The Rez Sisters by Tomson Highway Dialogue Influencing the Plot - Report Example

The Rez Sisters by Tomson Highway, "Dialogue Influencing the Plot" Introduction Plays, with their wide-ranging plots and themes, bring forth the various aspects of human lives. An assortment of emotions is captured by the plot of the plays. Along with the characters, dialogues in the play are significant in revealing the message the author wants to convey through his/her play. Dialogues also aid in comprehending the thoughts and feelings of the characters. The play The Rez Sisters by Tomson Highway follows the story of seven women who are related to each other by birth or marriage and their resolution to travel to Toronto to partake in the “The Biggest Bingo in the World”. All the women have their own dreams and ambitions. And to fulfill these dreams they need money and to obtain money they are going to participate in the bingo. As these women belong to the Indian community of Canada and are living in reserve, the dialogues in the play assists in capturing their culture and thinking. In this paper, we will focus on the influence of dialogue on the plot of the play. The dialogues in the play are significant in revealing the individuality, aims, struggles, dreams and feelings of the characters. Plot The plot of the play revolves around the seven women and their aims and ambitions. The fulfillment of their hopes depends on their win in the game of bingo. And the dialogues in the play drive the plot by presenting the wishes of every character and plans of these women to achieve their aims. Pelajia, one of the seven women in the reserve, expresses her desire to get away from the boring life at the reserve. “Philomena. I want to go to Toronto, "Everyone heres crazy,"….. "No jobs. Nothing to do but drink and screw each others wives and husbands and forget about our Nanabush.” (Highway 34). Through these women, the play presents the lives of natives in a culture dominated by white people. The whites are considered to be superior and everything that is white is desired by the natives, for being a white means having a better education and better future. The obsession with white objects is so intense that Philomena, one of the characters in the play plans to buy a white toilet with the money she hopes to win in the game. For her, the white toilet is symbolic of a better life, “My new toilet ! White ! Spirit white !” (Highway 55). The obsession of Philomena for a simple thing like a white toilet portrays the influence of white community on the lives of natives. Here, Philomena’s words represent one of the themes of the play. The struggles of natives to lead their lives in a country of whites are portrayed through the play. The dialogues in the play present the struggles of the natives. Although their life in a reserve is tough, they face the hardships of their lives with humor and optimism. This optimism can be seen in the words of Pelajia, “When some fool of a being goes and puts us Indians plunk down in the middle of this old earth, dishes out this lot we got right now. But I figure we gotta make the most of it while we’re. (Highway 105). The attitude of these women is expressed through the dialogues. The thoughts of the women are imperative to the plot. Each woman has a dream and the prize money that will be obtained from winning the game of bingo is the only source which will aid in fulfilling that dream. “Pelajia Patchnose wants to pave all the roads on the …. Philomena Moosetail wants a shiny new bathroom. Marie-Adele Starblanket who is dying of cancer, wants an Island where she can live with her husband and fourteen kids.” (Cuthand). The dialogues are the means in the play through which the women in the reserve convey their dreams to each other and the audience. These are the dreams that inspire the seven women to embark on their journey to Toronto where the biggest bingo in the world was to be held. Culture and Language The seven women in the play belong to the Indian community. Although the language used in the play by its characters is English, the influence of their culture is evident from their dialogues. The effect of their native language is perceptible in their conversation with each other. One of the women characters, Emily Dictionary while remembering about her past years which she had spend with her abusive husband utilizes different terms in her language. “Every second night for……goddamn Yellowknife drunk asshole Henry Dadzinanare come home to me so drunk his eyes was spitting’ blood like Red Lucifer himself and he’d beat me purple.” (Highway 236). On their way to Toronto, the women are talking with each other. At that time, Emily Dictionary recounts her past life. Her dialogue reveals her pain. She is describing the accident which caused the death of the woman whom she loved intensely. After the accident, Emily continued with her journey. “I drove on. Straight into daylight. Never looked back. Had enough gas money on me to take far as Salt Lake City. Pawned my bike off and bought me a bus ticket back to Wasy.” (Highway 342). The language of Emily is influenced by her native language. The cultural beliefs of the Indian community are portrayed through the dialogues in the play. The plot encompasses the lives of these women along with their cultural values and beliefs. The language used by them is unique to their community. “The shifts of tone from light banter to tragic melancholic strain, from disgusting vulgarity to sober solemnity capture the distinct flavor of the native style of speaking.” (Balachandran). As the plot focuses on the lives of these women in context to their culture and traditions, the language is an essential part of the plot. It is a factor that binds them together. The dialogues aid the audience in comprehending a culture that is far different from their own culture. The efforts of the seven women to bring a change in their life and the revelations about their past are depicted in their own language. Individuality The individuality of each character is expressed through the dialogues. Each woman has a distinct personality and the dialogues bring forth the uniqueness of the particular character. And it is this individuality of every character that moves the plot to its climax. The journey to Toronto, which is the focal event in the plot, turns out to be interesting and amusing owing to the distinctiveness of each character, depicted through their dialogues. Emily thinks and acts like a male. Her dialogue in the play brings forth her manliness, “You should have seen me fight back like youve never seen a woman fight for her life before”. (Highway 133). Similarly the other women in the play have their own set of thoughts and attitude towards life. Everyone is leading a similar life in the reserve but they differ from each other in their thoughts and dreams. The dialogues in the play highlight these differences but at the same time the use of native terms in the language points towards their strong cultural bonds. The dialogues provide an apt source through which the theme of the plot, the feelings and thoughts of the characters are conveyed to the audience. The plot, with its varied characters, becomes engrossing and interesting because of the attention-grabbing dialogues. Conclusion Dialogues aid in depicting the feelings and thoughts of the characters in the plays. The play The Rez Sisters spans the lives of seven women living in a reserve and their efforts to achieve their dream. The dialogues in the play provide the momentum to the plot by bringing forth the aims and moves of the women. Each character in the play harbors a dream and they need money to fulfill their dream. Their journey to Toronto is their attempt to acquire money by winning the biggest bingo. In course of their journey, their dialogues present their individuality and thoughts. The use of native terms of the Indian community in the dialogues captures the cultural beliefs of the characters. The theme of the play is conveyed through the dialogues. The thoughts and attitude of the characters are portrayed through the dialogues. The interest in the plot is intensified by the gripping dialogues of the play. The lives of Indian women living in a reserve are very well depicted in the play with the help of appealing dialogues. Works Cited Balachandran, K. Critical Essays on Canadian Literature. Sarup & Sons. 2002. Cuthand, Beth. The Rez Sisters. 8 December 2008. http://www.sicc.sk.ca/saskindian/a88feb18.htm Highway, Tomson. The Rez Sisters. Fifth House. 1988. Read More