film through song. This song is a form of oral narrative, and this method of fixing usurps not only the content of the film but its medium as well. King challenges the “invaders discourse” by suggesting that even the fixed recorded narrative of the film is subject to revision, and that oral traditions are still powerful. Through rewriting the history ascribed to settler-Indigenous relations in the film, the Four Indians appropriate an Indian identity which subverts that which is presented in this “invaders’ discourse.” In the new version of the film the Indians are not the inevitable victims of the settler’s superior technology and military strength. They are strong, resistant, and dangerous.

The film is broadcast on the The Map, a representation of the world according to Bill Bursum. The Map is made up of televisions, potent symbols of capitalist consumer culture. The televisions themselves are a medium through which stereotypes and invaders’ discourses’ are propagated. Televisions construct and enforce identities and worldviews. By altering the narrative presented by The Map, the Four Indians challenge the global hegemony of Western consumerist ideology. In this way, their actions transcend Indigenous issues, and are representative of a larger struggle.

Another narrative which is altered from its original state occurs when Changing Woman encounters Ahab, sailing aboard the Pequod. (194-198) This is, of course, a retelling of Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, a powerful symbol of American culture. Ahab is very much a Western colonial figure in King’s retelling, and he is not portrayed kindly. Both Ishmael and Ahab are eager to assign names and identities to characters who these identities do not belong to. Changing Woman becomes Queequeg and Moby Jane becomes Moby Dick, according to Ahab and Ishmael. The whalers are so intent on succeeding in their quest that they are willing to manipulate reality in order to achieve their ends. Ultimately, their efforts are unsustainable and destructive. Ahab and Ishmael’s behaviour, firstly, mirrors Columbus’ “discovery” of America. The explorer was looking for something completely different, but when he found the Caribbean he treated this land according to his needs and desires (slaves and precious metals). That Ahab’s crew abandons him, and his ship sinks, could be read as a commentary on the unsustainability of Western exploitative ideology – that our propensity to dominate and consume is a short sighted and ill fated phenomenon. Throughout this section, Changing Woman refuses to cooperate with Ahab and Ishmael. Changing Woman represents and independent, strong, resistant and adaptable Indigenous identity.

Works Cited:

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

Paterson, Erika. “Lesson 3:2.” ENGL 470A Canadian Studies Canadian Literary Genres. University of British Columbia Blogs, 2013. Web. 3 March 2014.