This story is about an Indian woman who comes from pueblo but in the whole story we never know her name, we only know that she has a husband, a baby and other family members. In the beginning of the story, she wakes up in a place that very different from her house and the strangest part is the man lying beside her named Silva. They meet accidentally yesterday afternoon. He asks her to come with him, and called her ”Yellow Woman”. Just like the myth which she has heard from her grandfather about two men hunting outside and they meet a girl who has light hair and eye. One day Yellow Woman goes away with the spirit from the north and after a long time, she comes back with twin boys. The narrator joking says the situation of herself and Silva just like Yellow Woman and the spirit. They go back to Silva’s house and Silva tells her that he rustles cattle to live, and then she guesses him he is a Navajo but he denies the statement. The next day, the woman thinks her family will be worried about her for missing two days. She decides to return home but she cannot let go of Silva. However, she goes back to him. One day, Silva wants to sell the meat and on the way to Marquez, they encounter the rancher who accuses Silva of rustling cattle. While Silva and the rancher about to fight, he tells her to ride back up to the mountain. After leaving, she hears four gunshots and concludes Silva kills the rancher. In the end, she goes back to her home and plans to lie her family that she is kidnapped by a Navajo. When she gets home, she really misses Silva and hopes he will come to find her someday.
Analysis
1."Yellow Woman" shows the role of a woman in a traditional, average family; narrator is a married young female raising a baby and living together with parents and grandparents. Women in her family traditionally do not work. They are rather supposed to raise children and deal with housework; men are the ones who are responsible for financial matters, and "important" things. What is more the role of a woman in this family is rather under appreciated and minor, not even visible. After the narrator leaves her home she says: "There are enough of them to handle things. My mother and grandmother will raise the baby as they raised me. Al will find someone else". 2.Another example of a patriarchal society may be found in a scene when a rancher captures her beloved - Silva. No one pays attention to her, or to what will happen to her; men only are allowed to deal with important issues such as crime, and responsibility. In this story male's and female's worlds are strongly separated.
Q&A
1. Who is Silva? a. a Navajo / b. the spirit of mountain / c. unknown 2. Who is the fat white man? a. her grandfather / b. rancher / c. her husband 3. What happened to Silva at the end? It seemed that the white rancher did not have a gun and we hear 4 gunshots go off at the end. 4. What is the significance of the narrator’s wish that her grandfather could be alive to hear her story?
Summary
ReplyDeleteThis story is about an Indian woman who comes from pueblo but in the whole story we never know her name, we only know that she has a husband, a baby and other family members.
In the beginning of the story, she wakes up in a place that very different from her house and the strangest part is the man lying beside her named Silva. They meet accidentally yesterday afternoon. He asks her to come with him, and called her ”Yellow Woman”. Just like the myth which she has heard from her grandfather about two men hunting outside and they meet a girl who has light hair and eye. One day Yellow Woman goes away with the spirit from the north and after a long time, she comes back with twin boys. The narrator joking says the situation of herself and Silva just like Yellow Woman and the spirit.
They go back to Silva’s house and Silva tells her that he rustles cattle to live, and then she guesses him he is a Navajo but he denies the statement. The next day, the woman thinks her family will be worried about her for missing two days. She decides to return home but she cannot let go of Silva. However, she goes back to him. One day, Silva wants to sell the meat and on the way to Marquez, they encounter the rancher who accuses Silva of rustling cattle.
While Silva and the rancher about to fight, he tells her to ride back up to the mountain. After leaving, she hears four gunshots and concludes Silva kills the rancher. In the end, she goes back to her home and plans to lie her family that she is kidnapped by a Navajo. When she gets home, she really misses Silva and hopes he will come to find her someday.
Analysis
1."Yellow Woman" shows the role of a woman in a traditional, average family; narrator is a married young female raising a baby and living together with parents and grandparents. Women in her family traditionally do not work. They are rather supposed to raise children and deal with housework; men are the ones who are responsible for financial matters, and "important" things. What is more the role of a woman in this family is rather under appreciated and minor, not even visible. After the narrator leaves her home she says: "There are enough of them to handle things. My mother and grandmother will raise the baby as they raised me. Al will find someone else".
2.Another example of a patriarchal society may be found in a scene when a rancher captures her beloved - Silva. No one pays attention to her, or to what will happen to her; men only are allowed to deal with important issues such as crime, and responsibility. In this story male's and female's worlds are strongly separated.
Q&A
1. Who is Silva?
a. a Navajo / b. the spirit of mountain / c. unknown
2. Who is the fat white man?
a. her grandfather / b. rancher / c. her husband
3. What happened to Silva at the end? It seemed that the white rancher did not have a gun and we hear 4 gunshots go off at the end.
4. What is the significance of the narrator’s wish that her grandfather could be alive to hear her story?
Vocabulary
tamarack 落葉松
willow 柳樹
alkali 鹼
moss 苔蘚
fern 羊齒
squint 斜視/瞇眼而看
blur 模糊/朦朧
corral畜欄
cedar西洋杉
mesa臺地/平頂山
plateau 高地
lava 熔巗
arroyo枯乾的河流/峽谷
enamel 瓷漆
grease油脂
juniper杜松
apricot 杏
steep 陡峭的
scabbard 鞘
rancher 牧場工人
rancid 惡臭的
flank 側腹
leap up 引人注意
gunny 粗麻布/麻布袋