A Yellow Raft in Blue Water Comparison

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water
Many often encounter substantial barriers in communication due to a lack of perspective. Without different perspectives stories are one-sided and usually somewhat misconstrued. For example, Rayona’s interpretations of events differed from her mother’s view quite often, such as Christine’s drinking problem. Throughout the book, you are exposed to several events that without Ida’s, Christine’s, and Rayona’s perceptions, you would not be able to fully grasp the story, or how it came to be. All three of these strong female characters add important details that form the story as a whole. It is only when these three interpretations come together that you can see the entire drama for what it truly was. I believe this approach is very similar to American history in general, especially considering the native heritage and the large impact of the Vietnam War. In the middle of a conflict, or even for generations after, America often only knows one side of the story. Knowing only one side makes it easier to agree and sympathize with America. Similar to when the reader first begins the novel, only exposed to Rayona’s point of view. However, when other nation’s perspectives are fully revealed, especially in conflict, one can see the entire story and understand why certain decisions were made. Many American conflicts (and world conflicts for that matter) were due to a lack of perspective, which led to a gap in communication. This can be numerous times throughout the novel as the many conflicts between each of the characters were the result of a gap in communication.
Often in history when conflicts arise, it is not until the end when all stories come together that we understand the reality and truth of the conflict. This is also the case in “A Yellow Raft in Blue Water.” It is not until the end of the book, when all the interpretations tie together that we see everything and its’ full impact. It is also not uncommon in historic conflicts for dark secrets to be kept, but these deals inevitability will one day be leaked. Dark secrets in Ida’s life were kept for many years, as part of deals she did not fully agree to. She eventually foreshadows the telling of these events to Rayona.
Resentment and betrayal are key emotions to what Ida feels her entire life. The betrayal of her own family creates resentment that stays with her for the duration of her life. Because the misery of her families’ betrayal was so enduring, Ida distanced herself from society altogether. Ironically, this is similar to America’s treatment of the Native Americans. We betrayed our own people, which in turn created an everlasting resentment of Caucasians by many native Americans. This is portrayed by Dorris in the story when Lee claims he will not fight in Vietnam because “it is the white man’s war” that we created ourselves. Native Americans isolated themselves from our society even after America attempted to right our wrongs. They distanced themselves to reservations, similar to Ida’s isolation from society after betrayal. The approach Dorris takes in showing three different perspectives of the same events to fully encompass the reader and thoroughly form characters creates a very original novel. The novel proves to be similar to America due to the differing perspectives that if only voiced could have prevented conflict. Many emotions portrayed by characters in the novel can also be connected to entire historical events that forever impacted our nation as well as others. Going into conflict America often only had a one-sided story until after the events had already created a substantial impact. It was only after these impacts that other perspectives were gained and filled in the missing gaps. If all perspectives were taken into account throughout history, communication and just general treatment of humanity could have been drastically improved. This is also the case throughout this novel. If each character understood one another’s perspective, conflicts could have been avoided, feelings could have been spared, and relationships could have been improved. But as you can see in reality today, gaining perspective is an arduous task that requires an open mind, which is against a large amount of humanities habits.