Winter In The Blood An Analysis Essay, Research Paper

Winter in the Blood, a Native American novel written by James Welch, takes place on a cattle ranch in Montana, around 1970. On the surface, this is a story of a Blackfoot Indian sleepwalking through his life, tormented by visions, in search of a connection to his heritage. Welch s language is, at once, blunt and poetic, and the pictures it conjures are dreamlike and disquieting. Furthermore, the narrator of the novel is disheartened by the loss of his brother, Mose, and his father, First Raise the two most cherished people in his life. After struggling with guilt, sorrow, and alcoholism, the narrator overcomes these down falls through re-identifying with himself and his culture specifically through the help of his grandfather, Yellow Calf.

In the opening line of the novel, the narrator provides a vivid description of the his decaying surroundings:

In the tall weeds of the borrow pit, I took a leak and watched the sorrel mare, her

colt beside her, walk through burnt grass to the shady side of the long-and-mud

cabin . . . . The roof had fallen in and the mud between the logs had fallen out in

chunks, leaving a bare gray skeleton, home only to mice and insects.

Tumbleweeds, stark as bone, rocked in a hot wind against the west wall (1).

Welch opens the story with this line to show a relationship between the narrator s feelings of worthlessness and the worthlessness of his environment. In addition, the author melodically begins the novel in a somber manner so the reader may immediately adjust to the tone encompassing the story.

The narrator continues with describing his resentment towards his home life, Coming home was not easy anymore. It was never a cinch, but it had become a torture (2). This excerpt provides the reader with an understanding of the sorrow that the protagonist feels at the beginning of the novel and throughout the first half. Further narration includes the protagonists feelings of distance from the land and blame that he places upon himself, But the distance I felt came not from country or people; it came from within me (2). Thus, as the reader, we understand that the narrator has removed himself from the land and his culture.

On the narrator s journey to find his girlfriend, Welch clearly demonstrates the overabundant use of alcohol the narrator consumes to escape reality, and the negative affects that it has upon his life. After a heavy night drinking, the narrator describes the memory loss, the confusion that he feels and the inward turmoil he is struggling with,

I tried to clear my head, to empty it of these images, start again, but all I

could see clearly was the moment alone on the bed, the lamplight in my eyes but it must have happened, she must have come to the room with me (58).

Thus, Welch, through the use of blunt and poetic language, evokes the morbid realities that the narrator lifestyle embraces.

The narrator continues his journey, but feels a compelling urgency to visit an old man that his father, First Raise, had taken him to when he was very young. When the narrator approaches the old man he introduces himself as First Raise s son (64), and calls him Yellow Calf (64) the name his father had given him. Through this brief encounter with Yellow Calf, the narrator begins to show a sense respect towards others specifically towards Yellow Calf. For example, the protagonist compliments Yellow Calf by stating that he is a good housekeeper and utilizes a term of endearment when he says, You re too nervous, grandfather . . . . (66-67). This behavior may be uncharacteristic; however, it is understandable because Yellow Calf is the first person, after his father s and brother s death, to give the narrator lessons in life. Such, as when Yellow Calf indicates, Possessions can be sorrowful (66). Afterwards, the narrator thinks about his gun and electric razor that were stolen from him by his girlfriend, and his search to get them back. On the other hand, Yellow Calf allows the narrator a chance to realize that possessions are just that possessions. Although the protagonist is not fully aware of what Yellow Calf is teaching him, he will come to realize the lesson later in the novel.

Yellow Calf continues to enlighten the narrator about his culture and the significance of the land by telling him that he talks to the animals, The deer come . . . they come to feed on the other side of the ditch. I can hear them. When they whistle, I whistle back (67). Yellow Calf, also, indicates the deer tell him that they are not happy and that the earth is cockeyed, Of course men are the last to know (68). In this statement, Yellow Calf is explaining to the narrator that the animals are closer to the land then humans are and that if we all listened to the animals, we could learn something about our surroundings. In other words, Yellow Calf is trying to demonstrate the importance of the land to their culture.

However the narrator is not ready to trust in Yellow Calf s logic, and tries to challenge him, when Yellow Calf indicates that he does not believe him. The narrator states, It s not a question of belief. Don t you see? If I believe you, then the world is cockeyed (69). Again, the narrator refuses to accept the teachings of Yellow Calf, yet is utilizing thought in his answers. Yellow Calf continues to explain that we can t change anything . . .even the deer . . . they only see the signs (69). Thus, Yellow Calf is teaching the narrator that change is inevitable, but that one must be aware of it s presence. Although, the narrator does not full understand Yellow Calf s wisdom he respects the old man and his oneness with the land and begins to ponder on his thoughts.

Nevertheless, the narrator continues on with his drinking binges and his destructive behavior. Yet this time around, the narrator is becoming more aware of the dangers of his actions. When the narrator follows his sought after girlfriend into The Silver Dollar he envisions himself forgetting about his stolen gun and electric razor and reliving the conversations they previously had. He wanted to be with her, but he couldn t move he didn t know how. In addition, there were people that expected him to make her suffer (102). In this scene, Welch provides the protagonist with a humanitarian side of his personality. It is, also, important to not the struggle that the narrator is fighting: between the righteous choice and the immoral choice. It appears that Yellow Calf has provided the protagonist with a conscious a characteristic that was deeply hidden in previous chapters.

It was on his journey home, after another encounter with his girlfriend, that the narrator came to this realization:

I had enough of Havre, enough of town, of walking home, hung over, beaten up,

or both. I had enough of the people, the bartenders, the bars, the cars, the hotels,

but mostly, I had had enough of myself (125).

When he arrived home, the narrator indicated that he had only been gone for a couple of days, but a weariness had settled in his bones and that he hadn t even drank that much.

The home was deserted and he indicated that for the first time in his life, he was able to look around the room without feeling like he was invading his grandmother s privacy, and he realized, The old lady must have died (131).

While taking a bath, Welch illustrates the transition that has taken place by the narrator, Music filled the kitchen as I ran the soapy washrag over my body. It was good to be home. The weariness I had felt earlier vanished from my bones (133). Again, the narrator s compassion and real feelings awaken to the surface.

After his grandmother s funeral, the narrator returns to visit Yellow Calf and to ask him if he was ever acquainted with his grandmother (another twist: not old woman) (152). And, yes, Yellow Calf did know his grandmother and was able to provide the narrator with the missing pieces, of his grandmother s stories, that he longed for: that Yellow Calf is his grandfather and that he was the only one that treated his grandmother with respect after Standing Bear s death. Once the narrator realized this they,

shared this secret in the presence of ghosts, in wind that called forth the

muttering of tepees, the blowing snow, the white air of the horses nostril . . .

but there were others, so many others (159).

It is then that the narrator completely absorbs the teachings from Yellow Calf, and allows his life to come full circle.

In the end, through the guidance of Yellow Calf, the protagonist discovers himself, learns to respect the natural order of the land, and overcomes the guilt and sorrow that has lived within him for many years. The physical journey may be complete, but the spiritual voyage will continue for a lifetime.