Short Story: The Laguna Pueblo Indians

The story takes place on the Laguna Pueblo Indians Reservation, located in New Mexico. The lives of the Native Americans were underprivileged. It was an undesirable place to live with lack of resources and opportunities for the young men on the reservation. Therefore, some had enlisted to serve the United States military during the time of World War Two. They saw it as an opportunity out of the reservation, believing that they would travel the world (Silko 72), and they were promised by the recruiter that they would “be eligible for everything” (Silko 65). Rocky, who was Tayo’s cousin, was one of the young men who fell victim to the lies and enlisted in to the U.S. Army. He convinced Tayo to go with him, but Tayo “had made a promise to Josiah to help with the Mexican cattle” (Silko 72) that Josiah had bought.

He did not object his decision. While Tayo and Rocky were away, fighting in the war, Josiah “died because there was no one to help him search for the cattle after they were stolen” (Silko 124). Furthermore, Rocky was killed by an infection to a wound caused by the rain, and later, he was killed by a Japanese soldier; his skull was crushed by the end of a rifle (Silko 11). Tayo loss two of the people he lived while fighting a war for the white people. He had not gain anything but despair, guilt, and bad memories that he tried to bury in his mind. He developed symptoms – PSTD, nightmares, uncontainable behaviors, and alcoholism – that he could not