Green Grass, Running Water Reader Response

Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King is an interesting book to read. I will admit I had trouble following many parts of the book, and some of the puns went right over my head. King's writing style is different then other books I have read in the past. This novel is filled with different themes, stereotypes and symbolism.

I found the four Indians to be the most intriguing characters throughout the book. The Lone Ranger, Hawkeye, Robinson Crusoe, and Ishmael are all famous fictional white men. Which is ironic because the four Indians are women and well, Indians. They are on a quest "to fix up the world"(133), and seem to have been doing so for a long time. Each has their own story of the beginning of the world, yet they all seem to be related. Which may also represent their own personal stories. The Lone Ranger, Hawkeye, Robinson Crusoe and Ishmael along with Coyote, who is a unique character himself, seem to be narrators, along with active characters in this novel. I am looking forward to discussing these characters and their purpose in the novel more in depth during discussion.


Each character seems to have their own story line, yet all the stories seem to be connected. Lionel is in love with Alberta, who is also dating Charlie, his cousin. Eli's cabin is standing in the way of a major dam project. Latisha runs a restaurant called the Dead Dog Cafe. Norma seems to be the boss figure for all of the characters. Babo is friends with the four elders and works at the hospital they escape from. Dr. Hovaugh is convinced that Lone Ranger, Hawkeye, Robinson Crusoe and Ishmael are responsible for terrible events from the past. And Coyote likes to cause mischief and run through everyone's story.

Along with each character having their own story, they seem to have their own theme as well. For Lionel his theme seems to be mistakes. We learn that he was three major mistakes but his life in general seems to be a mistake. Lionel is unhappy with his life and what he has become. He is forty, sells televisions for a living, has no college education, and is in love with a women who is dating his cousin. Alberta's theme has to do with decisions and commitment. She seems to struggle with this issue throughout the whole book. Her dream is to have a child but no husband. She is dating two men at the same time, neither I believe she is truly in love with. Eli is struggling with the return home. He left the reservation and saw the world, tried to be a white man as Norma states. Then came home and is trying to fit into the world he left.

King writes about many different cultural groups and the way they feel about one another. He mentions the discrimination between whites and the Indians. Westerns seem to play a key role in the novel, depicting the typical opinion of whites and Indians. Americans and Canadians, which I found engaging because I never thought there was a strain between the two countries. King pokes fun at the genders through Alberta's story. Finally he seems to strongly mock Christianity. He weaves parts of Bible stories in his own stories but changes the characters to be rude and selfish. King writes,"That good women makes a garden and she lives there with Ahdamn"(40). Ahdamn is symbolic of Adam and the Garden of Eden. Some of his opinions or mockery of the Christian faith crossed my personal line and made it harder to read.

I was wondering why there was so many references to water in the book. Each story of the beginning states "In the beginning, there was nothing. Just water"(1). When the character's cars go missing there is nothing but a puddle of water. Finally at the end when the dam bursts, which is also the event that brought everyone together.

I was also confused about the character "I". Is this supposed to be a narrator, or is it representing the reader?

All the Indian characters have white first names, why? (Charlie, Eli, Lionel. Norma. Alberta, Harley, Bernice...)

How much of a part does Coyote play in fixing the world, or messing it up? I says, "You are one silly Coyote...no wonder this world is a mess"(262).

King definitely made an impression on me, and I am looking forward to discussing this novel in class to gain a better understanding of the text. I have a lot of questions and I really would like to hear others interpretations of the book.

The Things They Carried Critical Analysis

A Safe Harbor

It was the summer of 1968, at the young age of twenty-one Tim O'Brien received a draft notice to fight in a war he did not even support. Tim was thrown into a sea of chaos, he was too good to go to war but could he face his family if he ran away, chickened out? He was only a boy, a boy with hopes and dreams. He knew nothing about guns or killing. Yet could he run aways and leave his country and family behind forever? Tim writes, "It was a kind of schizophrenia. A moral split. I couldn't make up my mind"(44). He needed to escape to a neutral place that allowed him to be alone and decide his own fate. Elroy Berdahl and the Tip Top Lodge offered just that. As shown in Tim O'Brien's novel, The Things They Carried, Elroy offered Tim a safe harbor, a place to collect his thoughts, he never pushed him any which way in the decision. Elroy was ultimately a passive bystander at the crossroads of a young man's life.

Before arriving at the Tip Top Lodge Tim O'Brien is an emotional wreck. When he recieves his draft notice his world begins to unravel. A million thoughts fly through his head. He is a smart, young adult who was student body president, has a full ride to Harvard grad school and enjoys playing golf. He is not a soldier, he doesn't even understand the war. Why should he have to fight in a war he doesn't belive in. Tim recalls, "The only certainty that summer was moreal confusion"(40). His life turns into a downward spiral, and his mind is constantly racing on what his future holds. Tim begins to feel as if he were paralyzed. He states, "All around me the options seemed to be narrowing...the whole world squeezing in tight"(43). Tim was torn between choosing to follow his concise and run, or listen to everyone around him and fight. He did not want to die, he did not want to kill or destroy. Yet Tim could not stand to lose the respect of his family and his hometown. He imagined the "people sitting around a table down at the old Gobbler Cafe...zeroing in on the young O'Brien kid, how the damned sissy had taken off for Canada"(45). Until one day something changes inside Tim. Something "[broke] open in my chest...a physical rupture"(46). All the pressure finally hit Tim with full force, and he made a run for it. A run to find answers, a run to make a decision.

Tim's run takes him closer and closer to Canada. He is still uncertain of his decision and winds up in norther Minnesota. He drives to theTip Top Lodge owned by Elroy Berdahl. Right off the bat Tim states, "[Elroy] is the hero of my life...he offered exactly what I needed, without questions, without any words at all"(48). Elroy saw a lost young boy who was in trouble and needed help. He was simply there as "a silent, watchful presence"(48). Tim needed someone simply to be there, not to say anything or influence him in any way, simply to be there. Tim already heard so many "voices" pulling him towards the war or towards Canada, he simply needed to be with someone but in silence. Elroy and Tim spent six days together yet in all those hours Elroy never questions Tim. He is simply a bystander offering a place to stay and food to eat while Tim figures out his options. Tim suspected that Elroy knew he was running from the war, yet Elroy never mentioned anything about it to Tim. Tim needed time and space to truly listen to his own heart and decide for himself, without the pressures of others if he would go to Vietnam or not.

Tim comes to his decision while sitting in a fishing boat on the Rainy River with Elroy. At first Tim did not know where they were going, until Elroy cut the motor clsoe to the Canadain shore. This was it, Tim had arrived at the final threshold, the point of no return. Still Elroy doesn't look or say anything to Tim. Elroy cut the motor and they sat and waited in silence. Tim says, "I think he meant to bring me up against the realities...to take me to the edge and to stand a kind of vigil as I chose a life for myself"(56). He sits there for a long time looking from Elroy to Canada then down at his hands. He has to make a decision and he has to make it now. It is now or never. Elroy sits quietly at the front of the boat fiddling with his fishing rod. Tim breaks down into tears, loud sobbing and Elroy sits and waits it out. Elroy is "simply there, like the river and the late-summer sun"(60). Tim decided on that river, through the flow of tears, and Elroy's silent presence that he would go to war. He would fight and maybe die but he would go to Vietnam.

Tim came to his decision completely on his own. Elroy simply made it real, his presence served as a bystander or witness for Tim. O'Brien needed to escape from the pressures of society and the people around him. He needed to have a place to be alone and sort through the million thoughts swimming through his head. Tim found that place, a small resort in northern Minnesota. Elroy was simply the presence that made his decision real. That small comfort to help him through his crisis and finally decide on a decision.

The Things They Carried Journal 3

I made a poster covering information on the medics in Vietnam, like Rat Kiley, and will present it in class.

Bibliography

Ordaz, Rigo. "Medics to the Rescue!" 2003
http://www.ichiban1.org/html/stories_43.htm

Dennison, John D. "Medics" 1998
http://www.1stcavmedic.com/medic_history.htm

Yablonks, Phillip Marc. "Doctors in the Vietnam War: The Ultimate Training Ground"
http://www.historynet.com/wars_conflicts/vietnam_war/3027571.html

Process:
This journal was harder then I expected. I wanted to research the stability of Vietnam War medics, such as Rat Kiley from The Things They Carried. But I was having trouble bringing up any information on the subject. I tried many different search engines such as Google Scholar, Ask Jeeves, and Yahoo. Along with websites such as the History Net, but the only available information was more a form of dedication to the medics and overall information. I was still able to fing interesting and insightful information, which reinforces that I believe Rat was one of the strongest characters in The Things They Carried. I wish I could have found more information on the mental health of the medics during and after the war. It would be intriguing to see how many medics did break down like Rat Kiley. My poster deals more with overall information on the medics, along with a few pictures.

The Yellow Wallpaper Debate-Revised

An important character in "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is John. He is the narrator's husband and can be blamed for her breakdown throughout the novel. John is not a good husband at all and symbolizes the majority of men during the 1980s. He has no respect for his wife and treats her like a child, or a pet instead of a human being. Early on in the book the narrator states, "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage"(9). John does not take anything the narrator says seriously. He also doesn't take the time to truly listen to her, even when it is about her own illness. The narrator mentions, "You see he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do"(10)? She also says, "John does not know how much I really suffer"(14). A husband who truly wanted his wife to get better would listen to what she has to say about her illness and at least take it into consideration. Throughout the story John controls every aspect of the narrator's life. She is no longer aloud to write because John hates it. He has her on a "schedule prescription for each hour of the day"(12). The narrator is under his complete control. John even gets to decide wen she is allowed to see her own family. Yet he is not even around the majority of the time. The narrator writes, "John is away all day, and even some nights..."(13). If he really cared John would be there to offer his wife love and support, not busy himself with "cases" in town. Overall John is a terrible husband who offers only disrespect, lack of trust, control and neglect.

The Things They Carried Reader Response

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is a great book, that is full of detail and emotion. It offers a window to a surprising real view of the war. Tim O'Brien is a wonderful author, who kept me interested throughout the book but also confused.

When it comes to the complete truth behind this book, I wasn't quite sure what to believe. In the beginning it seems the book is a recollection of Tim's personal experiences in Vietnam. Yet O'Brien writes,"...a long time ago I walked through Quang Ngai Province as a foot soldier. Almost everything else is invented"(179). The stories and characters in The Things They Carried seem so real and really drew me in, but is it all made up?

Although, even if the characters and stories aren't completely true they still offer a strong truth of what Vietnam was like. Through this book O'Brien shares the soldier's view of the war, not the politicians or the patriotic citizens, but the young men who were sent over to a fight a war most didn't understand. O'Brien mentions his own breakdown when he received his draft notice. His near escape to Canada, a choice between safety or pride. I thought it was strange when Tim mentions he was a coward because he went to war. In society we normally think of soldiers as heroes, brave men risking their lives for their country. But for Tim it was different, he was a coward for giving into a war he didn't believe in or understand. The descriptions of the war from a soldiers stand point caught my eye. It is a honest recollection by men who lived through it. O'Brien recalls, "but it was not battle, it was just the endless march, village to village, without purpose, nothing won or lost"(15). War is not as glorious as it is made to be, it is a continuous march with no clear destination. O'Brien writes, "war has a feel...of a great ghostly fog...There is no clarity...Right spills over into wrong. Order blends into chaos, love into hate..."(82). For the soldiers war was like another world, nothing is the same and all the rules change.

Each chapter in the book seems as if it could be its own short story. Sometimes it was easy for me to follow along, and other times it seemed like the book jumped around too much. But I think each chapter is essential to get the full meaning of the book.

I loved the first chapter of the book and how O'Brien would start each new thought with what the soldiers carried. He mentioned how they carried things by necessity, various missions, protection and how they carried each other. Tim states, "Often, they carried each other, the wounded or weak" (14). It helps show the bonds that form between each solider, and how they need each other to get through the war. The soldiers learn and grow together with each new day. They form their own families and lean on each other to get through the war.

I did not care for Sweetheat of the Song Tra Bong, it was my least favorite chapter. I could not get over the fact that Mark Fossie actually flew his girlfriend to Vietnam. How is that even possible? Why would you want your girlfriend to experience something so atrocious as war. Mary Ann is a very unique character though, who brought her own spin to the book. She went to Vietnam as a young, bubbly naive girl. Curious about everything, soaking up as much information as she could. The war begins to take its toll on her and she ends up joining the Green Berets an wearing a necklace of human tongues. It is all too far fetched for me.

Overall this book impressed my immensely. I love O'Brien's writing style and how descriptive the stories and characters are. He had great quotes and opened my eyes to a new view on war stories.

A few questions...
How much of the story is true, if any at all.
Are the character in the book real people because he did dedicated the book to them.
Why did Rat torture the baby buffalo? Was it his way to deal with Lemon's death?

The Yellow Wallpaper Debate

John is not a good husband at all and can be blamed for the narrator's breakdown throughout the novel John symbolizes the majority of men during the 1980s. He has no respect for his wife and treats her like a child, or a pet instead of a human being. Early on in the book the narrator states "John laughs at me, of course, but one expects that in marriage"(9). He doesn't take the time to truly listen to her, even when it is about her own illness. The narrator mentions "You see he does not believe I am sick! And what can one do?"(10). She also says "John does not know how much I really suffer"(14). A husband who truly wanted his wife to get better would listen to what she had to say about her illness and at least take it into consideration. Throughout the story John controls every aspect of the narrator's life. She is no longer aloud to write because John hates it. He has her on a "schedule prescription for each hour of the day"(12). The narrator is under his complete control. John even gets to decide when she is allowed to see her own family. John is not even around most of the time. The narrator writes "John is away all day, and even some nights..."(13). If he really cared he would be there to offer the narrator love and support, not busy himself with "cases" in town.Overall John is a terrible husband who offers only disrespect, lack of trust, control, and neglect.