FREE ESSAY ON LOOKING IN-DEPTH AT STORYTELLING BY SILKO

LOOKING IN-DEPTH AT STORYTELLING BY SILKO

Looking In-Depth at Storytelling by Silko
Leslie Marmon Silko is a Laguna Pueblo Indian who has written many novels and poems in
her lifetime. One of these poems, Storytelling, is very interesting to me. This poem
excites me because it tells of the impact that storytelling has on people in Laguna
culture. I will analyze and explore many parts of this poem. One of these subjects is
theme. The theme of Storytelling is actually the art of storytelling. Another aspect of
the poem I will look at is tension. There is a specific tension between the husband and
the wife in this poem. Next, I will explore how imagery helped Silko strengthen her
writing. Then, I will look at how the form of Storytelling is different from that of
other poems. Finally, I will compare Storytelling to another poem, written by Luci
Tapahonso entitled, Blue Horses Rush In. All these aspects put together will enable me to
do a complete textual analysis of Storytelling. 
Larson 2
To start, I will begin with the theme of Storytelling. The theme of the poem is the art
of storytelling, hence the name. 
At the end of the poem the author says, My husband left after he heard the story and
moved back in with his mother. It was my fault and I don't blame him either(Silko 424).
As the reader, you think that the woman is feeling bad about lying to her husband and she
doesn't blame him for leaving her because she has sinned. Then the next line reads, I
could have told the story better than I did(Silko 424). This surprises the reader because
the ending's not expected. This shows that the woman isn't really feeling bad about what
she did, or what happened; she only wishes that she could have told a better story so her
husband would stay with her. These quotes prove the theme of the poem; that storytelling
is very important in the Laguna culture. It is what the people pride themselves on and
the woman in the poem could have done a better job. Earlier on in the poem the husband
says, You better have a damn good story(Silko 423). It is almost as if the husband is
expecting a better story than what he receives, so not satisfied with the lines his wife
feeds him, he leaves. From these lines it is obvious that the stories told, and how the
people tell them is the theme of the poem Storytelling. This is not only a theme in the
poem, but I 
Larson 3
believe that it also represents a very prominent theme in the Laguna culture. 
Other themes in the poem are adultery and lying, but these also portray the main tensions
in the poem in addition to themes. The tension is between the husband and the wife. A
mysterious being shows up and kidnaps the wife. When she returns she tries to tell her
husband what happened in terms that he would understand. The husband, now very upset,
believes that his wife committed adultery. The tension starts when the husband says, You
better have a damn good story about where you have been for the past ten months and how
you explain these twin baby boys(Silko 423). You can tell from this quote that the
husband is not happy and wants an explanation; and it better be a good one. The wife
retaliates by saying, No! That gossip isn't true(Silko 423). The wife feels that she
needs to defend herself against the false accusations that her husband made. The rest of
the poem the wife tells her story in order to try to persuade her husband of the truth.
She wants to resolve the tension. Her attempts to persuade her husband are unsuccessful.
So the tension is never really resolved because the husband leaves. Therefore, there is
probably still tension surrounding the subject.
Larson 4
There are many images in Storytelling that help set the scene and develop a mood. A
couple images that help to set the scene are, ...the sun came over the long red
mesa(Silko 422) and, She looked into the shallow clear water(Silko 423). This gives an
image of how mystical and magical the scene was when the Buffalo Man came to get the
woman in the story. This image gives the reader the impression that this is a mysterious
event. The images are also calm and soothing which relay those feelings over to the
reader. This way the reader can understand what the woman in the poem is feeling at the
time. However, I don't think she feels that way for too long. Another image produced
later on in the poem sets up a very different scene, ...in a red `56 Ford and the F.B.I.
and state police hot on their trail of wine bottles and size 42 panties hanging in the
bushes and trees all along the road(Silko 423). This image is a very graphic one. The
wife is using this picture in her story to try to explain to her husband what she went
through. When you picture men driving in a `56 Ford with police chasing them with wine
bottles all over, it is not a great image. You picture dirty, menacing guys, probably not
guys that you would enjoy being with. The wife is trying to get across the point to her
husband that this was not a good experience. As you can see, images used in Storytelling
portray certain types of moods and set explicit scenes.
Larson 5 
The form of the poem adds to the imagery. The form is not like that of a normal poem.
Instead, paragraphs divide the text like a story. The lines break up the sentences into
what appears to be fragments. I think that this enables the writer to emphasize certain
words. For example, left(Silko 424) is in a line of it's own. This really draws attention
to the word. It seems much harsher than, My husband left..(Silko 424), all in the same
line. The author of Storytelling really used form to her advantage to make the story more
interesting.
The form of this poem is very different compared to other poems; it is almost more like a
story. On the other hand, it has many similarities to other poems. Storytelling is like
the poem by Luci Tapahonso, Blue Horses Rush In. They both tell stories that are now very
important to the culture that they originated in. Blue Horses Rush In is of Navajo origin
and Storytelling is from the Laguna Pueblo culture. Both started out a long time ago and
are now being passed down from generation to generation. They also both tell of the
importance of storytelling in their cultures. The form of both the poems differs from
that of a normal poem. Both tell a story in little paragraphs with sentences breaking off
mid-line. Both of the poems deal with occasions in peoples everyday lives. This is why I
think that of all the poems that I have read in this chapter, Storytelling and Blue
Horses Rush In are most alike.
Larson 6
Storytelling is a unique poem that has a lot of meaning. This is why I chose to analyze
it. I have analyzed the main aspects of the poem. I looked in-depth at the theme of the
poem, which was the art of storytelling. Then I went over the tension between the two
players in the poem. Next, I explained how imagery played a big part in Silko's writing.
Finally, I explored the form of the poem and compared it to the poem, Blue Horses Rush
In. Looking this closely at a poem helps to understand it more and it gives insight to
other works of literature that one might read along the way.