Silko In The Apollo Sparknotes

Leon manipulates Father Paul’s Ministry to serve his Pueblo’s purpose after the death of Teofilo, someone who could be seen as an important figure within the Pueblo’s. Silko changes the short story’s basic structure to accommodate for cultural representation and adaptation throughout the changes of time. The simple way of Silko's storytelling may seem confusing or strange to some, but in the context of the story; it is necessary. Silko does not give any of the characters any type of individual personality. She also does not describe them in any physical way. We know nothing of the characters other than their names. Even after finding Teofilo’s dead body, and what would seem like the perfect time to say something, they still do not speak. The
first words spoken are “Send us rain clouds, Grandfather” and although we do not know who says this, it speaks for both of them because it is obviously a shared feeling between Ken and Leon. The only real communication between the characters is when Louis tells Ken that she had been wanting to have a priest sprinkle holy water on Teofilo’s so he may not be thirsty. This may be due to a native tradition or to reassert the idea of him sending them rainclouds while he is in the afterlife. None of the Indian’s are bothered about or concerned about asking the priest to participate in a ceremony that had already concluded. This shows that they were only concerned about the way that Teofilo is set to rest. The short story ends before the ritual truly began and this could be seen as a way to avoid any cultural misrepresentation on Silko’s behalf.