People The Whale By Linda Hogan Sparknotes

Everyone knows that one day they will eventually die and their earthly life does not last forever, but no one knows what comes after. Each person has their views and opinions about what happens to the after they die but there is only one right answer and no one really knows. In the book People of the Whale, the author Linda Hogan creates a specific message for the readers to challenge themselves and their thinking about what really happened to the main character Thomas and if he is dead or alive. Hogan ends the book with the readers still very unsure and lets the readers choose their own ending to the story. Hogan’s style of writing is to ensure the readers are left with a message and uncertain understanding, leaving them questioning the end

Thomas is singing songs with joy and while“[Thomas] hasn’t even finished the song when he falls backward as if through a door without a room, an anchor tossed down.” (Hogan 287) A man named Dwight takes a pistol in the middle of when Thomas is in complete peace and kills him. This is the proof of when Thomas was shot by Dwight. Hogan portrays this message of death to the readers and the readers are in shock about Thomas’ death. As of now in the book, the reader’s understanding is that Thomas is dead, and our mentality is once you are dead you are dead and there is no turning back. Before Thomas was “killed” he had found happiness and was content with his life, “as for [him], he is whole. His mind, his heart, his being, all of him is in the paddles, the canoe, the water, and his song, too.” (286) Hogan keeps on sending the reader’s messages making them wonder about the contentedness of Thomas and how they can receive the same happiness. In this point of the book, the message from Hogan is that Thomas is enlightened and even though his death happened he is still content with

In the next chapter after Thomas died Hogan compares the story of Jonah to the People of the Whale. Jonah was a prophet of God, and when Jonah disobeyed God a very big fish swallowed Jonah. He was in there for three days and three nights, and then Jonah is miraculously saved by God. In the bible the book of Jonah, “God sent a big fish. The fish swallowed Jonah. Jonah was in the fish for three days and three nights. Jonah prayed to God. He repented. He said he was sorry he had run away. He promised to obey God.” (1:13-15) Hogan draws a parallel from the bible story to People of the Whale comparing Jonah and Thomas, because of Thomas being “killed” but still being “alive”. Hogan writes, “Nevertheless, like Jonah in the book by many men who heard the voices of their own gods, he washed up out of the belly of the Great Mysterious that held him...”(289) Hogan also uses biblical allusions to send the reader messages about how spiritual Thomas is. My prediction is that because Hogan is using the bible as a parallel for this book the ending must be along the lines of the bible’s teachings. In the Christian faith, Christians believe that once your earthly body has passed on that your spiritual body lifts to heavenly with all of your brother and sisters in God to live eternally, only if you believe and