Literary Analysis
Adam Accola
Mr. Brieske
English 11
21 January 2010
Critical Analysis of The Man to Send Rain Clouds In the short story The Man to Send Rain Clouds by Leslie Marmon Silko, the traditional Laguna Native American burial ritual is questioned by the meddling Catholic Church when an older man in the village, Teofilo, passes away. As part of the traditional ritual, the deceased have a feather tied in their hair, have their face painted with four colors, are wrapped in a red blanket, and are buried with corn meal and water sprinkled around their grave. All of these parts of the traditional ritual, including the specific colors used to paint the face, are symbolic of certain beliefs in the Laguna culture. First of all, feathers are a very symbolic item in many Native American cultures and are particularly symbolic of the spirit world according to Ava Venefica. Ms. Venefica also states that they symbolize ascension and strength and are worn by chiefs to show their ability to communicate with the spirit and their celestial wisdom. In the story, old Teofilo has a feather tied in his hair so that he is able to have flight within the spirit world (“Native American Symbols”), and be able to travel to his destination- the clouds. The placement of the feather is also important. The feather is tied into his hair, which is the most freely flowing part of the human body. The hair could very well be representing his spirit because of its ability to flow freely in the wind just like the human spirit. The four colors that are painted on his face and where they are painted on are all symbolic in the Laguna culture as well. His face is painted so that he can be recognized once he reaches the spirit world. Each color represents an aspect in nature and shows the Laguna culture’s closeness to the natural world (dymatsuoka). The colors themselves also have meaning behind them and are symbolic of various traits. There is even symbolism behind the placement of the color on his
Mr. Brieske
English 11
21 January 2010
Critical Analysis of The Man to Send Rain Clouds In the short story The Man to Send Rain Clouds by Leslie Marmon Silko, the traditional Laguna Native American burial ritual is questioned by the meddling Catholic Church when an older man in the village, Teofilo, passes away. As part of the traditional ritual, the deceased have a feather tied in their hair, have their face painted with four colors, are wrapped in a red blanket, and are buried with corn meal and water sprinkled around their grave. All of these parts of the traditional ritual, including the specific colors used to paint the face, are symbolic of certain beliefs in the Laguna culture. First of all, feathers are a very symbolic item in many Native American cultures and are particularly symbolic of the spirit world according to Ava Venefica. Ms. Venefica also states that they symbolize ascension and strength and are worn by chiefs to show their ability to communicate with the spirit and their celestial wisdom. In the story, old Teofilo has a feather tied in his hair so that he is able to have flight within the spirit world (“Native American Symbols”), and be able to travel to his destination- the clouds. The placement of the feather is also important. The feather is tied into his hair, which is the most freely flowing part of the human body. The hair could very well be representing his spirit because of its ability to flow freely in the wind just like the human spirit. The four colors that are painted on his face and where they are painted on are all symbolic in the Laguna culture as well. His face is painted so that he can be recognized once he reaches the spirit world. Each color represents an aspect in nature and shows the Laguna culture’s closeness to the natural world (dymatsuoka). The colors themselves also have meaning behind them and are symbolic of various traits. There is even symbolism behind the placement of the color on his
Cited: Applebee, Arthur N., et al. “Build Background.” The Language of Literature. Applebee, Arthur N., Bermúdez, Andrea B., et al. Evanston, Illinois: McDougal Littell Inc., 2006. 48. Print. Iroquois. “The World on the Turtle’s Back.” The Language of Literature. Applebee, Arthur N., Bermúdez, Andrea B., et al. Evanston, Illinois: McDougal Littell Inc., 2006. 30. Print. Lonso, Luci Tapa. “All the Colors of Sunset.” Reinventing the Enemy’s Language Contemporary Native Women’s Writings of North America. Harjo, Joy, Bird, Gloria. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1998. 320. Print Louis Silko, Leslie Marmon. “The Man to Send Rain Clouds.” The Language of Literature. Applebee, Arthur N., Bermúdez, Andrea B., et al. Evanston, Illinois: McDougal Littell Inc., 2006. 49. Print. Silko, Leslie Marmon. “When the Sun Came to Riverwoman.” Reinventing the Enemy’s Language Contemporary Native Women’s Writings of North America. Harjo, Joy, Bird, Gloria. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1998. 487. Print.