Write a blog that hyper-links your research on the characters in GGRW according to the pages assigned to you. Be sure to make use of Jane Flick’s reference guide on your reading list.
My section is pages 331 – 339, but I have adjusted it to be 330-40 so that it is an entire section (working from the 2007 print, not the 1993). There are a lot of names covered, so I decided to comprise a list of all of them, and then write on the ones which are the main characters of this section. You’re going to have to be patient with me for this! *Ahem* Just kidding, lists are the fun part….?
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Bill Bursum, The Indians, John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Lone Ranger, Ishmael, Robinson Crusoe, Lionel, Old Indians, Hawkeye, Eli, Charlie, Minnie, Coyote , Louie, Latisha, Ray, Al, the dead dog cafe, Cynthia, Sun Dance, Blossom, Harley, Latisha’s mother, Aunt Norma, Latisha’s ex-husband George, Latisha’s father, Four older women, Mrs. Potts, Latisha’s son Christian, Alberta.
Phew, okay now that that is done (it’s okay, you don’t have to tell me that you didn’t read that part) lets get on to the fun stuff!
In this part of King’s novel Green Grass Running Water, we are primarily between the Dead Dog Cafe and flash backs to Latisha and Georges honeymoon at Sun Dance (334-340). The main characters in this section are the names which I will be looking into!
Latisha: Name of African-American descent. Which is very interesting as Latisha is from the Blackfoot Tribe (131).
Louis, Ray, & Al: “Louis, Ray, Al, a pun on Louis Riel” (Flick 161).
Additionally, “Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the Red River and North-West resistances (born 22 October 1844 in Saint-Boniface, Red River Settlement; died 16 November 1885 in Regina, SK)” (Canadian Encyclopedia)
Bill Bursum (or Billy): “King combines the names of two men famous for their hostility to Indians. Holm O. Bursum (1867-1953) was a senator from New Mexico who advocated the exploration and development of New Mexico’s mineral resources. With his eye on the map of New Mexico, he proposed the infamous Bursum Bill of 1921, which aimed to divest Pueblos of a large portion of their lands and to give land title and water rights to non-Indians… The Buffalo Bill part of the name refers to William R Cody (1846-1917), an exploiter of Indians for entertainment in BuffaloBill Cody’s Wild West Show” (Flick 148).
George: A very European name. Highlights George’s ‘whiteness’ in comparison to others in the story.
Dead Dog Cafe: “Part of the jokes about traditional Blackfoot cooking and tourists’ desire for the exotic…. Also refers to starving Indians having to eat their dogs. Possibly a play on Nietzsche’s assertion that ‘God is Dead‘ [RR]. Note that Thomas King’s Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour (CBC 1996-) is a ‘spinoff'”(Flick 149).
Sun Dance: A religious festival lasting 4-8 days.
Blossom: “The setting, a town in Alberta. Blossom is also featured in King’s One GoodStory,That One; see ‘How Corporal Colin Sterling Saved Blossom, Alberta, and Most of the Rest of the World.’… The name suggests natural beauty and regeneration, as well as the smallness of the town” (Flick 147).
What I found interesting about this assignment, is that names have meaning and King was very intentional about his. The tension between Latisha and George is not only in their relationship, but also in their names. When you say the two together, you can ‘feel’ as if they do not belong – emphasized by the troubles in their marriage.
The Dead Dog Cafe was also an engaging narrative choice. We not only have the religious component to it “God is Dead” but also the cultural reference to Indians (pardon my usage of the word) who were starving choosing to eat their dogs. Additionally, one wonders what sort of establishment it as the name makes it sound like it would not be an appealing place to eat, yet people seem to go there.
The Sun Dance festival was also an very telling place for King to choose Latisha and George to have their honeymoon. Not only does the reader experience the cultural differences between the couple, but also Georges lack of understanding/caring towards Latisha’s culture. All he wants to know is if the Teepee door locks so that they can have sex (King 337)- yet the Sun Dance festival is a religious one “dedicated to showing the continuity between life and death” and emphasizes an equality between all things natural (see Sun Dance hyperlink).
Finally, King’s play on names with Bill Bursum and Louis, Ray & Al demonstrates a respect for both the historic and oral traditions. With Bill Bursum’s name, one is required to look up its meaning, but with Louis, Ray and Al, all one has to do is say their names out loud to get it (and have attended your high school’s socials/history class during the Canadian portion)!
King’s novel Green Grass Running Water asks us to actively engage with the text – not just read through it. He blends together both the oral and written traditions, and has created an exciting story for us to work with.
Works Cited
“Buffalo Bill.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Bill>.
“BURSUM, Holm Olaf – Biographical Information.” BURSUM, Holm Olaf – Biographical Information. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=b001144>.
Cherry Blossom Trees. N.d. Images4.fanpop. Web. 15 Mar. 2015. <http://images4.fanpop.com/image/photos/19800000/Cherry-Blossom-Tree-trees-19838733-750-500.jpg>.
“God Is Dead, Nietzsche Is Dead” N.d. Flikr, n.p.
“Louis Riel.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/louis-riel/>.
“Meaning, Origin and History of the Name Latisha.” Behind the Name. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://www.behindthename.com/name/latisha>.
“Meaning, Origin and History of the Name George.” Behind the Name. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://www.behindthename.com/name/george>.
“Places: Blossom, Alberta, Canada.” Blossom, Alberta, Canada. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <https://www.librarything.com/place/Blossom,+Alberta,+Canada>.
“Sun Dance.” Sun Dance. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2015. <http://www.crystalinks.com/sundance.html>.
“The Dead Dog Café Comedy Hour.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dead_Dog_Caf%C3%A9_Comedy_Hour>.
Hey Susie,
Such a good post! You definitely brought to light a lot of meaning to names I completely by passed. After reading your post, I can totally make sense of Latisha and George’s names as putting emphasis on their marriage problems.
I think that King’s decision to use allusions in these ways is reflective of oral storytelling. What I mean is that it is only by saying these names or places out loud that we get to hear the implications and meanings. Perhaps King is trying to urge us to tell our stories orally and move away from things like text messages and Facebook because with those, we are not able to really get the true meaning of what the author is trying to convey. Oral story telling allows audience members and listeners to gather the speakers emotions, feelings and sometimes, implications that otherwise would not have been obvious or understood online or in text. By reading his story and doing this exercise, we are forced to speak aloud. If we were to only simply read this novel, these names might have went right over our heads. (I know the allusions would have by-passed me completely!)
Finally, like you, I agree that these names were chosen intentionally to give better meaning to the characters. If the reader cares enough about the book or the plot, the reader will take a moment to let these names sink in and question whether they have additional meanings. This assignment has definitely made me question names and references in the other books because you never know what the author intended!
Looking forward to creating our schedule for this project and working on it!
Jess P
Hi Jess,
thanks for the thought provoking response! i too want to pay more attention to characters names, and if there is anything that this assignment has taught me, its how important it is to look names/places up!!! Cant hurt to see if the author intentional chose those names or not 🙂
Susie