Lesson 7
Lullaby by Leslie Marmon Silko
Summary
"Lullaby" by Leslie Marmon Silko is a poignant tale of an elderly Navajo woman named Ayah and her husband Chato, living in New Mexico. The story is a reflection of the most tragic events of Ayah's life, from the death of her son in war to the loss of her children after being taken by white doctors, and the exploitative treatment of her husband by the white rancher who employs him.
While waiting for her husband near a creek, Ayah reminisces about her past, recalling the blankets her grandmother and mother taught her to weave, her son Jimmie's birthplace, and his death. Ayah's inability to understand English left her unable to comprehend the white doctors who arrived to inform her that her two young children, Ella and Danny, had to be treated for tuberculosis, and she unwittingly signed papers that led to the children being taken from her.
The loss of her children weighs heavily on Ayah, and she holds her husband responsible for teaching her to sign her name in English. This guilt led her to refuse to sleep beside him for years until he was fired from his job. Ayah's attempt to find Chato at Azzie's Bar is met with suspicion, reminding her of the fear that overtook her children, who had largely forgotten how to speak Navajo after being taken by the white doctors.
As the storm approaches, Ayah finds Chato, who looks at her as though he doesn't remember who she is. The storm passes, and Ayah wraps Chato in her Army blanket, singing him a traditional lullaby as he falls asleep.
Throughout the story, the themes of matrilineal relationships, death and loss, racial and cultural oppression, and language barriers are prevalent, highlighting the struggles that Ayah and her family face as Navajo people living in a world dominated by white culture.
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