3rd posting
Jenilyn Bonhorst (jsb0421@silver.sdsmt.edu)
Sun, 30 Nov 1997 23:07:06 -0700 (MST)
I thought choosing Thunderheart as the movie to make comparisons to Tayo
was an excellent choice. I realize that we planned on watching another
documentary on Silko but I found this more useful for understanding how
the main character feels.
In the movie thunderheart (Val Kilmer) is sent down to the reservation on
a FBI case. I think from the beginning he feels the Indian ritual are
pointless until the meeting with Grandpa when he sees himself as a child
with his father. Once he begin understanding the Indian customs and
rituals he felt more sympthetic towards the people on the reservation.
Like Tayo he was torn between the white man's world and the Indian
beliefs. In the movie I found that Grandpa was the equivalent to grandma
in the movie. He has visions about what was going on and tried to explain
them to Thunderheart. He was also the one who told him the history of his
ancestors and how thunderheart came to be. To me grandpa could also be
considered the medicine man that the people go to seek help from.
I aslo found simalarties between the FBI thugs and the hunters in the
mountains. THe hunters in the book didn't care about the land only about
the hunt. In the movie there was no concern about the welfare of the
people only the benefits of the land. THe government was conducting
uranium table at what was referred to at REd Deer Table.
In the book Tayo through the help of the ceremonies found the cattle and
met the women. In the book Thunderheart was told by grandpa that he was
sent to the reservation to help the land and the people. In both stories
the main character accomplished the goals they were told.
Both the book and the movie did an excellent job portraying how the old
Indian beliefs are from different from modern ways. In the movie there
was a conspiracy among the FBI. The Indian people that knew about Red
DEer table were killed for having the knowledge. For the Indian people
they choose not to run from the FBI but to stick with their beliefs.
Also in both the movie and the book the main character was troubled by
past experiences. AS mentioned Thunderheart had visions of his abusive
father and Tayo had difficulties dealing with his brother's death.
THe book was set in New Mexico and the movie was filmed on the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation. It was interesting to see the simalraties between two
entirely different tribes and how the white man views them as people.
The docmentary on Silko was interesting. It helps me to better understand
an author after have listened to her. It was helpful seeing in her in an
informal situation talking with her friends and telling the stories. She
stressed the points of how all the small stories make for the big pitcure.
I think we will being seeing alot of this in the next book were going to
read. THe stories are important to Silko because it shows how all the
people are linked together therefore making them the basis for everything.
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