GGRW Journal Three

After reading Green Grass Running Water, I was very interested in the four Indian elders and the significance of their names. I did research on who the Lone Ranger, Hawkeye, Robinson Crusoe, and Ishmael were and why King picked these names for his own characters. For my research I used http://www.wikipedia.org/ and http://www.ask.com/ for information on the characters. I spent about an hour and a half gathering and organizing all the information.

The Lone Ranger was a popular Texas Ranger from the Old West. He wore a black mask to hide his identity, leaving characters to wonder "Who is that masked man?" The Lone Ranger was famous for galloping around the Old West righting injustices and being a hero. He had a Native American sidekick named Tonto.

Hawkeye was an American Pioneer, who was originally know as Nathaniel "Natty" Bumppo. He was adopted by a Native American family and given the name Hawkeye. Hawkeye is said to symbolize rugged individualism and the pioneer spirit.

Robinson Crusoe was an English castaway who was shipwrecked on a remote island for twenty-eight years. During those years he read the Bible and became religious, thanking God for his fate. Crusoe discovered savages and native cannibals on the island. He became friends with a savage who he named Friday. Crusoe taught him English and converted him to Christianity.

Ishmael according to the Bible was Abraham's eldest son, who was born by Sarah's handmaiden Hagar. After Sarah gave birth to Isaac, Hagar and Ishmael were sent away, Ishmael married and had twelve sons. But in Moby Dick, Ishmael was the narrator, a sailor on the Pequod. His role was to observe the conflicts around him. Ishmael became close friends with the harpooner Queeque. Queeque is portrayed as a savage.

After researching these characters I found that each one dealt with the typical Indian stereotypes. The Lone Ranger, Hawkeye, Robinson Crusoe, and Ishmael are all white males who "improved" their Indian companions. The Lone Ranger took Tonto under his wing. Robinson Crusoe taught Friday English and converted him to Christianity. Ishmael became close friends and learned to deeply care for his uncivilized friend Queeque. King took the names of these white heros and gave them to his four Indian women who were out to save the world.