A Seat In The Garden By Thomas King Essay

In Thomas King’s A Seat in the Garden, I found it intriguing that at the end of the story the big Indian remained in Joe’s garden despite everything that he and Red had done to try to get rid of him. Additionally this is because in the type of story that King is parodying, that of the innocent whites being hounded by a relentless Native spirit, said spirit is typically dispersed through either destruction or appeasement. However, in King’s story, as evident by Joe’s multiple failed attempts to wack the big Indian with a shovel, destruction does not work and, as evident by the fact that the big Indian remains after Joe and Red built the bench, neither does appeasement. This, in turn, implies that, unlike in the story that King is parodying, the big Indian will continue to haunt Joe and Red.

However, I then realised that this bench, plus their later suggestion to not “throw your cans in the hydrangea.” (King 96), were intended primarily for their own benefit. This reminded me of a comic discussed in The Clear Path by Constance Rooke. This comic, created by Basil Johnston, a Canadian Ojibway writer, focuses on a Hollywood producer who, believing it will save him money, tries to use real Aboriginals for his film. Under the advice of the Bureau of Indian Affairs he goes to the Crows who then exploit his ignorance and stereotypical views for their own monetary benefit. This, along with resembling real cases that occurred between ignorant producers and their Aboriginal cast, illustrates how Aboriginal peoples have used the the stereotype of the Indian to their own benefit; using the ignorance it creates about their cultures to make demands that benefit them in ways such as, specifically in the case of King’s story, providing them with a place to sit and making their job of collecting litter