The Man to Send Rainclouds by Leslie Marmon Silko

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What is the meaning and theme for this story

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afi80fl eNotes educator | Certified Educator

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Part of the religion theme is the difference in types of faith.  The priest is upset when they do not come to him to perform a proper funeral mass.  It is interesting that they don't have total faith in Catholicism, but yet they trust a priest to have the power to make holy water.  What makes a priest able to make holy water, yet unable to send rainclouds?  What makes their faith in their grandfater to bring rainclouds valid, if he cannot do so without the help of a priest?  It's like Hannah says... a delicate balance of cultures... the Native American culture, and the Catholic culture into which they're being assimilated.

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hannahquinn | Student

I'm trying to write a paper on just that right now. What I'm gathering is their ability to incorporate different lifestyles and religions to fit their communal needs, while still keeping a healthy balance with their native american culture. It seems as if religion and culture are both very important to them, and in the most upsetting of times (losing a friend/loved one) they look straight to that. The religion, in asking the Catholic preist to sprinkle the holy water and the culture, asking the man to send "big thunderclouds".

 

Now...to turn that into 3 pages...

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