AP Lit Lullaby Essay

“Lullaby Short Story Essay” Leslie Marmon Silko’s short story “Lullaby” focuses on the misfortunes that a woman named Ayah endures throughout her life. The setting of the story takes place in winter. Winter often resembles death and resentment in literature which is highlighted in Silko’s story. The tone created by the narration of the story suggests that the attitude of the author favors the traditional Native American culture and opposes the modern culture. This attitude is showcased by the narration through the development of the characters as the story evolves. The narration of the story suggests that the author has a more positive attitude towards the characters that belong to the Native American Culture. Ayah’s most heartbreaking misfortune in her life is the loss of her children. The tone of the story enables the reader to empathize with Ayah highlighting that a more favorable attitude is associated with characters apart of the Native American culture. Ayah’s eldest son Jimmie was named for the summer morning. Seasonal references to summer are usually associated with positive feelings. Irony appears here in the story because Jimmie ends up dying while at war. However, even though he has passed away, Jimmie serves as Ayah’s protector and is the cause for much of the little happiness she does have. A blanket that Jimmie made for his mother is symbolic of the comfort and protection that she feels through Jimmie. “She felt peaceful remembering. She didn’t feel cold any more. Jimmie’s blanket seemed warmer than it had ever been” (Silko 349). Mentions of how Jimmie would have made situations better included throughout the story reveals to the audience the comfort and protection Ayah feels by her beloved son. The narration also explains that the blanket gives Ayah positive memories about her mother and grandmother. “She had only been a little girl when her grandma gave her the wooden combs to pull the twigs and burrs from the raw, freshly

Cited: Silko, Leslie Marmon. “Lullaby.” Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. *the d. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2007. 348-353.