Green Grass, Running Water

In the novel Green Grass, Running Water, Thomas King uses many Biblical and cultural allusions. On page 235 he made an allusion toward the Star of Bethlehem. He depicts Babo and Dr. Hovaugh traveling towards a point of light in the horizon, a star in the morning sky symbolizing their final destination on there way to find the four old indians. Another allusion is the Lone Ranger. Lone Ranger is one of the old indians that has a goal of fixing the world and its change, but what makes it ironic is that the Lone Ranger was a pop culture icon in old western movies, a heroic cowboy that saves people from the bad indians.

Clifford Sifton was the Minister of the Interior of Canada from 1896-1905. He was responsible for bringing the change to the interior provinces of Canada. In the novel King has recreated Sifton as a government official that is working in Alberta to run a hydro-dam project that is being prevented by a local indian. This is an interesting allusion because in real life he start the change of the native culture and now he is being depicted as actually physical changing it by taking away homes to build the dam. One of the allusions on page 416 is about the birth of Jesus, Coyote is being scorned upon for making mistakes and one that he admits to is giving "that" lady a baby, which led to the Christian religion. On page 407 there is an allusion towards Columbus's ship. The old indians use a red car, a blue car, and a white car to break the dam to fix the change that has happened. The cars were depicted as sailing towards the dam. It is an allusion because red, white and blue are the colours symbolized by colonialism which brought about the change in the western world and now they are using those coloured cars to correct the change.

In the novel Eli Stands Alone is fighting over his house with Clifford Sifton because Sifton wants to tear it down to run a dam, but Eli does not want this to happen. He has been offered a great deal to move out but he wont budge.

" Eli could no longer remember what he had in mind when he moved into the cabin, could remember only the emotion he felt when Sifton told him that they were going to tear the cabin down." p. 263.

This shows that Eli is tried of all the stuff that has happened to his people over time and now he want to make a stand. He does not really even remember what he wants with the house, he is just done with being pushed around.

In the novel Lionel Red Dog is struggling to get his life in order because so far he is over 40 and going nowhere fast.

"Life, lionel mused as he felt his chest slide on top of his stomach, had become embarrassing. His job was embarrassing. His gold blazer was embarrassing. His car was embarrassing. Norma was right. Alberta wasn't about to marry an embarrassment." p.239

This shows how self aware Lionel is and how he has not done anything to improve his life lately, you can tell that he wants to change but it is as if he is lazy.

Coyote is quite the trickster. He is kind of depicted as a god but a bad one, a god that is not aware of how the stuff he does affects the world around him.

"'The last time you fooled around like this ,' said Robinson Crusoe,' the world got very wet.'

'And we had to start all over again,' said Hawkeye.

'I didn't do anything,' says Coyote. 'I jut sang a little.'

'Oh, boy," said the Lone Ranger." p. 416

This passage shows how Coyote is the trickster he is said to be. It shows how he started the flood from Noah's Arch and that all he thought he did was sang a little.