Green Grass, Running Water

When talking to Lionel about his life, Eli claims that telling him the meaning of the story would ruin it. Explain what you think he means by this. How is this idea mirrored in the text as a whole?

The novel is full of symbolic objects, names, and images that cross cultural boundaries or blur the boundaries between reality and fantasy. Choose one of these symbols and trace its development through the text. How does it reflect and influence the novel’s major themes?

With Green Grass, Running Water, King tries to emulate oral storytelling in written form. Explain some of the ways he does this and how they relate to the text’s overarching themes.

What does the narrator mean when they claim there is no truth, only stories?

Water and floating are recurring images throughout the text: Each part of the novel starts with water; the central conflict revolves around a dam; and there are rainstorms and puddles that make cars disappear. Explore the various meanings and functions of water in the text.

Explore the role that gender expectations play in the text. Do these expectations intersect with other cultural differences?

The characters in the text must navigate a variety of social, cultural, historical, and political boundaries. Explain two or three of these boundaries and how they affect the characters. Do these boundaries impact all the characters the same way? Is it a boundary that can be transgressed or permeated, and if so, how do the characters do it?

Explore how King uses humor and satire as an act of colonial resistance.