River of Names

Content

              Growing up, Dorothy Allison had a sad life. Her mother was a single mom who worked as a waitress and a cook. Dorothy had a little sister and they did not know who the father is because their father die when they where still a baby. Dorothy was sexually abuse from her step-father when she was five and it did not stop until she was eleven years old. When she was in her twenties she found out that she got gonorrhea and she was not able to have any children. Later on her family moved to Florida and Dorothy attended Florida Presbyterian College and she was the first person in her family to graduate from college. Later on she move to New York and her writing career did not take off but she work as a salad girl, a maid, a nanny, a substitute teacher, helped establish a feminist bookstore in Florida, worked at a child-care center, answered phones at a rape crisis center, and clerked with the Social Security Administration. Dorothy was trained in the morning and at night she was in her motel writing short stories like "River of Names."
              In "River of Names" by Dorothy Allison publish in 1988 by Firebrand Books. The collection of short stories in the book Trash. This story along with other won the lambda literary award for "Best Lesbian Small Press Book" and "Best Lesbian Fiction. Dorothy wrote "River of Names" base on her life. 

Plot Overview

          The narrator is a young lesbian from a small southern town. She is talking with her lover, Jessie. Jessie and narrator tells each other about their childhood. Jessie tell the narrator how her father goes off each day to the university, how her mother made dresses for her and , how her grandmother who always smelled of dill bread and vanilla. When Jessie asks the narrator of her family, she would lie and say things she got from a story book. The narrator was born between a older cousin and a younger cousin and she will always get pushed out to the steps while everybody stood to heard about Cousin Barbara's story about losing her baby but that change after Tommy hung himself in the barn at her aunt's farm. 
        In the present the narrator and Jessie was in love for one year already.The narrator lie about how her grandmother smell like lavender, which the narrator had lie about. She remembers how many of her family members have suicides and many deaths. She tells the readers how her and her cousins were almost raped by uncles, cousins and stepfathers. One year she had lost eight cousins because her cousins went insane, jumped off building, slit their writs, and killing themselves with vodka.
          Later on she tells Jessie about her little sister Billie. Billie had a baby and when the narrator came over she saw her little sister bent over at the crib, screaming with each word her fist was slamming the mattress. She quickly grab her gently so her stitches wont break and her little sister  kept screaming shut up to the baby. After a little bit her little sister finally realize what she was doing and she told herself she was not going to be like this. In the present Jessie ask if the narrator would ever want a children and the narrator said she will never want any children. Jessie thinks she is telling and funny story when the narrator is not.

Character List

The Narrator- The protagonist and she have a bad childhood memories. She is a lesbian have a lover name Jessie.
Jessie- Is the narrator lover and had a wonderful childhood.
Billie- The narrator little sister who almost kill her own son.
Tommy- Hung himself at the narrator's aunt barn when he was eight years old.
Cousin Barbara- She lost her baby.
Cousin Cora- Trying to go to Oklahoma with her new baby Cy.
Other Cousins-  Is catching the sparks or poke the fire with dogwood sticks.
7of her cousin- 4 cousins went missing, 1 fell in the river and drowned another one was running down a hitchhiking north and another one was shot from the woods. 
Grace-Fell off the overpass a mile down from the Sears, Roebuck warehouse and lay there for hunger and heat and dying.
Randall- Was teach Lucille and the narrator to wrestle.
Aunt Raylene- Was beaten by his husband.
Mama- The narrator mom gave her a family tree list.
Stepfather- Raped the narrator in her mamas bed. 
Uncle- Raped the narrator's cousin and her little sister Billie. 
Lucile- Getting raped by another cousin
Danny- Getting raped in the parking lot with four strangers.
Cousin Butch- He had a big old head, pale thin hair, and enormous, watery eyes.
Uncle Matthew- Will beat his wife Raylene.
Mark and Luke- Was beating up their dad to protect their mom. Was sent to Razorback desperate and shaved their head and cut their earlobes off.
Little Bo- Was hit by Uncle Matthew was on the dirt with blood running out of his ears and his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
June- Was sent to  Jessup County Girls’ Home where the baby was adopted out and she slashed her wrists on the bed springs.
Lou- Got caught at seventeen and held in the station downtown, raped on the floor of the holding tank.
Jack- Was sent to prison and came back 7 years later not understanding anything and got marry.
Cousin Melvina- Was married at the age of 14 and had 3 children then ran away with a carnival mechanic who left her. 

Analysis Major Characters

The Narrator-The protagonist of the short story and she was a lesbian who had a lover name Jessie. Her girlfriend Jessie wanted to talk about their childhood, but the narrator had a bad childhood. The narrator had lie about how her grandmother had smell like to Jessie. Many of her cousin kill themselves, got raped by their family members including the narrator, and went missing. She was telling Jessie about her childhood and Jessie thought those stories was made up.
          She was raped by her stepfather in her mama's bed. She had many family members leaving her side when she was young. She witness how her cousins Mark and Luke beat their dad up because their dad had beat their mom up which was the narrator's aunt Raylene. She always have flashbacks about her horrible childhood.

Jessie- Jessie was the narrator lovers. They have been together for a year and Jessie wanted to talk about their childhood. Jessie thought that everybody should have a childhood like a fairy tale. The narrator will be telling story to Jessie about her childhood. But Jessie did not know that the story where actually real. 
       She thought that the narrator made it up. Jessie always relax the narrator when the narrator have a bad dream. Jessie had a blessed life with her father going off each day to the university , her mom making all the dresses she wears, and her grandmother always smelled of dill bread and vanilla. Jessie had a wonderful childhood no sexually abuse, losing family members cause of suicide.

Themes,  & Symbols

          The theme of "River of Names" is survival. The theme is survival because the narrator had survive through all that terrible events. For example it said "It wasn’t funny for me in my mama’s bed with my stepfather.......' this quotes show that she can even survive when her stepfather had raped her. She is now living with Jessie happily. Another example is "Somehow it was always made to seem they killed themselves: car wrecks, shotguns, dusty ropes, screaming, falling out of windows, things inside them." This quote shows that the narrator had lost eight cousin in one year. She survive that tragedy and became who she is today with Jessie. 

        The symbol of the short story is the book. The narrator is always referring to the the lie that she gets from the book. In the short story the narrator said "I lie to her the way I always do, a lie stolen from a book." She had lie to Jessie saying her childhood story was from a book. The narrator used the book to cover up her childhood memories. The narrator had a bad childhood memories getting raped by her stepfather, her cousins went missing, got raped, or killed themselves. She said all of her childhood was a lie to Jessie that she got it from the book.

Important Quotations Explained 

• " I lie to her the way I always do, a lie stolen from a book."
  This quote is important because Jessie told the narrator to talk about her childhood. After hearing the narrator childhood Jessie did not believe it was true. She believed that everybody had a fairy tale childhood like her. But the narrator told Jessie that it was a lie she got from the book. So, Jessie would not know her childhood life was horrible. Jessie also believed that the stories that the narrator tells her is just a story it can't happen in real life.

• "I stiffen, say, “I can’t have children. I’ve never wanted children.” "Still,” she says, “you’re so good with children, so gentle.” 

             This quote is important because its shows how the narrator does not want any children. She does not want any children because she had a horrible childhood and she doesn't want her child to have the same as hers. When she saw her sister going crazy cause of her baby she realized what she was doing and saying we are no different. Saying how they are no different from their childhood. The narrator don't want any children even if she is so gentle with children cause of her childhood. She had a bad childhood and thinks it will happen again if she has a baby.

• "I listen with my mouth open, not believing but wanting, aching for the fairy tale she thinks is everyone’s life."       

                This quote is important because the narrator wishes to have a life of a fairy tale. But that did not happen. She had a sad childhood unlike other girls in the world. She had many family members leaving her, and her stepfather had rape her and her little sister Billie got raped my their uncle. Having other tragedy in her life. Jessie had a fairy tale life but the narrator didn't she wish she could have a life like Jessie. Where her mom made all her dresses and her dad often go to a university and her grandma smells like dill bread and vanilla.

Bibliography

1. "Dorothy Allison." Dorothy Allison. Ed. David Marsh. David Marsh, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
2. "Lauren's Literature Blog." : "River of Names" by Dorothy Allison. Lauren, 23 Jan. 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
3. "“River of Names,” Dorothy Allison." Literacy Culture and the Teacher of Reading. N.p., 28 May 2008. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.
4. Schulte, Taylor. "“River of Names,” Dorothy Allison." : "River of Names" by Dorothy Allison. N.p., 19 Feb. 2010. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. 
5. "Dorothy Allison." Frauen-BiographieForschung. Fembio E.V., 2008. Web. 24 Oct. 2013.