Discrimination in Thomas King’s Green Grass Running Water

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Toby Karass-Rohan  Nicolas Carrier  English LPE-18 06/05/16 Discriminaion in Thomas King!s Green Grass Running Water  Thomas King!s Green Grass Running Water is a no"el ha e#$lores %o&r se$arae sorylines ha iner'ine a "ario&s $oins( They all a)e $lace in No rh *merica *merica an+ re"ol"e aro&n+ Nai"e *merican c&l&re an+ he sr&ggles hey %ace( These sories incl&+e a "ie' o% he relaionshi$s be'een ,eorge a 'hie *merican-born *merican-born man an+ Laisha a member o% he .lac)%oo comm&niy in Cana+a an+ he $as relaionshi$ be'een her &ncle Eli an+ a 'hie Cana+ian 'oman name+ Karen( There is also he reelling an+  $aro+y o% se"eral classic sories incl&+ing a %e' .iblical ales ales s&ch as he sory o% Noah ar) an+ es&s 'al)ing on 'aer( The main hemes e#$lore+ hro&gho& hese circ&msances are +iscriminaion enilemen i+eniy an+ in&sice( ore s$eci%ically he sory s&ggess ha $eo$le 'ih rigi+ belie%s in heir o'n gen+er or race s&$erioriy %eel a sense o% enilemen h&s creaing in&sice o'ar+s hose he y +iscriminae agains( This is sho'n hro&gh he characeri2aion o% bo h ,eorge orningsar an+ Eli 3an+s *lone as 'ell as he $aro+y $aro+ y o% he .iblical sory abo& Noah!s ar)( 4irsly 4irsly ,eorge is characeri2e+ as a narro'-min+e+ *merican 'ho beliles his 'i%e %or being Cana+ian +isres$ecs her Nai"e c& l&re an+ reas her $oorly as he %eels enile+ o her res$ec an+ obe+ience beca&se he is a man( Early in heir marriage ,eorge 'o&l+ $oin o& he +i%%erences be'een *mericans an+ Cana+ians li)e ho'  *mericans are in+e$en+en 'hereas Cana+ians are +e$en+en or ho' all he grea miliary men

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in Norh *merica7'ere *mericans King 156 159:( ;e lo"es beliling Cana+a o his *lberan 'i%e an+ al'ays ma+e hose y$es o% generali2aions as saemens o% %ac 'ih no $roo% o bac) i &$( Tha sho's his sense o% s&$erioriy an+ his narro'-min+e+ness as 'ell as his general lac) o% criical hin)ing( 1:( They ha+ a shor e#change in 'hich she ma+e a %e' commens ha he %o&n+ +isres$ec%&l( ?hen she go ho me ,eorge grabbe+ Laisha by her +ress an+ slamme+ her agains he 'all( *n+ be%ore she reali2e+ 'ha 'as ha$$ening he 'as hiing her as har+ as he co&l+ beaing her &nil she %ell King 1>@:( * ha  $oin li)e +&ring mos o% heir marriage Laisha 'as $ro"i+ing %or he %amily by r&nning her resa&ran so he %ac ha she 'as &ninerese+ by his ac)e 'hile she 'as 'or)ing is com$leely &n+ersan+able( This inci+en sho's his emoional insabiliy 'hen i comes o his ego an+ $ri+e( ;e belie"es ha as a man he +eser"es o be $raise+ by his 'i%e %or somehing as &seless as a ac)e com$leely o"erloo)ing he %ac ha he is 'asing her ime an+ bohering her( Laer in he no"el ,eorge goes o he 3&n Dance 'here he ries o a)e $ic&res 'hich is sricly %orbi++en( ?hen Eli an+ Lionel Laisha!s broher con%ron him he ries o )ee$ he %ilm( ?hen hey a)e i by %orce he says his is ice age cra$A 7 B!s he 'enieh cen&ry( Nobo+y cares abo& yo&r lile $o''o'( * b&nch o% ol+ $eo$le an+ +r&n)s siing aro&n+ in ens in he mi++le o% no'here hen 'hen he is ol+ o lea"e he sho&s o&!re a o)eA 7 o& all ac li)e his is im$oran li)e i!s going o change yo&r li"es( Chris yo& g&ys are born s&$i+ an+ yo& +ie s&$i+ King 86:( ,eorge!s anr&m is anoher re%lecion o% his ignorance an+ sense o% enilemen as he

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+isres$ecs he enire 3&n Dance ra+iion e"en ho&gh he is he one 'ho a$$roache+ hem &nin"ie+( 3econ+ly Eli!s characeri2aion sho's his ro&ble %in+ing his i+eniy +&e o s&ble +iscriminaion 'hen he is a yo&ng a+&l an+ ho' he laer has o +eal 'ih he +am  b&il 'ih racis inen( ?hen Eli mo"e+ in 'ih Karen she ga"e him a nic)name calling him her ysic ?arrior King 16:( Tha small nic)name is an in+icaion o% s&ble racism as he 'as neiher mysic nor a 'arriorF she &s li)e+ he i+ea ha Eli 'as Bn+ian &rning i ino a sor o% %eish King 16:( Early in heir relaionshi$ she 'o&l+ sar beliling his ase in rea+ing( ;e rie+ o hin ha he ha+ no obecion o a ?esern or anoher Ne' ?oman no"el an+ Karen 'o&l+ la&gh an+ $&ll anoher boo) o& o% her  bag a boo) ha &s&ally 'as abo& Bn+ians King 16@:( 3he 'o&l+ no le him enoy hey genres he li)e+ beca&se she sa' hem as beneah her 'hich sho's her sense o% s&$erioriy o'ar+s Eli( Laer in his li%e Eli re&rns o he ho&se his moher b& il o sa"e i %rom being +esroye+ %or he consr&cion o% a +am( The +am-b&il+er Cli%%or+ 3i%on "isis Eli!s ho&se on a +aily basis o ge him o mo"e( D&ring one o% hose "isis Eli menions Nai"e reaies o 'hich 3i%on re$lies hose reaies aren! 'orh a +amn7 ?ho!+ o% g&esse+ ha here 'o&l+ sill be Bn+ians )ic)ing aro&n+ in he 'enieh cen&ry King 11:( Tha small commen sho's he ignorance an+ racism ha Eli an+  Nai"e *mericans %ace as hey are o%en $orraye+ as sa"ages an+ a hing o% he $as( Thir+ly he $aro+y o% he .iblical sory o% Noah!s ar) sho's a +i%%eren si+e o% +iscriminaion as Noah is $orraye+ as a misogynisic lile man co"ere+ in %eces( ?hen Changing ?oman lan+s in Noah!s canoe %&ll o% e#cremen he imme+iaely associaes her  o E"e saying she sinne+7ha!s 'hy B!m in a canoe %&ll o% animals( Tha!s 'hy B!m in

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a canoe %&ll o% $oo$ King 15:( B is sho'n ha Noah blames 'omen %or he  $re+icamen he is in( Bn he .ible i is sai+ ha %rom a 'oman sin ha+ is beginning an+  beca&se o% her 'e all +ie Ne' Bnernaional Gersion Eccles( @5(@:( Tha sho's he re%lecion o% King!s $aro+y on he ac&al misogynisic conen o% he .ible( * %e' momens laer Noah says Changing 'oman is his ne' 'i%e beca& se she %ell %rom he s)y ma)ing her a gi% %rom hea"en so he imme+iaely comman+s her o sho' him her  breass King 15:( ;e H&oes his so-calle+ Chrisian r&les s&ch as Tho& 3hal ;a"e .ig .reass King 16:( This is a $aro+y o% he 'ay 'omen are re$resene+ in Chrisianiy( *ccor+ing o Eli2abeh *nn Clar) in her boo) Women in the Early Church, 'omen 'ere ,o+!s creaion his goo+ gi% o men I an+ he c&rse o% he 'orl+ sho'ing ha here has al'ays been e#reme misogyny an+ $ossessi"eness in Chrisianiy Clar) 15:( King &ses his $aro+ies o% .iblical e#s o sho' h e se#ism o'ar+s %o&n+ in religion an+ in sociey( Bn concl&sion Green Grass Running Water s&ggess ha $eo$le 'ho ha"e s&$erioriy com$le#es res&ling %rom heir %irm belie% in heir o'n race or gen+er rea minoriy gro&$s &n&sly( The characeri2aion o% ,eorge sho's he enile+ menaliy o% a narro'-min+e+ $ri"ilege+ $erson an+ ho' he ineracs 'ih minoriy gro&$s 'hereas Eli!s characeri2aion e#$lores he recei"ing en+ o% he +iscriminaion( ;e is sho'n o sr&ggle 'ih his i+eniy beca&se o% race iss&es creaing a sor o% inner &rmoil( 4inally he $aro+y o% he sory o% Noah!s ar) e#$oses he e#reme misogyny in The .ible one o% he mos in%l&enial boo)s o% all ime( The sory also sho's ha ones i+eniy can ranscen+ racism an+ se#ism by connecing 'ih one!s comm&niy an+ c&l&ral roos allo'ing %or a $oenially ha$$ier li%e(

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?or)s Cie+

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Clar) Eli2abeh *nn( Women in the Early Church( E+( Thomas ;alon( Ne' or)J Li&rgical @005( Prin( King Thomas( Green Grass, Running Water ( Ne' or)J .anam .oo)s 1>>( Prin( ;oly .ibleJ Ne' Bnernaional Gersion( ,ran+ Ra$i+sJ on+er"an 1>8(