Green Grass Running Water by Thomas King: The Parallels Between Reality and The Novel

Thomas King’s Green Grass Running Water is about the building of a dam on native land, and the battle that the native people face in their daily lives. Throughout the novel, the story and what is happening in the real world are parallel, and then it deviates from the devastating reality to showcase the freedom of the native peoples without the intercession of the government. The dam symbolizes the government and through it being built represents what is being done to the native people by taking their land through the Native Relocation Act as well as the North American Indian Removal. Dr. Joseph Hovaugh symbolizes the stereotypical white culture and their goal to assimilate the native people.

The novel and real life differentiate at the end with the dam being destroyed, and the native people being able to return to their life without government interruption; this parallels to real life, where the government continues to take the native land and relocate them. The dam is used as a symbol of the government, and white culture trying to control the native people, as well as taking their traditional land. The dam is used as a symbol to represent the native people being recessed by the government, as well as what is happening in the real world through the use of the Native Relocation Act, and the North American Indian Removal.

The parallels between reality and the novel become more apparent through the use of propaganda, the Duplessis Company hires a public relations company as well as a hiring a native lawyer to convince the native people the dam will benefit them as well; “a public campaign to convince the Indians that the dam was in their best interest”. The use of these lines shows how far the government, as well as big corporations, are willing to go to trick the Native people into believing this is in their best interest. Careful planning was not taken when the location of the dam was chosen; “Environmental concerns were cast aside. Questions about the possible fault lines that lay under the dam were dismissed. Native land claims that had been in the courts for over fifty years were shelved”. King used this passage to prove how all other safety and ethical issues were put aside because taking land from the tribe is free for the government.

The similarities to the actions in the real world are shown more clearly through the open-ended promises made to the Blackfoot tribe; “After only one year of the dam operating at full efficiency, the tribe would make in excess of two million dollars. White farmers and white business would profit, too, but the article conceded, but the Indians would be the big winners”. King uses this statement to blur the lines between reality and the novel by showing the promises made to the Natives, and how they will be benefitted, but in reality, the natives are losing land and only the government is benefitting. The location of the dam being built, as well as the propaganda and promises made, show the restraint of the native people by the North American government. Dr. Joseph Hovaugh represents white culture, as well as the attempted assimilation of native culture, through his criticism and attempt to catch the four old Indians. Each time the four old Indians would escape there was a traumatic event that would affect the rest of the world; “Mount Saint Helens. They disappeared on May fifteenth, 1980, and on the eighteenth, Saint Helens explodes. … Makes you wonder where they were in August of 1883 … “Karaktu, ” said Dr. Hovaugh. “August twenty-seventh, 1883”.

King uses these lines to show how white culture portrays natives as savages who cause destruction and pain. Dr. Joseph Hovaugh also shows how white culture tries to help the native people but without the proper knowledge we are doing more harm than good; “… areas of gerontology and cultural anthropology and the lack of …and substantive research”. This passage shows how we can not properly help the native people because we try to diagnose them without doing enough research into their culture and heritage. Dr. Hovaugh goes to great lengths to blame the destruction of the dam on the four old Indians; “Dr. Hovaugh sagged against the bus, took out his book, and held it up. “It’s all here, ’ he said to Babo. “I was right after all” … “The dates” … “The places”. King uses this passage to explain how whenever there is a disaster white culture looks to blame the native people even if they were not involved in the issue.

Through Dr. Joseph Hovaugh speeches and actions, King represents how white culture attempts to help native people, but due to improper research, we are doing more harm than good, as well as the need to blame native people for our mistakes.