Green Grass Running Water #2

Part 1:

“The Indian who couldn’t go home. It was a common enough theme in novels and movies. Indian leaves the traditional world of the reserve, goes to the city, and is destroyed. Indian leaves the traditional world of the reserve, is exposed to white culture, and becomes trapped between two worlds. Indian leaves the traditional world of the reserve, gets an education, and is shunned by his tribe. Indians, Indians, Indians. Ten little Indians.” (286 – 287) In this passage, it becomes clear that Eli is very troubled by his relationship with his culture and home. It had been hard leaving his native reserve, but resisting the temptation of returning to Alberta got easier after every passing year. At the end of this quotation the phrase, “Ten Little Indians” is used. This is a popular nursery rhyme that is still sung today. It is a clear reference to popular culture and the stereotypes related to Indians (who clearly aren’t actually from India).

“In the distance, at the edge of the horizon, Babo could see a point of light, a star in the morning sky.” (235) This is a very apparent biblical allusion to the Star of Bethlehem. In the Bible, this star leads the three wise men to a barn where Jesus’ birth is taking place. In the novel, it leads Babo and Dr. Hovaugh to the four Indians. Babo has a strong understanding of the situation as it unfolds while the Doctor does not. This comparison between Jesus and the Indians shows the importance of these four individuals in this novel.

This allusion to pop culture directly relates to the previous biblical allusion. Right before seeing the star in the morning sky, Dr. Hovaugh comments on the comfort level of riding in the Karmann-Ghia. “He had forgotten how uncomfortable the Karmann-Ghia was on a long trip, how every bump telescoped up through the steering wheel, shaking his arms and shoulders, how road noise rattled about the cavity of the car, leaving him with the vague feeling of being trapped inside a casstanet.” (235). The Karmann-Ghia is a popular culture allusion to Christopher Columbus’ Santa Maria. As commonly known, Christopher Columbus and his team took part in a bold expedition to an unknown continent. Likewise, Babo and Dr. Hovaugh are experiencing a trip to an unknown country, Canada.

“That woman who wanted a baby. Now, that was helpful.” (416) Coyote is referring to Alberta and the baby that he impregnated her with. This is a very similar situation to the Virgin Mary birth of Jesus that takes place in the Bible. Both Alberta and Mary’s children were not conceived normally, but by a higher being. This is very significant in Alberta’s life because she has always wanted a baby, but never expected to finally have one.

A very repetitive popular culture reference throughout the novel is the western film character, John Wayne. John Wayne is nothing short of a role model for Lionel. This is seen when he is as young as six. “By the time Lionel was six, he knew what he wanted to be. John Wayne. Not the actor, but the character. Not the man, but the hero.” (241) John Wayne is a very significant part of Lionel’s life partly because he looks like the white man he wants to become. This clearly goes against the teachings of his Indian traditions, but he truly believes that being white is superior to his Indian background.

Part 2:

Eli Stands Alone:

“And in a rather perverse way, Eli had come to enjoy the small pleasures of resistance, knowing that each time Duplessis opened the gates a little too much or turned on the light a little too late, it was because he was there.” (260)

This quotation shows that Eli not only feels the need to protect his cabin and heritage, but enjoys the resistance and annoyance he causes Duplessis. Eli has always kept a stubborn attitude throughout his encounters with Duplessis, but this quotation shows his pleasure in his actions. It has been clear during the entire novel that one day the dam was going to open, but everyday that this was delayed was a small victory for Eli.

Lionel Red Dog:

“’Today,’ he shouted at the mirror. ‘Today things change.’ And he whacked himself in the stomach and grabbed his saggy chest for good measure. He stood there naked, glaring into the mirror, pleased with the fire that burned in his eyes. Just above his left nipple, Lionel spotted the mole with the single long hair growing out it.” (240)

This quotation comes in the morning of Lionel’s 40^th birthday. He is truly fed up with the embarrassment that is his day-to-day life. This passage shows his newfound grit and determination that have not been especially evident until this point in the novel. However, his constant displeasure with his appearance brings his self-conscience attitude to the surface as usual.

Coyote:

“Up ahead, at the end of the alley near the entrance to the store, Lionel thought he could see a yellow dog dancing in the rain.” (279)

Nearing the end of a long walk to work, Lionel sees coyote in the distance through the rain (which was caused by none other than the same yellow dog). This proves coyote’s existence in flesh to both me as the reader and Lionel as an unsuspecting pedestrian. I was unsure of coyote’s true existence in the novel until this quotation and it helped me further my understanding of the unfolding plot.

Three Day Road Blog

The scene I have chosen proves to be an awakening for Xavier and his fellow soldiers, which opens their eyes to the true horror of war. It is the first friend of Xavier’s killed in the war and installs a sense of panic within him. Unfortunately, Xavier notices minutes earlier that both Sean Patrick, who is sniping, and Grey Eyes, who is working the plate, have been using the same position too long and Grey Eyes is not paying close enough attention to his job. Sean Patrick is shot directly in the neck by the notorious German sniper and his eyes widen with the terror of what is coming. The following excerpt depicts the terror of the scene, I bend back down to fill sandbags when I hear Gilberto shouting for help. When I look over, I see ten yards from me Sean Patrick on the ground writhing like a snake and grabbing his neck, blood spurting out in impossible amounts, his eyes wide with terror of what is coming. I run to him. We all run to him, McCaan and Elijah, Graves and Fat who’ve become closer and closer over the last months like a skinny father and his heavy son. We stand over Sean Patrick dumbly, none of us really knowing what to do, in shock at the sight of bright red blood pumping from between his fingers clenched so hard that it appears to be chocking himself, McCaan kneeling & fumbling to help. (111) Following this scene, the rest of the book begins to sound like the horrible war that we learn about in history textbooks. There is a sudden urge for payback and revenge in Sean Patrick’s name that cannot be quenched. This scene marks the end of Xavier’s innocence along with many others.

Boy in the Moon Reading Blog

Ian Brown’ first impression of L’Arche was a very interesting realization. It was “In that community, I was the stranger.” (187) He was quite nervous when entering the house in Verdun for the first time but it slowly began to grow on him. This is explained in a quote from page 194, “The remarkable thing about that house in Verdun was that the calm descended upon me again and again in a single evening. For a long time I didn’t want to leave.” However, his nervous attitude toward the community was something hard to shrug off. When visiting the L’Arche communities in Cuise-la-Motte and talking to the director Garry Webb he found the activities in the house in Semance “interesting, free, spirited, and made me extremely nervous.” (196) He had a slight skepticism towards the almost perfect atmosphere of the communities and thought “If Walker ever lived in such a place, would he be surrounded by people who cared for him for his own sake or by people who cared for him because they were in a cult? I didn’t want Walker in a cult.” (197) However, after several days in many of the communities he realized that “It was a pleasant place to be, and conveyed no sense that life ought to be otherwise.” (200)

When I visited L’Arche in Toronto it was very apparent that the place was a large family where everyone was free to be themselves and applauded for doing so. It was a very relaxed atmosphere in which it was hard not to smile at everyone around you. The community was very unique and it is clear that “No one at L’Arche talked about integration….this community existed for the disabled and made no pretense that residents eventually would be part of the “normal” community” as Ian Brown stated on page 199.

The most apparent thing I have learned about life with a profoundly disabled child is it is most definitely a full-time job. However, those who have to take on this responsibility would not refer to it as that. I can tell it is a great learning experience where there is a lot of giving involved but a lot given back. A child like this can give hope, but also stifle a parent’s life and become a burden at the same time. I can only say so much because I have only read the book and not experienced life with a disabled child.

My three questions include: If you could go back in time and have a child without a disability instead of Walker what would you do? What is one thing that you have learned from Walker that you think anyone could benefit from knowing? If there was one thing you could change about how you raised Walker, what would it be?

Dead Cold Reading Blog

C.C. de Poitiers can be easily described by this quotation, “CC gripped harder, willing herself not to launch herself over the sleek metal divider and onto Clara. She balled up all her rage and made a missile of it and, like Ahab, had her chest been a cannon she’d have fired her heart upon Clara. Instead, she did the next best thing. Turning to the man next to her and she said, ‘I’m so sorry, Denis that you think Clara’s art is amateur and banal. So she’s just wasting her time?’” (38) This quotation proves that C.C. is a very intentionally cruel person and finds pleasure in hurting other people like Clara. Ruth Zardo is portrayed in this quotation, “‘This’s a waste of time,’ she said, her short-cropped white head bending over Clara’s book. ‘No one from Montreal came, not a goddamned person. Just you lot. What a bore.’” (30) This quotation shows that Ruth has no problem saying what is on her mind, no matter how appropriate it is.

Clara Morrow is depicted in the following quotation, “Will that happen with my art? Clara wondered as she swooshed through the revolving doors into the perfumed and muted atmosphere of Ogilvy’s. Am I about to be plucked out of obscurity? She’d finally found the courage too give her work to their new neighbor, C.C. de Poitiers, after she’d overheard her talking in the bistro about her close personal friend, Denis Fortin.” (27) This quotation shows Clara’s positive attitude and optimistic mood that she maintains throughout the novel. Finally, Inspector Beauvoir is depicted by the following quotation, “Jean Guy Beauvoir was constantly at war with himself, at odds over his need to wear clothes that showed off his slender, athletic build, and his need not to freeze his tight ass off. It was nearly impossible to be both attractive and warm in a Quebec winter. And Jean Guy Beauvoir didn't want to look like a dork in a parka and stupid hat.” (147) This quotation shows Beauvoir's constant attitude of style over comfort in order to show off his good looks.

Crie Lyon is a very self-conscious 14 year old. She is overweight and tormented for that everyday, even by her mother. However, this does not hold her back from being a great student, especially in science. This is depicted in the quote, “At her side was a bag containing her snowflake costume. Stuffed into it was her report card. Straight As. Her teachers had tsked and shaken their heads and bemoaned the fact that such brains had been wasted on someone so damaged.” (27) Crie wants desperately to be liked and to impress her mom, but this seems almost impossible. C.C. even insults Crie after she sang beautifully at the Christmas service by saying, “They were laughing at you, you know. Deep and crisp and even…And your clothes. Are you sick? I think you’re mentally unstable.” It is very clear what motivates Crie to kill her mother. It is understandable to have a deep hate for someone who torments you on a daily basis and shows no love for her daughter.

A good example of Louise Penny’s use of humour to break down tension comes on page 27 when Kaye says, “Fuck the Pope.” This effectively breaks the tension created by Mother Bea realizing that her meditation centre and C.C.’s book having the same name, “Be Calm.” My second example of humour being used to break down tension appears on page 77, “How does someone get electrocuted in the middle of a frozen lake? You used to be able to electrocute someone in a bathtub but that was before most appliances had automatic shut-offs. Toss a toaster in your spouse’s bath these days and all you’ll get is a blown fuse, a ruined appliance and a very pissed of sweet-heart. No. It was almost impossible to electrocute someone these days, unless you were the governor of Texas.” These two light-hearted jokes reduced the tension after Gamache heard the news from Lemieux that C.C. was in fact murdered.