Close Reading
“The first sign came from the west, a thin trail of smoke against the deep blue of the sky. The wind carried the smell of burning, draped it on my hair and across my shoulders. Fear rustled the leaves on trees, woke memories of sacrifice when fire had swept through the prairie, sparked by lightning from the thunder beings. Fear quickened the footsteps of those who could flee. I was running with them, moving without hesitation along unmarked paths, my feet reading the land far better than my eyes. And then I stumbled and fell, rolling down a steep hill to the water, where I knew I would be safe if only I could cross to the other side. I walked quickly on trembling legs, carrying a bundle that I held tight when I fell. My arms were so tired. The sun was shrouded in ash; even at noon I had trouble finding my way. My eyes stung from the smoke. Behind me, I heard a roar of voracious appetite, the earth consumed as hunger fed hunger, the flicking tongue of engorged flames climbing higher as the smoke became a cloud that hid us from each other. I heard a cough nearby, and another. It seemed we were many. We hurried along the river, seeking a safe place to cross. The old ones dropped behind and we could not stop to help. When my mother fell, I knew it from the pain that crossed my heart. I called for her, Iná! Iná! But she did not come …”
— The Seed Keeper: A Novel by Diane Wilson pages 176-177
I have selected a section from the novel The Seed Keeper by Diane Wilson. This novel follows the life of Rosalie Iron Wing, a Dakhota girl who grew up with her father, Ray, on the Dakhota reservation. Ray died when Rosie was young and she was placed into the foster system. She lived with white families which caused her culture and identity to shrink down inside of her, but it never left, just fell into the past. After graduating highschool, Rosie married a white farmer named John and they had one child, Tommy. Rosie and John were content in their marriage in most ways, but they didn’t see eye to eye on a lot of topics. Culturally, John’s point of view directly reflected the colonizer’s side of history. However as a Dahkota, Rosie knew that the information he held as truth was a version of history that was only the oppressor’s perspective. Rosie went back to the home she grew up in after John passed away so that she could face her past and get in touch with the parts of herself that felt far removed. Rosie’s story is told in conjunction with the telling of a character named Marie Blackbird’s story, who is revealed to be her great-great-grandmother at the end of the story. The selected section is a dream sequence in which Marie Blackbird narrates an experience she had through one of Rosie’s dreams.
Fear and safety are repeated themes in this section. The motivations of the people in this story came from their fear and desire for a safe space. Fear in relation to nature’s wellbeing is also discussed. Marie describes the movement of leaves by saying “fear rustled the leaves on trees, woke memories of sacrifice when fire had swept through the prairie, sparked by lightning from the thunder beings.” She followed that line with “fear quickened the footsteps of those who could flee.” This description of a time where nature was fearful and in danger shows parallelism to the experiences of the Dahkota tribe fleeing for safety. By bringing attention to the sense of fear felt by both nature and humans, the author makes nature more accessible and relatable to the reader. Though nature feels familiar at this point, the story continues with “I stumbled and fell, rolling down a steep hill to the water, where I knew I would be safe if only I could cross to the other side.” Fear is once again instilled into the human figure in the story, and nature is the only vehicle to safety. The author personifies nature by giving it the ability to feel fear, making the concept of nature relatable, but then re-isolates humans from nature by placing nature as the biggest obstacle for humans who are seeking safety.
The imagery in this passage creates a space for the audience that creates a strong sense of familiarity, as if we were experiencing what Marie was experiencing with her. This section is written in first person, giving the audience an internal focalization by describing everything going on around her and how she feels about it. She describes the tone of this experience through descriptions of actions, all tying back to the theme of fear and safety. The diction in this section allows as an audience to know what each of her senses are experiencing, therefore we can place ourselves into the setting.
One description that stood out to me is “The wind carried the smell of burning, draped it on my hair and across my shoulders.” What caught my attention was the word “draped,” this choice of verb makes the smoke seem like something heavy and wearable. It emphasizes how important the smoke’s presence was on this journey. The use of the word “reading” in the sentence “I was running with them, moving without hesitation along unmarked paths, my feet reading the land far better than my eyes” is another example of strong diction. This sentence conveys panic to the audience, showing that Marie was using her intuition instead of judgment. The natural desire for safety was driving her body forward through all of her fear and panic. Finally, this entire sentence uses words dripping in descriptive clarity “Behind me, I heard a roar of voracious appetite, the earth consumed as hunger fed hunger, the flicking tongue of engorged flames climbing higher as the smoke became a cloud that hid us from each other.” The use of “roar” along with “voracious appetite” brings the fire being described to life, which increases the feeling of being unsafe. “Flicking tongue” personifies the fire even further, a beautiful description that paints a unique image for the audience. By using the word “hid” instead of something like “blocked our view,” that fear is elevated even more because there is so much uncertainty in hiding and the darkness associated with it. That whole sentence is ominous due to brilliant word choice.
To conclude, Diane Wilson clearly created a unique moment in her novel in this passage. Through a running theme of fear, she created a connection between two characters by connecting experiences of family, fire, danger, loss, and nature. Rosie’s house was on fire, her son was in danger, but the seeds that carried the life of nature were also in danger. By immediately following Rosie’s experience with Marie’s experience of running, seeds in hand, towards safety, they become more connected. The imagery in this passage allows the audience to experience this story, and the connection between Rosie and Marie.
