GGRW extended Journal

Charlie, Lionel, Norma, Eli…each of these people are part of the Blackfoot Indian tribe. Whether they want to be or not; their heritage comes from these roots. The word, Blackfoot comes from ash on the bottom of their moccasins. Many of the traditions of the Blackfoot are reflected in Green Grass, Running Water, by Thomas King.

Just as most Indians were in the nineteenth century; this particular tribe was eventually put onto reservations. Prior to this, they occupied the region extending from the North Saskatchewan River of Canada to the Missouri River in Montana. The reservations of the Blackfoot are primarily located in Alberta, Canada, which is where Green Grass, Running Water takes place.

In the season of summer, this tribe participates in the Sun Dance. Although similar to many Indian rituals, the Sun Dance has a few distinctions. It would take four days to just prepare the campus alone. Teepees would need to be moved and the Sun Dance lodge built. The purpose of the lodge was for the men to encounter spiritual experiences to farther their significance in their tribe. Medicine bundles were very important in this ritual. After fasting for a certain amount of time, a person would wait to have a vision; this is where the bundle would be received. If someone did not have a supernatural experience, they would buy a bundle. It was after preparation for the ceremony that the dancing would begin. Participants had to refrain from food or drink during this time. When it came to be the time that the men danced, there was a slight difference. They included self torture in their ritual. Their skin and muscles would be pierced with skewers; sometimes they would hang by skewers inside the lodge from the ceiling. This was done in order to ensure benefits for the past in future because it was reflecting their need to give something of themselves. This is an event not described in Thomas King’s novel. It is hard to know whether Norma and the rest of the participating characters were involved in the pain-inflicting part, but there are hints to assume that they were. Eli talks about an instance from his past where, during Sun Dance, a tourist began taking pictures of the dancing men. Eli’s uncle, Orville, sternly told the man, “You can’t take pictures at Sun Dance” (153). He didn’t allow the curious tourist to leave unless he handed over the camera. It is possible that no pictures were allowed because their system of pain-infliction became illegal in 1904 and they didn’t want to be exposed.

A site known as the Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo Jump reveals significance to the Blackfoot tribe. In all of North America, it is one of the largest buffalo jumps. It is derived from the story of a Piegan man who stood to watch a hunting session. Later he was uncovered from a pile of buffalo with his head crashed in. Something interesting from this particular site is that the creation story was told in 1997:

"In the beginning all the world was water. One day the Old Man, also
called Napi, was curious to find out what might be beneath the water. He
sent animals to dive beneath the surface. First duck, then otter, then
badger dived in vain. The Old Man sent muskrat diving to the depths.
After a long time muskrat rode to the surface holding between his paws a
little ball of mud and blew upon it. The mud began to swell, growing
larger and larger until it became the whole earth.
The Old Man then made the
people."

Head-Smashed in buffalo jump (1997)

This ties back into Green Grass, Running Water because water holds so much significance throughout the story. All of the parodies begin the same: “In the beginning, there was nothing. Just the water” (1). When Thomas King satirically describes the Christian story of creation, it is clear that he included the Blackfoot story as well.

Currently the Blackfoot tribe consists of about 1.7 percent of the entire Indian population of America. Most are living in Alberta, Canada, while the rest, for the most part, live in Montana.

Green Grass Running Water- Reader Response

I found Thomas King’s style of writing to be very unique. I liked how all of the various stories seemed to have the same underlying message. This message appears to relate to how Indians are perceived by others, and also how Indians perceive themselves.

Lionel Red Dog and Charlie Looking Bear make their resistance to their culture quite clear. Norma, their aunt, addresses this by saying, “your uncle wanted to be a white man, just like you” (36). She is referring to Eli, when she says this. He is the men’s uncle. At first I was wondering why these people are so ashamed of their heritage and why it was only the men. After reading the middle of the book, I realized that the reason could be that Indians are portrayed as inferior in the media. King incorporates western movies and novels that the characters of the book are viewing. This is evident when Christian asks his mother, “how come the Indians always get killed?” (216). She responds to him, “if the Indians won, it probably wouldn’t be a western” (216). Throughout this whole section of the book, westerns seem to have the same characterization:

“Indian leaves the traditional world of the reserve, goes to the city, and is
destroyed. Indian leaves the traditional world of the reserve, is exposed
to whit culture, and becomes trapped between two worlds. Indian leave the
traditional world of the reserve, gets an education, and is shunned by his
tribe” (317).

I also noticed that John Wayne seems to be the big hero. Even for someone like Lionel, he sees the white man as his idol over the brave Indian chiefs, “the John Wayne who saved stagecoaches and wagon trains from Indian attacks” (264). I found this sad that the Indians always lost and how that was reflected in the feelings of Charlie, Lionel, and Eli.

On another note, the parts that confused me the most were those involving Hawkeye, Robinson Crusoe, Ishmael, the Lone Ranger, and Coyote. I am not sure whether their stories that they tell are the same, only in different versions, or if they are completely different. I noticed how each elder had a different “woman” that they described. The Lone Ranger had “First Woman,” Ishmael used “Changing Woman,” Robinson Crusoe used “Thought Woman,” and for Hawkeye it was “Old Woman.” I sometimes saw biblical relations, other times the stories made absolutely no sense. Coyote was the one always listening to the elders speak. I think that he is metaphorically represented in each of their stories in some way. For example, in Robinson Crusoe’s version, Thought Woman enters a river and exclaims, “this must be Tricky River” (254). This is after the river claims to be warm when it is actually cold. In the Lone Ranger’s version with “First Woman,” the tree tricks her into eating the food, angering the G O D. I still, overall, do not understand the purpose of all these characters and the meanings of their stories. It is confusing how they show up the Western movies, also. “On the bank, four old Indians raised their lances. One of them was wearing a Hawaiian shirt” (343).

I noticed a lot of generalizations in this book. Coyote, especially tends to do this: “I don’t shoot Indians…I would make a wonderful President” (332) and “I’m compassionate, too. I must be white” (434) and “I have a keen sense of smell…I must be an Indian” (434). This seems to be a main theme throughout the book. This is especially evident when Nasty Bumppo is describing gifts: “Indians can run fast. Indians can endure pain. Indians have quick reflexes….whites are patient. Whites are spiritual. Whites are cognitive…” (434). I got the impression that Thomas King is trying to get the message across that people tend to generalize and that Indians are the biggest victims of this generalization. I found it interesting also, that the "gifts" of the Indians were all related to war (pain endurance, reflexes, speed, etc.) and the white "gifts" were ones involving spirit and intelligence (patience, cognitive thinking, spirituality, etc.).

The satire in this book is clearly bitter. I feel that throughout the entire book, King is implying that Indians feel ashamed of their heritage and that they need to act “white.” This goes along on the same path of how the western movies always had the Indians lose and how Lionel, Charlie, and Eli all acted as if they were not Indians. When he says, “In the end, [Eli] had become what he always had been, an Indian….an Indian back on the Reserve” (289), I think there is the implication of the lack of civilization that Indians had. This is because after that statement is made, King goes on farther describing the cabin: “no electricity, no running water, a wood stove, an outhouse…” (289). I definitely get the feeling that Thomas King thinks that the Indian culture is being “washed away.” It seems almost sarcastic how he portrays white people as the "big heros." I think he could possibly have resentment towards white people.

The Things They Carried- extended journal

I decided to research Post Traumatic Stress Disorder of the Vietnam War Veterans. I thought it was interesting because it held so much prevalence for the returning men. When I was reading through some of the symptoms, I noticed that many were related to Norman Bowker's feelings as he drove around the lake so many times...


Fifty-eight thousand, one hundred and sixty-nine American deaths arose during the years of the Vietnam War. This is a statistical number relating to the war. One thing that cannot be measured with a numerical value, however, is the psychological effects on the survivors. In 1980, specifically after the Vietnam War, the Psychological Association developed the category of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a diagnosis for veterans. This is because the war had resulted in the highest percentage of cases. In general, the most common group to suffer from this turmoil is the combat veterans. PTSD is a disorder that follows an event that held a high amount of stress; an inevitable factor when considering what the men had gone through.

The Vietnam War was different than many of the other wars. On average, the men fighting in Vietnam were seven years younger than those of WWII. There was much more inexperience and less strategy. The object evidently was to kill as many men from the opposing side as possible. The men did not work in groups, unlike WWII. They fought with a more individual basis. Young boys, some coming right out of high school, are not raised to kill, nor are any men of any age. Even upon returning home, there was a very short transition time. Normally they would be sent quickly back to the states, alone, with no time to even process what happened. When they did return, many did not find the relief of pride and respect. Because the war was quite unpopular among citizens, many of the veterans were spat on or considered enemies. The United States may have held out their hand to accept their returning soldiers, but it was a cold and bitter hand.

To prevent the symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, one must be allowed the chance to talk out their situation and receive understanding. The most significant source of the disorder is that the veterans are not capable of incorporating the incidents into their day-to-day life. It is difficult to transfer quickly into such a different routine; it becomes hard to relate to anyone. Commonly the veteran will feel as if the past experiences of the war are occurring in the present. They become overwhelmed with anxiety; sometimes this anxiety is to the degree it was when the event was actually occurring. They see images of their trauma that seem to be real. Combat veterans will tend to have nightmares and be startled easily. So much stress and lack of sleep also lead to depression. A normal life cannot be pursued until the man can put the past behind him and concentrate on his “new” life.

As time goes on, a person with PTSD will become emotionless and unresponsive. Sometimes there will be sudden outbursts of aggression. Many of the men also experience the feeling of guilt. So many deaths occurred and a large number of men watched a close friend die. It is expected that some are going to take the burden of blame onto themselves. This adds to the emotional trauma after the war ended. Because of so many mixed emotions, drugs and alcohol became a friendly-looking solution. A number of men entered the world of toxicities to try and forget their shady pasts.

Vietnam was the longest war, it was one of the most controversial wars for the United States, and almost sixty thousand men lost their lives. Unfortunately there isn’t even the closure of a successful outcome. There is no clear “winner” for the war, and no consolation to the many men that returned with their lives. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is a likely occurrence for anyone who has been through a particularly stressful time. Those involved in combats in the Vietnam War are the best examples of that statement.

The Things They Carried- Close Analysis

Kiowa’s death has a strange effect on many of the characters in The Things They Carried. Three people in particular “carry” the burden of guilt. All of them in their own way feel that if they had done just one thing differently, their friend would not have been lost, especially in the manner that he was. Jimmy Cross, Norman Bowker, and the “young soldier” are the characters who take on responsibility for Kiowa’s tragic ending.

Jimmy Cross, first lieutenant, is the leader of the men. That, in itself, makes him feel responsible for any death that occurs. The fact that he had followed orders to set up camp in a swamp, even against his own intuition, was what brings on this guilt, “Looking out toward the river, he knew for a fact he had made a mistake” (164). In being consumed with these thoughts, Jimmy composes a letter to Kiowa’s father. He accepts full responsibility for what happened, and “place[s] the blame where it belonged” (169).

Norman Bowker is probably the most affected by what happened. As a fellow soldier, Norman had been the one who attempted to pull Kiowa up from the “shit,” but ended up letting go, apparently losing the Silver Star. In the chapter, Speaking of Courage, Norman makes twelve revolutions around a lake in his hometown. He claims that “…when Kiowa got wasted, [he] sort of sank down in the sewage with him…” (156). In driving around the lake so many times, the author could be alluding to what Norman’s days feel like. His life seems to be an endless path, “no hurry, nowhere to go” (143). Norman doesn’t really know what to do with himself after the war. Everything seems so simple and naïve, in comparison to the killing and fighting he had endured.

Norman spends his whole eighty four miles thinking about what had happened during his life-changing stay in Vietnam. It seems that Norman’s dad has a big influence on him. His story about Kiowa’s death inquires as to how not only does Norman feel guilty, but he also feels ashamed in front of his father. He uses the same excuse multiple times in his head when he is reasoning out to his father what had happened: “The stink, that’s what got to me. I couldn’t take that goddamn awful smell” (143), He pictures that his father would take pride in the fact that his son had earned “‘seven honeys’” (154), or medals, even if he had lost himself the Silver Star. In each situation that Norman thinks up, his father is at least in one way or another telling Norman that what happened was okay, and he wasn’t to blame. It is clear that things aren’t justified in Norman’s mind, however. Nothing can rationalize his “survivor’s guilt.”

It is a question, however, whether Norman really did earn the Silver Star or not. He claims many times that he lost it because he let go of Kiowa, but in the end of the chapter Notes, Tim O’Brien claims that, “[Norman] did not freeze up or lose the Silver Star for valor. That part of the story is my own” (161), completely contradicting what Norman was saying previously. Assuming that Tim O’Brien’s statement is a conclusive one, however, Norman possibly felt that he didn’t deserve the Silver Star. Even if he had earned it, the fact that he hadn’t tried harder could have brought him to the point where, in his mind, he was not worthy of such an honor. Another possibility is that it was actually, in fact, Tim O’Brien himself who was responsible for the death. Considering that he had used Norman as a way to place his story in another perspective, there are allusions to the chance that it was Tim who did not succeed in pulling Kiowa from the muck. In the end it cannot be determined for certain.

The final character who takes credit for Kiowa’s death, is the man known as the “young soldier.” Jimmy Cross finds him with his hands through the mud, searching for something. The boy claims he is looking for a picture of his girlfriend that he had dropped, “this picture, it was the only one I had. Right here, I lost it” (176). At first it appears that the young man is selfish, because instead of helping everyone find Kiowa’s body, he is searching for a personal belonging. It is later revealed, however, that the soldier felt the reason Kiowa died was because of his flashlight. The boy had turned on the flashlight during the night to show Kiowa the picture he is looking for, and in turn they were ambushed. “The flashlight had done it. Like a target shining in the dark” (177).

Is it possible for three men to be responsible for the death of one soldier? Is anyone responsible? There is always going to be blame; the only question is where the blame will be put.

The Things They Carried reader response

Tim O’Brien’s writing style had a very big impact on me. He tells a story about his experiences so that it seems more a book about life instead of war itself. The way he jumped around from before, during, and after the war, I found to be valid to the plot. He focused on the journey from simple innocence to meaningful realizations about what war is really about.

There seemed to be double meanings for many of the ideas sent across throughout the book. For example, the word coward is used frequently, “They were too frightened to be cowards” (22). By this, Tim O’Brien is implying that the men weren’t afraid of going to war; they were afraid of what people would think if they didn’t. O’Brien says it himself, “I was a coward. I went to war” (61). This surprised me because my first thought about war is death. I can’t imagine being so vulnerable, especially to guns and grenades. It is described, however, that war is the opposite of death. “…Proximity to death brings with it a corresponding proximity to life. After a firefight, there is always the immense pleasure of aliveness” (81). The author goes on to describe how after surviving a fight, there was the realization that they were alive. They were still breathing and still had a reason to keep going. In a way, I think it is meant that they felt encouraged. The significance of “the things they carried” also has two perceptions. The first assumption is literal. “The weapon weighed 7.5 pounds unloaded, 8.2 ounces with its full 20-round magazine” (5). The clothing, weapons and food were all described, including their weights. Those were the physical aspects of what they carried. On another level, “they carried their reputations” (21), “They carried the land itself….they carried their own lives” (15). Things that don’t have a mass; their feelings, their burdens and thoughts of loved ones were all things the men had to carry with them.

There are many relevancies to guilt throughout the story. Guilt didn’t always necessarily come from actually killing someone. Jimmy Cross, for example, felt indirectly responsible for the death of Ted Lavender, “He felt shame…Lavender was now dead, and this was something he would have to carry like a stone for the rest of the war” (16). He felt that if he wasn’t so in love with Martha, his friend wouldn’t have died. In Kiowa’s death, many people carried the burden of guilt, “There was nothing he [Jimmy] could do now, but still it was a mistake and a hideous waste” (164). Jimmy Cross felt he was responsible because he hadn’t realized the danger of camping on such wet grounds. Norman Bowker felt the blame because he hadn’t been able to pull Kiowa up from the muck, “[He] remembered how he had taken hold of Kiowa’s boot and pulled hard, but the smell was simply too much…” (153). Another of the soldiers felt he was responsible: “…He’d been showing Kiowa a picture of his girlfriend. He remembered switching on the flashlight. A stupid thing to do, but he did it anyway…and then the field exploded all around them” (170). All of these men carried the same burden, but it is clear that there isn’t one person who caused Kiowa’s tragic death. I think that guilt is something that definitely would be prevalent under these circumstances. Everyone seems to blame themselves when something goes wrong.

The Things They Carried involved so many different aspects of life. It gripped reality in a very apparent way; it made me think about why people feel the way that they do.

*Why did Tim O’Brien hold such a great amount of resentment towards Bobby Jorgenson?
*I am a little confused about exactly where Mary Ann disappeared to and who she joined with.

Postpartum Depression

“In carrying out my general plan of treatment it is my habit to ask the patient to remain in bed from six weeks to two months. At first, and in some cases for four or five weeks, I do not permit the patient to sit up or to sew or write or read.”
-Weir Mitchell, 1877

Postpartum depression is a naturally occurring phase that some women go through after giving birth, usually within the first year. In the short story, "The Yellow Wallpaper," the narrator suffers from that very problem. Her husband, John, follows the procedures of the “rest cure” by taking her to a country house for three months. She describes some notable qualities about the room she was to rest in, “…the windows are barred for little children, and there are rings and things on the walls” (12), “…that great bedstead nailed down…” (33). These descriptions can lead the reader to believe that the room was meant for a mental patient, which was something that the narrator soon came to be. A normal room would not have barred windows or “rings and things” on the walls.

After spending weeks trying to discover the meaning of the “…hideous…unreliable and infuriating [wallpaper]” (25) she slowly falls from depression into plain madness. The narrator claims that she “[had] spent hours in trying to analyze [the wallpaper]” (29). If she had not been condemned to three months of rest, it is likely she would not have had time to become entranced by such a simple adornment. The longer and longer she spent staring at the wallpaper, the more insane she became. This is evident when she shrieks to John, “I’ve got out at last…in spite of you and Jane! And I’ve pulled off most of the wallpaper, so you can’t put me back!” (36) at the end of the book. The narrator had become so enveloped in the wallpaper that she began to believe she was actually inside of it. That is not a sign of someone improving from depression. It is an obvious indication that someone is worsening in their mental state of mind.

One symptom of postpartum depression is the tendency for a woman to harm herself or the baby. Although the narrator does not seem to be a danger, she does see bizarre images in the paper. “[The women] get through, and then the pattern strangles them off and turns them upside down, and makes their eyes white!” (30). Being exposed to the same pattern for such a long time, was possibly the cause of her hallucinations. To my knowledge, Weir Mitchell’s “rest cure” theory was unsuccessful. Had the narrator been up and about more often, she most likely would not have begun to see the images in the wallpaper. It is questionably whether her husband realized this or not. It can be assumed that he was simply following procedure to what was the best known cure in the late 1800’s.

Ironically, the very thing that was supposed to cure the narrator’s depression ended up being her downfall. Not only did her nervous tendencies increase, but she became insane. Her fixations on the wallpaper led her to hallucinate and become captive to the intrinsic designs. Clearly, the cures for postpartum depression in the 1890’s, at least in this particular case, needed some more work.

John is a loving husband: revised draft

John’s love and devotion to his wife are evident throughout the book. Our knowledge of him comes exclusively from the narrator, who isn’t within mental capacity to give us reliable information. Based on what we do know, however, it is a likely assumption that his intentions for his wife are good. Because they had a child together, he is linked to her on a much higher emotional level. It isn’t likely that he would wish anything bad against the mother of his child: “I beg of you, for my sake and for our child’s sake, as well as for your own” (24). John is pleading for his wife to come to her senses, making a point to mention that it is for the baby’s sake. He is insistent that she get well so they can return to a normal life. “[John] said we came here solely on my account…” (12). This quote farther proves that his only motive in bringing the narrator to the country house was to improve her condition. As a physician, he knows what is best for her and makes all possible efforts to accommodate to her needs. He fails to follow her mental web of insanity because of how she hides it: “of course I don’t [cry] when John is here…” (19). If he doesn’t know that her mental situation is worsening, how is he supposed to help her? She also mentions several other times throughout the book how she doesn’t bring up the wall-paper to him anymore. He had no reason to believe she was getting worse, especially since physically, she was improving. Within what he knew, John did what he could for his wife, especially since at the time, bed treatment was highly recommended for a woman in the situation she was in. He is a good man who only wants to protect his wife so they can live a normal life with their new baby.

John is a loving husband: draft 1

John is a character who seems hard to figure out. Our knowledge of him comes exclusively from the narrator, who isn’t within mental capacity to give us reliable information. Based on what we do know, however, it is a likely assumption that his intentions for his wife are good. Because they had a child together, he is linked to her on a much higher emotional level. It isn’t likely that he would wish anything bad against the mother of his child. “I beg of you, for my sake and for our child’s sake, as well as for your own” (24). John is begging his wife to come to her senses, making a point to mention that it is for the baby’s sake. He is pleading that she get well so they can return to a normal life. “[John] said we came here solely on my account…” (12). This farther proves that his only motive in bringing the narrator to the country house was to improve her condition. As a physician, he knows what is best for her and makes all possible efforts to accommodate to her needs. He fails to follow her mental web of insanity because of how she hides it: “of course I don’t [cry] when John is here…” (19). She also mentions several other times throughout the book how she doesn’t mention the wall-paper to him anymore. He had no reason to believe she was getting worse, especially since physically, she was improving. John is a good man who only wants to protect his wife so they can live a normal life with their new baby.

The Yellow Wall-Paper

I thought The Yellow Wall-Paper was a very interesting book. I found the narrator to be a likable character because her naivety is prevalent throughout the story. She almost gives off a childish vibe as she explains what is happening around her. Because the reader follows her into a web of insanity, it is hard to know exactly what is really going on. When the narrator exclaims, “I’ve got out at last…in spite of you and Jane!” (p. 36), it is clear that John and Jane weren’t actually keeping her locked up behind the wall-paper. The reader must assume that she is going insane after considering the fact that a person cannot literally be kept behind the bars of wall-paper. Because of this, much more insight is needed in order to get a clearer picture of the actual happenings in the book. It is almost comical reading about what the narrator is thinking as she describes the women “creeping” outside or trying to shake the bars in the wall-paper.
It is interesting how the narrator went from simply trying to figure out the pattern in the wall-paper, to thinking that she is stuck inside of it. There is a clear difference in where she was mentally in the beginning to where she was in the end. I believe that her post-partum depression was the beginning of the mental journey in her mind. Ironically, John’s request that she stay inside the room and sleep, only made the situation worse. She began to see herself as being “locked up.” When she noticed the women in the wall-paper, it made her realize that she was just like them; she was barred from the outside world. When her husband and sister-in-law forbid that she write, she felt the need to “creep” in a literal sense. The women in the paper were creeping because they were trying to hide the fact that they had gotten themselves “free.” When the narrator was writing, it was her freedom. Basically, my belief is that the women in the paper reflected what the narrator was feeling. She had to be locked up and was forbidden to do what made her feel free to express herself.
“I get positively angry with the impertinence of it and the everlastingness. Up and down and sideways they crawl, and those absurd, unblinking eyes are everywhere” (p. 16). This is one of my favorite quotes because it really captures the effect the wall-paper had on the author. Instead of simply noting that there was ugly wall-paper in the room, she allows it to envelop her in anguish and frustration. This is part of the book where she is just beginning to relate the wall-paper to living things. At first, before I realized that the woman was going insane, I thought of her simply as a figurative writer. I assumed that the “unblinking eyes” and the woman behind the bars were metaphors, not what she thought was actually there. It wasn’t until the part where she says, “But I know she was studying that pattern, and I am determined that nobody shall find it out but myself!” (p. 27), that I really began to realize that she was going crazy.
Something that I questioned about was the character, John. The narrator identifies him many times throughout the book as her husband; it seems that he must care about her a lot: “He said I was his darling and his comfort and all he had, and that I must take care of myself for his sake, and keep well” (p. 23). I wonder if he noticed the mental state she was in and was just in denial about it. She mentions many times that he said that she seems to be getting better. I want to know what he actually is thinking throughout the book as her situation gets increasingly worse, mentally. Did he realize what was happening, or was it not until he caught her “creeping” that he realized it?