Green Grass, Running Water Blog

1.)
The first allusion I chose is created with John Wayne and Richard Widmark. In almost every movie John Wayne has been in he ends up being the victor. In this situation he does not. It keeps the reader guessing. This next allusion is Biblical, being an allusion to the Star of Bethlehem. “In the distance, at the edge of the horizon, Babo could see a point of light, a star in the morning sky.” (p. 235) Babo uses a star on the horizon as a reference point to their destination. Another popular culture allusion is when Babo could see all three cars floating in the flood and it’s an allusion to Columbus’ fleet of ships. “The cars sailed past the bus, and Babo could see each one clearly now,” (p.406) The next allusion also has to do with popular culture. The colours of their cars are the colours of conquest, the Union Jack, France and USA. The cars are a red Pinto, Blue Nissan and a white Karmann-Ghia. This example contributes to the story because the conquest of the Dam. ‘“Let’s see,” said Lew. “There’s a red Pinto. And...a blue Toyota, no, no...a Nissan, a blue Nissan. And a...hey, that’s a nice. Look, it’s a Karmann-Ghia. The white one.”’ The last allusion is popular culture and it is an allusion to the Kennedy assassination. ‘“Maybe there was more than one gunman,” says Coyote. “Anything’s possible,” I says. “Maybe,” says Coyote, “it was a conspiracy.”’ (p. 395) This example relates to the novel when someone shot Nasty Bumppo.

2.)
a)
Eli Stands Alone is Lionel’s uncle. He is a former professor, who dislikes the building of a dam that upsets the course of a waterway, the natural course is important to Blackfoot tradition. Eli lives near the dam, which would be ruined if the dam were to continue to be expanded and form a lake.

“Looking back, Eli could see that he had never made a conscious decision to stay. And looking back, he knew it was the only decision he could have made.” (p. 263)

b)
Lionel Red Dog is pretty clueless. He hates and is afraid of taking risks. Lionel is ashamed of his life and wants to change.

“That’s mine, damn it.” George looked past Lionel. Eli was bent over the case… “This is how you help me fix up my life?” “Pretty exciting, isn’t it?” said Ishmael. (p. 387)

c)
Coyote is a trickster and a trouble maker. He’s often speaks to the four escaped American Indians and also the unknown narrator throughout the novel. The Coyote is some times scene as a real coyote and this example shows that Eli sees him and sees him dancing. Whenever Coyote dances it rains, so it is a good example of him being a trouble maker and a trickster as well.

“…as he watched, a scraggly dog dashed back and forth, chasing its tail, spinning in the rain, as if it were trying to dance.” (p. 289)

Overall Thomas King did a great job on Green Grass, Running Water. I found it funny at many points but also serious so it had a good mix. It was a great read.

Logan Semple