CODE TALKER: A NOVEL ABOUT THE NAVAJO MARINES OF WORLD WAR TWO
Bruchac, Joseph. CODE TALKER: A NOVEL ABOUT THE NAVAJO MARINES OF WORLD WAR TWO. 2005. New York: Dial Books. ISBN 0803729219
Plot Summary
The story is set during World War II and young Ned Begay is beginning his first year at boarding school. This is the catalyst that will forever change his life. Begay lies about his age (he is only sixteen) and joins the Marines where he becomes a Navajo code talker. Being a code talker is top secret even for as long as twenty years after the war. Ned experiences friendship and the cruelties of war while holding on to his Navaho culture and traditions.
Critical Analysis
From the opening of the story Bruchac immerses the reader into the Navajo culture by creating a picture of young Ned Begay and his feelings of leaving home. "I sat behind our hogan, leaning against its familiar walls and looking up toward the mesa. I hoped I would see an eagle, for that would be good sign." Showing respect; ..."for I had always obeyed my mother - whose love for me was as certain as the firmness of the sacred earth beneath my moccasins." Cultural markers are evident again as Begay describes his mother; "There stood my tall, beautiful mother. Her thick black hair was tied up into a bun. She was dressed in her finest clothing - a new, silky blue blouse and a blue pleated skirt decorated with bands of gold ribbons. On her feet were soft calf-high moccasins, and she wore all her silver and turquoise jewelry. Her squash-blossom necklace, her bracelets, her concha belt, her earrings - I knew she had adorned herself with all of these things for me." This was a tradition to be dressed in your finest to leave a beautiful picture in the person's mind. Also, later in the story Begay describes how all the other Navajo children at the boarding school are dressed in their finest clothes and ornamentation upon arrival. These items, a sign of how much their families loved them and how precious they were to their families, are later taken away and sold to the bilagáanaa (white people) in an effort to strip away their culture. Bruchac sprinkles Navajo words into the story while providing a translation which does not take away from the text. Terms of endearment for Begay were Kii Yázhí, (Little boy), Awee Yázhí, (Little Baby). Begay was small even as a baby and his father would tease him say ing his cradleboard was made out of the handle of a wooden spoon. Transportation to the boarding school was a wagon drawn by horses on a dirt road. When Begay's uncle was talking to him he addressed the young man as "Little Boy," he said, "Sister's first son, listen to me. Themes of pride, honor, and respect for one's family and culture are evident throughout the story. The uncle tells Begay that he is going to school for his family, not for himself. He is to learn the ways of the white people for the laws of the United States are in English. He also reminds him that the Navajo language is sacred and beautiful. This respect for the Navajo language is not present in the people at the boarding school who forbid and punish any student who speaks their mother tongue. Formal schooling was not the way of Begay's parents and relatives. They "learned all they knew from their own relatives and from wise elders who knew many things, people who lived with us. People just like us."
Traditions/customs are noticeable in the text. It was a sacred thing for men and women to wear their hair long. "Cutting your hair was believed to bring misfortune to you." This shearing of the children's hair was another attempt to strip away the Navajo identity. Names are special in the Navajo culture. "By knowing each other's clan - the clan of the mother that we were born to, the clan of the father that we were born for - we can recognize our relatives." The boarding school took the names from the Navajo children and assigned them English names in their place. Some were assigned the names of famous dead white men which was taboo to the Navajo children who knew a Navajo would "never deliberately give the name of someone who has died." It was also taboo to look upon a dead body. Unfortunately Begay was faced with this tragedy on more than one occasion as he was in some of the bloodiest conflicts during World War II. A protection ceremony was performed for Begay by a family friend Frank Mitchell, addressed as Hosteen( a Navajo word that is a term of respect) Mitchell. The ceremony was called Hózhǫǫjí, "the Blessingway". Hosteen Mitchell gives Begay a bag of corn pollen which is reminds him of the goodness of the Blessingway and to provide his life with calm, balance and safety. Johnny Manuelito a recruiting officer talked to the young men about what was expected during boot camp. To the Navajo young men it did not sound so taxing because they were used to carrying a gun and walking long distances to find food and protect their herds from predators. What was normal everyday living seemed to be a hardship for the "other" recruits and they "washed out." This illustration unsettles me. I have not been in military, but I am a military child, and know being tough is a requirement, but when Bruchac writes about average men, "They wash out. It's too hard for your average man to get used to marching long distances and carrying heavy packs, to running and climbing obstacles." I wonder, didn't a lot of "average" men make it through boot camp and later give their life defending our country?
Bruchac uses many examples of figurative language by describing things in terms of nature. One example is: "The hours and days, the weeks and months and even the years, grew legs and began to run like an antelope."
Code Taker is presented as a story told to grandchildren by the grandfather. In this case the grandfather is Ned Begay. He is finally able to tell the story of the Navajo Marine code talkers of which he was one. His feelings of pride and humility about his involvement during the war are woven throughout the story. "We did not go around thinking we were better than everyone else. We did not boast. Our pride was quiet and humble. We remembered that the language that now could be of such great use, our sacred language, had been passed down to us by our elders. We kept our elders ad our families in mind as we studied. We remembered our sacred land." Another example of honoring family, country, and one's elders. Also the value of life is perpetuated by the remarks regarding the Japanese: "What troubled me the most was the way they treated the native people of the islands they conquered. They believed only Japanese were real humans. Anyone else was treated like a dog. Never forget, grandchildren that we must always see all other people as human beings worthy of respect. We must never forget, as the Japanese forgot, that all life is holy." This is his perspective of the Japanese. I wonder if I will learn something different regarding life when we study literature from the Asian culture.
A riveting account of from a personal perspective of life during immense conflict. Ned Begay grows stronger from his experiences never forgetting his identity and reflecting on what is important to life.
Reviews
"With its multicultural themes and well-told WWI history, this will appeal to a wide audience." - Kirkus Review
"The narrative pulls no punches about war's brutality and never adopts an avuncular tone. Not every section of the book is riveting, but slowly the succession of scenes, impressions, and remarks build to create a solid, memorable portrayal of Ned Begay. Even when facing complex forces within his own country, he is able to reach into his traditional culture to find answers that work for him in a modern context. Readers who choose the book for the attraction of Navaho code talking and the heat of battle will come away with more than they ever expected to find." - Booklist
Awards/Connections
Iowa Teen Award Nominee 2007-2008
EYES OF THE EMPEROR witten by Graham Salisbury
CRACKER!: THE BEST DOG IN VIETNAM written by Cynthia Kadohata
JIM THORPE, ORIGINAL ALL AMERICAN written by Joseph Bruchac
NAVAJO CODE TALKERS written by Nathan Aaseng
WARRIORS: NAVAJO CODE TALKERS written by Kenji Kawano
To listen to poems read by Joseph Bruchac and find other interesting information check out the following website:
http://www.josephbruchac.com
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