People have used to stories, as it is the essential part of their life. From the very childhood, people are told stories, then they grow older, and they are able to read stories by their own; the whole world is seen through the stories. Considering Thomas King’s The truth about stories: a native narrative, the idea appears that story is not just the essential part of people’s life, but that its is all people are. Stories are the only point according to which humanities may be understood, and the book by Thomas King is the piece of writing of and about stories. The repetition and sequence play an important role in the lectures, collected by Thomas King, as it tries to show people their importance in the story telling process as well as the very understanding the shaping of people’s identity.
Starting with the very overview of the book, it is notable to mention that the book is the collection of Massey Lectures, which are divided into several sections, such as “You will never believe what happened” is always a great way to start, you are not the Indian I had in mind, let me entertain you, a million porcupines crying in the dark, and what is it about us that you do not like? These sections are titled in such a way not by chance as they help for people to understand themselves, to identify themselves in the world, the sections of the book help to relate people to the narratives they know and believe in, and how these narratives shape people’s lives.
The main characteristic feature of story is the repetition and sequence in it. The author step by step tries to insure the author that he stories, which are created, are we, people, that these stories reflect our identity, personality and by them it may be concluded the person’s inner world and his/her consideration of life in general. The author by the examples of different stories, told by various people tires to warn all of those people should be careful, while reproducing their stories, “So you have to be careful with the stories you tell. And you have to watch out for the stories that you are told” (King 10). So, why should people be afraid of the stories they tell? The question is apostrophe in the book. The stories, people read or listen, open their minds, and encourage them for some actions, which were told in the stories, and the author comes to this conclusion step by step, without skipping from one fact to the other.
Being rather sequential, the repetitions of the story are rather notable and play the same significant role of insuring people in their direct relevance to the stories they hear or tell. At the very beginning of every section the same story is repeated about the turtles, which support the world on their backs. The same answer to the question, what is under the turtle, follows – the other turtle. The last replica is to the question, how many turtles there are, – nobody knows. The repetition of this is significant by its symbolic nature. The author tied to explain that after one story there will be the other, after the other one more, and so on and so forth, and nobody can tell where the finish if this story marathon. The mentioned story is repeated for five times, according to the number of chapters in the book, and along with the last repetition of the turtle story, the author provides the conclusion, “The truth about stories is that is all we are” (King 92).
To the point, the structure of the book is unusual. Considering the theme of storytelling, that presupposes the smooth description of facts, with the full sentences and abundance of descriptive expressions, the book sentences are small, without any descriptive attributes in most cases. In fact, being so unusually structure, the book is easy to read and the impression is created that the book was written by the person, who dictated a list of ideas, which came to his/her mind with the thought to expand them later. The examples of the sentences, which strike attention in the book, are:
Stories are wondrous things. And they are dangerous… It was witch people. Not Whites or Indians or Blacks or Asians or Hispanics. Witch people… In a cave. Having a good time. A contest, actually. To see who could come up with the scariest thing (King 9).
In fact, the sentences seem awkward, but reading them is so easy and the sense is understood that reading the book becomes a real pleasure. The other significant feature of the telling in the book is the use of repetitions. “Some of them brewed up potions in pots. Some of them jumped in and out of animal skins. Some of them thought up charms and spells” (King 9). The purpose of the repetition in this very case is to attract people’s attention to the person the author is talking about, to the witch. The importance of such step is dictated by the main aim of the book, to show people their direct relation to the stories they tell and to make them understanding that they are influenced by the story, which is told. The same structure repetitions, aimed to attract attention, are the main stylistic devices, used in the book.
Moreover, the main repetition during the whole story is that under the influence of the stories, which are told to people or people tell by themselves, they whole life may be changed. The author introduces the theory that starting telling or listening to the other stories, the life of people may be absolutely changed, the actions may be different, the thoughts and considerations may change. The whole world may be changes just by shifting to other stories, which mostly relate to the world, which was created in people’s mind and in future may become a reality.
Sharing the personal life consequences, the author writes about himself:
And for the world I’ve helped to create. A world in which I allow my intelligence and goodwill to be constantly subverted by my pursuit of comfort and pleasure. And because knowing all this, it’s doubtful that given a second chance to make amends for my despicable behavior, I would do anything different (King 166).
Analyzing the book, it may be easily concluded that all the author’s considerations and ideas are reliable, but the author by himself should better live the same life with remorse, self-contempt and other vices, and to tell the stories about them, than to change inside, to live the life full of sacrifice and effort for changes. The author does not want to change, he likes to tell the stories of his not perfect life, to explain the world his actions, than to become different. During the whole story the author tried to be sequential, but at the same time turned to one and the same story, to one and the same story. What was the aim? The only answer, which appears in the mind is for making people make up their own choice, to consider the question from different sides, and when there is the opinion that the decision is made, the author stresses the other idea, one more time, which was already told. The stories will be told, they will exist all the time, kind and encouraging, as well as cruel and depressing. This is people’s nature, their inner world, which can never be occupied by any ideas if the person does not want so.
In conclusion, the repetition and sequence play an important role in the lectures, collected by Thomas King, as it tries to show people their importance in the story telling process as well as the very understanding the shaping of people’s identity. The author of the book tried to show people the importance of the themes, told in their stories and the consequences, which may appear. Repeating the facts for several times, the main aim of the author was to tell people that the stories they tell influence their style of life and to change these stories, the themes could help them to identify themselves in the new world, surrounded by the new people and new circumstances. At the same time, the author could not do that, he could not change himself and remained the same with the same stories in his life.
Works Cited
King, Thomas. The truth about stories: a native narrative. Toronto: House of Anansi Press, 2003. Print.