Stereotypes
The world is filled with all types of different people and humans are far from perfect. Which leads people to judge each other, put up barriers, and develop stereotypes. Simply because we can not adjust to someone who is different from ourselves. A stereotype by definition is to categorize individuals or groups according to an oversimplified standardized image or idea. In Thomas King's novel, Green Grass, Running Water, King tackles the typical cowboy and Indian, gender, and religion stereotypes that are encountered in everyday life. Through King's novel he opens the reader's eyes to how crippling stereotypes can be.
Throughout the novel Lionel, Eli, Alberta and others try to overcome their cultural stereotypes. Growing up in America, as Native Americans, meant growing up with cowboys being the heroes and Indians being the villains. King takes the fictional character of the Lone Ranger and gives his identity to First Women. The Lone Ranger is a famous American cowboy who gallops around the West on his horse Silver, fighting off Indians and saving the day. He wears a black mask to hide his true identity. He also has an Indian sidekick, named Tonto. The Lone Ranger, along with other famous cowboys such as John Wayne, are viewed as heroes in white culture. King takes this persona of the white, male hero and reverses it to a Native American women. King writes, "[First Women] takes some black cloth...cuts some holes in that black cloth. She puts that cloth around her head. Look, look, all the rangers say... it's the Lone Ranger"(75). The live rangers see the black mask and think that First Women is the Lone Ranger and let her walk away. Instead of giving First Women the identity of the sidekick, King gave her the white male role. He reverses the the common cowboy and Indian stereotype with the character of First Women.
Furthermore King tackles the stereotype involving the genders. In society women are expected to be the romantic ones, the ones who want commitment. The female sex is more prone, or it is assumed to want to get married and have a family. Men are commonly viewed as fearing commitment. They seem to avoid settling down until later in life or not at all. Women take on the persona of being more delicate. Alberta is the complete opposite. She is a strong, independent women who fears commitment. Alberta is dating two men, neither of whom she truly loves. She wants a child but no husband. Alberta's character flips the typical gender role. She is the one who is doesn't want to settle down. Alberta is the one who doesn't want a husband. She says, "Men wanted to be married. More then sex...men wanted marriage"(46). Alberta contradicts the gender stereotype by claiming it is men who want marriage. King uses Alberta to switch the gender roles. Casting men in the commitment role, and women, or at least Alberta, as wanting her freedom.
Finally King focus on the stereotypes of religion. Christianity is the main target in the novel. Christians are know for pushing their religion on others, yet they are quick to judge other religious views. Christians seem to pass judgment on other religions as being silly or unreasonable. But King shows the flaws in Christianity and their own stories throughout the book. He takes famous bible stories such as Noah and the ark and Jesus walking on water and gives the character's a rude, arrogant tone. Noah was told by God to build an ark and take two of each animal to fill the ark. God created a flood that killed everything expect what was on the arc. To Christians Noah is a hero, a true servant of God. But in the novel Noah turns out to be a different sort of man. Noah says "Lemme see your breasts...I like women with big breasts. I hope God remembered that"(160). King is simply showing how Christian stories are not perfect as Christians like to believe. King took characters that were were revered or respected in the Christian faith and reversed them to be vulgar and insulting.
Throughout Green Grass, Running Water, King takes common stereotypes and sheds light to how unfair they can truly be. By taking an Indian women and giving her a white cowboy name, King portrays the cultural biases held against one another. Through Alberta, women become the independent sex wanting their freedom. Along with the stereotypes facing religion we are forced to take a deeper look at the stories of our faith. Forcing different religions and people to wonder do you have a right to judge. King forces his readers to think do we judge to quickly? Also what we asssume is not always correct.
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