Hogans Power Essay Example For Students

Hogans Power Essay Hogans PowerIn Linda Hogans 1998 novel Power, much is learned about Native Americanculture. The main characters, Omishto and Ama help reveal this culture. Thenovel is divided into nine chapters. In Chapter 1, Omishto, a girl is in aboat that is floating on a pond. She notices that there is a storm coming in. She describes the pond and the area around it. A snake tries to enter thegirls boat, but she pushes it out with a pole, and then she moves the boat toland. As she does this, she feels something watching her, but does not want tolook in the direction. A woman named Ama has told the girl that she is in theterritory of the cat (3). The girl says that she has never seen the cat,but Ama saved one when some boys had it treed. Ama took away the boys rifle. The girls father named her Omishto, which means one who watches.Omishtos grandmother says that Omishto has a wind inside her called Oni. Omishto is careful on her way home because she can still feel something watchingher. Chapter 2, Stormlight, opens with a story about a man named AbrahamSwallow. People believe that he died from fear or magic in some trees near acanal. As Omishto walks toward Ama Eatons house, she recalls this story. NearAmas house there is a tree called Methuselah that is 500 years old and wasplanted by the Spanish. Methuselah is the only tree of its kind in the area. Thetree and Amas house sit on the edge of the Taiga land. Taiga is the name ofthe Indian tribe to which Ama and Omishto belong. Amas house is old and lookslike it is decaying. As Omishto reaches Amas house, Ama tells Omishto to comeinto the house. Omishto tries to sneak up on Ama, but Ama always hears her. Amaand Omishto then sit on the porch together and discuss Abraham Swallowsdeath. Omishto tells Ama that she does not think magic killed Abraham. Abrahams wife thought that the old Taiga people had killed him with magic. InChapter 2, the reader also learns that the cat is the Florida Panther. The Taigapeople call it Sisa. People of the Panther Clan believe they are related to theFlorida Panther. Ama loves the panther and watches for it. Omishtos mother isjealous of Ama because Ama is close to the old Taiga ways. Omishto was told notto visit Ama, but she still does. As the women continue to sit on the porch, Amaasks Omishto if she dreamt the night before. Ama says that she did and goesinside the house. She returns and tells Omishto that she dreamt about a sickly,skinny panther. As Omishto and Ama sit on the porch, four women from the tribewalk down the road, almost as if they are floating. Ama refers to them asmessengers. The two women then go inside. As they do, a storm starts. It is ahurricane. They try to board up the house. Rattlesnakes start to come towardAmas door, but Ama shuts the door on them. Omishto realizes that she has nottied up her boat. She runs to do so, but struggles to get the boat ashore as sheslips in the mud. When the boat is ashore, Omishto ties it to a tree. Suddenly,the wind is calm. It starts up even harder. Omishto is clinging to the ground. The wind stops again. While it is still calm, Omishto tries to run back toAmas house. The wind starts up again. Omishto can see Ama blown against theoutside of the house. She also sees Methuselah fall. After the storm, Omishtorealizes that her dress is in a tree, and she is naked. Snakes were flungagainst Amas house during the storm. Janie Soto and Annie Hide, old women ofthe Taiga tribe, would say this is a good sign. Omishto goes to the shed to geta shovel because she wants to bury the dead animals. Ama gets Omishto a dress. Ama sees a deer with a broken leg and tells Omishto that they are going tofollow it. Omishto thinks they are going to hunt it. Without knowing what itmeans, Omishto says, I know what will happen (44). In Chapter 3,Take, the storm is over and a flood begins. The water rises into Amashouse. When the water recedes, Ama sweeps up the mud. Omishto falls asleep. Amawakes her. Ama begins to pack some things and tells Omishto it is time to go. Omishto does not understand where they are going. Although she does not want to,Omishto follows Ama. They walk a while as Ama follows the tracks of the deer. When they reach the Taiga birthplace, Ama listens for the deer. At this point,Omishto relates to the reader the story of how the panther entered this worldthrough a hole pecked by a bird. Omishto has lost her sense of time. Omishtohears a sound in the opposite direction of the deer. There are footprints fromthe panther. Omishto then realizes that they are hunting the panther, not thedeer. The panther is an endangered species, and killing one is against the law. They follow the deer and panther for another distance. Ama says that they cannot let the panther die from illness. The panther stops for a drink and noticesAma and Omishto. The panther wants them to follow, and they do. Ama sees thepanther again. She shoots the cat with a rifle. Omishto believes that in killingthe panther, Ama has killed herself. Omishto falls asleep. As Omishto wakes up,Ama tells her to tell the truth when she is questioned by the police. Thepanther was very sick and hungry. Ama begins to skin it, and Omishto noticesthat the panthers fur is flattened around its neck. Omishto is not surekilling the panther was right. Ama tells Omishto again that she must tell thetruth. As they make their way back to Amas house, they throw the dead pantherover the back of a horse that belongs to a man named Willard. Omishto will nottouch the panther. When the women reach Amas house, Ama again tells Omishtoto tell the truth when asked about the panther. Ama also asks Omishto not toment ion the fact that the panther was sick. Omishto agrees and falls asleep. Thepolice arrive at Amas house as Omishto is awakening. Ama knew that they wouldcome and arrest her. Ama willingly goes with the sheriff. The sheriff asks Amawhere the panther is, but Ama will not answer. The officers question Omishto,but she does not know what Ama did with the panther because Omishto was asleep. Jujitsu EssayOmishto is packing her things. Her mother does not want her to leave and punchesher. Omishto runs out of the house to her boat. She then decides to go look forAma. The reader learns that Ama has been sentenced to four years of walking. InChapter 7, Oni: What They Believe, Omishto is sitting in her boat that issurrounded by fog. Omishto then explains what the word Oni means to the Taigapeople. The Taiga people believe that Oni is the wind and air. It is like a god. They believe that all the spirits in the world gather in the air. As Omishtosits in her boat, she recalls the meeting with the old Taiga people. The Taigapeople believe that Oni is unwilling to carry sickness. Oni gives the Taigapeople life. Annie Hide believes that words are very powerful. She says that Oniwas the word that the panther said to create people. Omishto says that she hearsAnnie Hide whisper to her in the air. Omishto also discusses her mothersreligion. Omishtos mother thinks Omishto loves Ama more than she loves hermother. As the fog lifts from Omishtos boat, Omishto thinks about Ama. Omishto understands that Ama had to kill the panther. Ama believed it was herdestiny because she was a friend with the panther. Omishto then goes on to tellabout Sisa. After this, Omishto makes her way to Amas house. Omishto isscared while she is there because she thinks someone is trying to break in. InChapter 8, They Come to Me, Omishto takes care of Amas house. A manvisits the house and says he wants to buy it. Omishto tells the man it is herhouse, and the man leaves. Several days pass, and Omishto washes her clothes inthe tub. She hangs them outside to dry. Omishto sits on the porch and tells herfather to come to her. Omishto repairs the house. She goes to the gas station,but it is closed. A sheriff tries to talk Omishto into going back home. He isalso looking for Ama. Omishto says she does not know where Ama is. Omishtosstepfather told the sheriff Ama was missing. The sheriff does not believeOmishto. The sheriff tells Omishto that she should go back to her mothershouse. Omishto says that she is staying at Amas house. The next day,Omishtos stepfather, Herm arrives at Amas house. He tells Omishto that shehas to tell the truth. Omishto says that she has. He threatens to hit her, butleaves. Omishto goes inside and sleeps. Omishtos mother visits her at Amashouse. She wants to know when Omishto is going back to school and back home. Omishto says that she is going to live her own life. Omishto tells her mother togo home. Omishto goes inside. Two days later, Donna visits. Donna says thatMother can not stop crying. She also says that the preacher of her motherschurch was arrested. Donna says that people think Omishto is crazy, and they aresending a doctor to her. Omishto tells Donna that she is dropping out of school. Donna leaves. Omishto sleeps and dreams of the panther. During the night, threeboys approach Amas house. The boys are looking for Ama because they want topunish her. Omishto leaves through a back window as the boys throw rocks atAmas house. The next morning, Omishto goes to look for the rifle that wasused to kill the panther. She digs up a rifle box, but it is empty. She alsofinds red beads that belong to Janie Soto. Omishtos mother visits her again. Omishto says that she is not waiting for Ama to return. Omishto knows she willnot. Omishto tells her mother that she is still not going back to her mothershouse. Omishtos mother reveals that she has been to Kili. She tells Omishtothat the doctor was Herms idea. She also says that she is leaving Herm. Inthe morning, Omishto sits outside. Annie Hide is walking toward Amas house. Omishto smiles at her. The two women go inside. Annie tells Omishto that she didnot want to send Ama away. Annie also says that she saw Ama a few days ago. Annie stays the night at Amas house with Omishto. Annie leaves in themorning. In Chapter 9, What I Have Left, Omishto sits outside. She beginsto walk to Kili. On her way, Omishto reflects on her life. She believes that theworld is dying. When she reaches Kili, Omishto goes to Annie and Janieshouse. Before she enters, Omishto hears something in the bush. It is a healthypanther. She tells the panther to run, and Omishto returns to Amas house. Shegoes to the pay phone and calls her mothers house. She asks Donna to pick upAmas animals because she is going home. Donna agrees because she thinksOmishto is moving back to her mothers house. While she is sitting on Amasporch, Omishto sees the four messenger women walk by again. She walks with themto Kili. The people of Kili are waiting for Omishto when she arrives. Omishtodances with the women. Power shows many facts about Native American culture. Hogan uses various characters and their struggles to bring this culture tolight.