gardens in the dunes

7/23/2019 Gardens in the Dunes

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/gardens-in-the-dunes 1/3

New Developments in American Studies

Take-Home Test

Gábor Szekeres

01 0! "01#

Gardening and Mothering in Silko’s Gardens in the Dunes 1st Chapter

Nurturin$ plants and brin$in$ up a c%ild& t%is is one o' t%e underl(in$ t%emes present in t%e

'irst c%apter o' Gardens in the Dunes. T%ese two acts are closel( interrelated and analo$ous to

eac% ot%er in t%e te)t A'ter all (ou can sa( t%at (ou nurture a c%ild and also plants are live

bein$s wit% and a$in$ process w%ic% resembles t%e $rowin$ up o' %uman c%ildren

Accordin$ to t%e animistic belie's present in t%e Native American belie' s(stem*

ever(t%in$ in t%e world %as a spirit in it* 'rom rocks and places* to plants and animals and

%umans Accordin$ to t%e de'inition o' t%e'reedictionar( online dictionar( animism is +t%e

belie' in t%e e)istence o' individual spirits t%at in%abit natural ob,ects and p%enomena T%e

reason . started writin$ about animism is because Silkos novel was deepl( in'luenced b( t%e

aut%ors Native American %erita$e and it ric%l( details t%e 'olklore and mentalit( o' t%e

people Alt%ou$% t%e Sand /izard eople are 'ictional t%e same as t%e stor( is* t%e tribe can beviewed as an artistic representation o' Native Americans

ne o' t%e most important maternal 'i$ures in t%e view o' t%e Sand /izard eople was

t%e ld Sand /izard spirit itsel' T%e( sa( 2t%e people called t%emselves Sand /izards

c%ildren3 4p " GitD5 .t is said t%at t%e old $ardens used b( t%e Sand /izard eople were

planted b( t%e Sand /izard itsel' and t%e people were instructed b( t%e spirit about t%e wa(s

o' $ardenin$ and nurturin$ plants T%e( were warned not to be $reed( and to s%are wit% ot%er

bein$s& wit% insects* animals* etc T%e( were also tau$%t not to disturb t%e natural process o'

reseedin$ t%e plants 6or e)ample* some o' t%e pumpkins in t%e $ardens were le't be%ind to

return to t%e eart% eac% (ear so t%at t%eir seeds would sprout up ne)t (ear 2ld Sand /izard

insisted %er $ardens be reseeded in t%at wa( because %uman bein$s are undependable 4p "

GitD5 7( representin$ t%e $ardenin$ tradition o' t%e Sand /izard eople t%is wa(* Silko

creates an ima$e o' a tribe w%ic% is ver( close to nature* and also +8s%e draws9 e)plicit

parallels between t%e act o' $ardenin$ and mot%erin$ 4/i "00:5 .t is 'urt%er su$$ested t%at

+treatment o' t%e eart% re'lects attitudes about maternit( and 'emale power 4/i "00:5 .n t%e

end it can be said t%at t%e parallel between $ardenin$ and mot%erin$ is represented on t%e

m(t%olo$ical level* but let us e)amine t%e matter 'urt%er

ne o' t%e ot%er maternal c%aracters presented in t%e novel is Grandma 6leet* w%o

basicall( brin$s up t%e c%ildren to$et%er wit% +;ot%er and teac%es t%e $irls .ndi$o and Sister

Salt %ow to look a'ter t%e old $ardens and to 'ollow t%e old wa(s o' $ardenin$ practices o' t%e

Sand /izard eople .n t%e teac%in$ process* $ardenin$ was inte$rated wit% learnin$ b(

rolepla(in$

+T%e( eac% %ad plants t%e( cared 'or as i' t%e plants were babies Grandma 'leet %ad

tau$%t t%em t%is too T%e plants listen* s%e told t%em Alwa(s $reet eac% plant

respect'ull( Dont 'i$%t around t%e plants < %ard 'eelin$s cause t%e plants to wit%er 4p

" GitD5

7ased on t%is it seems t%at t%e $irls were not onl( tau$%t $ardenin$* t%e( were also bein$

prepared %ow to be mot%ers later on .t is also implied t%at it was not Grandma 6leets

individual decision to teac% t%e $irls t%is wa(* but it was deepl( imbedded in t%e lore and

wisdom o' t%e tribe +=ac% person %ad plants to care 'or* alt%ou$% t%e %arvest was s%ared b(

ever(one .ndividual plants %ad pet names < 7us%(* 6att(* Skinn(* S%ort(* ;ot%er and 7ab(were common names 4p > GitD5




Step%anie /i writes t%at +$ardenin$ reveals basic belie's about t%e relations%ip

between %umans and t%e eart% and +t%e old $ardens 8are9 a source o' 'ood s%elter and

identit( 4/i "00:5 .n m( opinion t%ou$%* t%is train o' t%ou$%t can be 'urt%er e)plored and t%e

relations%ip between %umans and t%e eart% can be viewed as t%e relations%ip between %umans

and t%e world Amon$ t%e Sand /izard eople* 'uture $enerations are tau$%t to respect t%e

eart% 4mot%er5* and t%is respect and lovin$ tenderness in $ardenin$ and c%ildrearin$ isimbedded in t%eir culture* t%eir traditions and customs* as it is displa(ed in t%e 'irst c%apter

Not onl( .ndi$o and Sister 6leet are tau$%t t%is wa(* but Grandma 6leet was tau$%t t%is wa(

too b( t%e tribe* and t%e Sand /izard eople were tau$%t b( t%e ld Sand /izard itsel'* t%e

mot%er o' t%e eople accordin$ to t%eir m(t%olo$(

T%e belie's and customs o' t%e Sand /izard eople are opposed b( t%e culture brou$%t

to t%e continent b( =uropeans +7( contrast* man( o' t%e w%ite c%aracters in t%e novel adopt a

more domineerin$ and colonialist approac% to t%e natural world 4/i "00:5 None o' t%ese

w%ite c%aracters appear in t%e 'irst c%apter* but t%ere are numerous occasions in t%e te)t w%ere

w%ite peoples interact wit% .ndi$os 'amil( and it is eas( to see %ow ne$ative t%eir portra(als

are in contrast wit% t%e mentalit( o' t%e Sand /izard 'amil(* w%ic% is in t%e center o' t%e

narrative and w%ic% is in %armon( wit% nature Some o' t%ese occasions are& w%en a w%itelad( intends to bu( bab( .ndi$o on t%e train plat'orm* w%en t%e .ndian olice tries to take

awa( .ndi$o and Sister Salt to sc%ool* and t%e rape o' ;ot%er b( t%e priest at t%e resb(terian

mission* etc All t%ese wron$doin$s are committed b( w%ite people and it is c%ildren* w%o

su''er .t is eas( to ima$ine w%at kind o' relations%ip t%ese people 4t%e lad( on t%e plat'orm

and t%e priest w%o c%eated on %is wi'e and 'orced %imsel' on a Native American teena$er5

%ave wit% c%ildren

/ater in t%e novel t%e distinction between c%ildrearin$ in Native American and w%ite

'amilies become %i$%li$%ted* alt%ou$% t%is distinction is onl( su$$ested in t%e 'irst c%apter o'

t%e novel .ndi$o* w%o is t%e main c%aracter o' t%e novel* is onl( able to survive because o'

t%e li'e s%e %ad %ad in t%e old $ardens* and t%anks to t%e lore s%e %ad received 'rom %er

'amil(* and t%rou$% %er 'amil( 'rom t%e Sand /izard eople




References:

15 /eslie ;armon Silko& e)cerpt 'rom Gardens in the Dunes* t%e 1st c%apter 'rom

T= ?oospace

"5 /i* Step%anie* Domestic Resistance, Gardening, Mothering, and Storytelling in

Leslie Marmon Silko’s Gardens in the Dunes. American .ndian /iteratures "114Sprin$ "00:5

gardens in the dunes

Documents