green grass essay

Green Grass, Running Water

By thomas king.

• Green Grass, Running Water Summary

Green Grass, Running Water does not consist of a standard, linear narrative. Instead, it alternates between several major plot lines that finally intersect at the end of the novel. The first plot features an unnamed, first-person narrator who interacts with a variety of figures from both Christian and Native American traditions. At the beginning of the novel, the narrator is interacting with Coyote , a traditional North American trickster figure. Coyote has a dream, which then takes on an anthropomorphic shape and begins calling itself God. The second plot involves four Native American elders named Lone Ranger, Ishmael, Robinson Crusoe , and Hawkeye. The elders have been living in a mental institution run by Dr. Joseph Hovaugh . They have escaped a number of times, and do so again at the start of the novel. Dr. Hovaugh is convinced that the previous escapes are connected to natural disasters that occurred at similar times. After they escape, the police are called in to investigate and a police detective named Sergeant Cereno questions a woman named Babo Jones , who works at the hospital, about their disappearance. Sergeant Cereno also questions Dr. Hovaugh.

Meanwhile, the elders are making their way towards Canada and tell different versions of creation stories, which God, Coyote, and the narrator are able to witness and interact with. The first creation story is told by the Lone Ranger, and involves two individuals named Ahdamn and First Woman . God decides to intervene, and enters the garden where they are living. His presence disrupts life there, and Ahdamn and First Woman leave the garden, followed by the narrator and Coyote. Ahdamn and First Woman quickly get into trouble when a group of rangers accuse them of violence. Coyote becomes confused when First Woman is given the name of the Lone Ranger, and joined by three other figures, so the narrator begins the story again.

The second version of the creation story is told from Ishmael’s perspective and features Changing Woman . Changing Woman falls out of the sky and encounters Noah, who objectifies her and treats her badly. She escapes to an island and is helped by a whale. She eventually merges into the figure of Ishmael, and the narrator begins a third story.

Robinson Crusoe tells a story featuring Thought Woman , who drifts along a river. When she washes ashore, she has to resist being forcefully impregnated. Thought Woman eventually merges into the figure of Robinson Crusoe and the narrator moves to the fourth and final creation story.

In this story, told by Hawkeye, there is the figure of Old Woman . She encounters an individual named Young Man Who Walks on Water, who gains a following because of his miraculous ability.

Meanwhile, the novel also presents realistic plot lines involving Aboriginal characters living in present-day Canada. One aspect of this plot is the love triangle between Alberta Frank , Lionel Red Dog , and Charlie Looking Bear . Alberta is a college professor living in Calgary who hopes to one day have a child, but has no desire to be married. Her first marriage was unsuccessful and emotionally traumatic, and she is also scarred by the unhappiness she witnessed in her parent’s marriage. In order to prevent either relationship from becoming too serious, she remains romantically involved with both Lionel and Charlie, who are cousins. Lionel once had a promising future but was mistakenly charged with violence and political radicalism as a young man, and his criminal record limited his options. He now works as an electronics salesman in the town of Blossom, but is considering returning to school. Charlie is a lawyer who lives in Edmonton, and he is the son of a film actor known for playing Indian roles in Westerns. He is jealous of Alberta’s relationship with Lionel.

Another plot line focuses on Lionel’s sister Latisha , who runs a restaurant called the Dead Dog Café. She is divorced and the mother of three young children. An additional series of events focus on Eli Stands Alone , who is Lionel’s uncle. Eli left the reservation as a young man to move to Toronto and became a professor of literature. He also pursued a relationship with a white woman named Karen , who eventually dies in a car accident. He only returns to the reservation after his mother’s death, when he learns that her house is going to be torn down in order to allow for the construction of a dam. Eli launches a lawsuit, and although he cannot stop the dam from being constructed, it has not yet been made operational.

All of these characters plan to attend the annual Blackfoot Sun Dance ceremony held on the reservation. As Lionel is driving towards the Indian reservation with his aunt Norma , he sees the four Indian elders standing by the side of the road and stops to pick them up. The elders inform him they are in the process of fixing the world. Lionel and Norma drop the elders off at a hotel in Blossom. Back at the asylum, Dr. Hovaugh is alerted to the presence of the elders. Accompanied by Babo, he heads in the direction of Canada. Meanwhile, the cars belonging to the other characters have started to vanish. Eli attempts to offer guidance to Lionel, while Alberta shares her troubles with Latisha. She is also beginning to show symptoms of pregnancy.

Dr. Hovaugh is frantically trying to track down the elders before they cause a disaster. However, in his excitement at the sharing of stories, Coyote’s singing and dancing triggers an earthquake, and the dam bursts, with water flooding everywhere. Eli is killed in the flood. The story picks up a month later. Charlie has lost his job and decides to go to Los Angeles to visit his father. Alberta is pregnant, and uncertain of her plans but considering beginning a more serious relationship with Lionel. Dr. Hovaugh is back at the asylum and learns that the Indians have returned. The Indians tell Babo that they managed to fix part of the world. The novel ends with the narrator and Coyote continuing to tell stories about the creation of the world.

Green Grass, Running Water Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Green Grass, Running Water is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

what chapter do they talk about Eli being isolated after the sun dance ceremony?

Try Volume 4, Part 1

Green Grass Running Water

Eli learns about his mother's death through Norma.

What is the mood in Green Grass, Running Water?

The tone of the novel is often playful, funny, sarcastic, or teasing. Various characters joke with each other, make humorous comments about their lives, or become playfully exasperated with each other. Although many of the topics are serious, such...

Study Guide for Green Grass, Running Water

Green Grass, Running Water study guide contains a biography of Thomas King, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Green Grass, Running Water
• Character List

Essays for Green Grass, Running Water

Green Grass, Running Water essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Green Grass, Running Water by Thomas King.

• The Reaction To and the Importance of Henry Dawes, and the Dawes Act, to Green Grass Running Water
• Studying Cultural Assimilation in Nervous Conditions and Green Grass, Running Water
• King and His Critics: Indigenous versus Non-Indigenous Commentary on Green Grass, Running Water
• What is “Really” Real?: Time and Perspective in 'Green Grass, Running Water'

Lesson Plan for Green Grass, Running Water

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Green Grass, Running Water
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Green Grass, Running Water Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for Green Grass, Running Water

• Introduction
• Plot summary
• Principal characters
• Title significance
• Structure and narration

King’s “Green Grass, Running Water” Novel Reflection Essay

Green Grass, Running Water is an engaging novel by King (1993) that gives knowledge of cultural extermination while utilizing various legends and fables through oral narrating. The story is set in Blackfoot, a local area in Alberta, Canada, where the author utilizes parody and humor in clarifying Native American and Christian convictions. The author’s story, design, and combination of both composed and oral practice once got a handle on gives one ceaseless craving to peruse the novel with incredible enticement.

In the novel, King (1993) inspires humor while clarifying the association between Christians and Native Americans. It was funny in the garden where King (1993, p. 75) drew the reader to a setting where God condemned First Woman for eating his food. This part made me giggle, thinking about how God could expect an aboriginal woman limited by native traditional beliefs of creation to envision God owning the garden. As settlers encroached on North America, they moved the Native Americans to the far western side until they had no spot to go. The new pilgrims assumed control over the Local American land while further destroying the Native traditional convictions while supplanting them with Christianity. It is fascinating when First Woman claims not to know God or the powers of God.

The novel evokes the feeling of laughter in the reader through various plot twists. The author first presents God as the maker of the world and everything on the planet. Nonetheless, the novel’s plot takes a bend when First Woman discloses to God that he must be dreaming to believe that everything on earth belongs to him. The novel brings humor through similes; for instance, after understanding that First Woman does not know him, God expresses that he is as powerful as Coyote, a trickster-god who First Woman understands and believes to be powerful (King, 1993, p. 75). It is ludicrous to envision that God would contrast his power with those of a Native god.

The use of humor throughout the novel gives the reader great enthuse to read the novel as it is fun as one navigates through different voices during storytelling. The changing portrayals of different characters guarantee that the novel is not dreary to the reader. I feel that the utilization of jokes and hilarious expressions in novels is fundamental as they make the characters engaging. I believe that humor brings joy to readers and brings them closer to the book’s tale.

King, T. (1993). Green grass, running water (Vol. 431). Houghton Mifflin.

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IvyPanda. (2022, October 14). King's "Green Grass, Running Water" Novel Reflection. https://ivypanda.com/essays/kings-green-grass-running-water-novel-reflection/

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IvyPanda . 2022. "King's "Green Grass, Running Water" Novel Reflection." October 14, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/kings-green-grass-running-water-novel-reflection/.

1. IvyPanda . "King's "Green Grass, Running Water" Novel Reflection." October 14, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/kings-green-grass-running-water-novel-reflection/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "King's "Green Grass, Running Water" Novel Reflection." October 14, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/kings-green-grass-running-water-novel-reflection/.

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