Yellow Woman Essay

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YELLOW WOMAN AND A BEAUTY OF THE SPIRIT In the essay “Yellow Woman and a Beauty of the spirit” by Leslie Marmon Silko, the author shows or emphasize differences of her modern lifestyle with that of the traditional Pueblo culture. The major theme in this story is time, which carefully gives one the outlook of the past and present. Silko discusses the role of the Laguna Pueblo Beliefs, Physical Appearance/European Culture, and the Relationship to Nature. The Laguna people had a strong belief in the way one was viewed. They believed that a person’s appearance did not matter as much as a person’s behavior. The way the Pueblo people looked at life was from the heart and soul. They believed that there was no good or bad in people, so comparing one to another was silly to them. Silko quoted in her essay “In the old days, Pueblo people educated their children in this manner: adults took time out to talk to and teach young people. Everyone was a teacher and every activity had the potential to teach the child (398).The author gains strength from the stories told by her grandmother as it shapes her identity. There was no social status in the Pueblo beliefs which means everyone was equal and boundaries regarding age did not matter to them, although the old were given the utmost respect. Stories were told in order to pass down tradition and a sense of pride. The Physical appearance and the European Culture of the Pueblo people were viewed different as something negative from the west. The racism that she faced came from the puritans by the ideas of sin and domination. Silko was of mixed race which made her insecure because whites and Indians did not accept her. The author learned to see differences in people when she went to school and interacted with kids from different backgrounds. Silko quoted” Her feelings became hurt by a tourists that wanted to take a
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