Spirtuality Motif-How I Became A Ghost by Tim Tingle

Olivia Diaz de Villegas

Category A, Prompt B: Motif

How I Became A Ghost by Tim Tingle

“The warm shiver came and I closed my eyes. After what I had already seen, I was afraid to look. I didn’t want to see Old Man and Old Woman covered in flames. What I saw was even worse. When I opened my eyes, Old Man was covered in sores. His face was swollen and his eyes were closed. He shook as if he were freezing to death. He turned to me, begging me to help him. Old Woman had ugly yellow sores on her neck and face. She fell into the river and bubbles floated from her nose. She kicked and trembled, rolling her head from side to side…I did not have to look at my mother. I knew she hadn’t seen the sores on Old Man and Old Woman. On our way home, I asked her again ‘Mother, what were the old people doing?’ ‘They are saying good-bye to their home,’ she said. ‘Their homes are in town.’ ‘No,’ said my mother. ‘Their houses are in town. This river, this dirt, this is their home. This is our home. Your father was right. There is Treaty Talk and we must move. It is time to say good-bye to our home.”

(pg. 12-13)

How I Became a Ghost by Tim Tingle tells the story of the removal of the Choctaw tribe and their move to Oklahoma from the perspective of a young Choctaw boy named Isaac. This boy accepts his impending fate of becoming a ghost and utilizes his abilities to help those he leaves behind once he passes on. A motif present in this novel is Choctaw spirituality, presented through many different people and events. The novel abandons the typical style usually employed when discussing Native American spirituality, which channels the mystic, and instead, immerses the reader in the Choctaw belief system by normalizing the seemingly abnormal through the conversational language between Isaac and the reader. This motif is first illustrated through the visions Isaac has of the elderly members of the Choctaw tribe saying their good-byes to their home. Another instance of this motif can be seen in the inclusion of a shape-shifting panther boy, who utilizes his abilities to protect his tribe from the evils they encounter on the Trail of Tears. Additionally, the bonepickers, the elderly women who uphold the Choctaw traditions regarding death and burial aid in the mission to reunite Naomi with her family and provide her with a safe place to hide while the soldiers search for her. Isaac’s talking dog, Jumper, also provides a sense of spirituality since the reader knows that dogs obviously do not have the capability to speak. The relationship between Jumper and Isaac promotes the Choctaw belief system because it showcases a oneness between nature and humanity. The spirituality present in this novel contrasts with the villainous intentions of the soldiers who are supposed to lead the Choctaw tribe to their new home safely, but instead harm them with smallpox infested blankets and provide them with living conditions not suitable for the harsh weather conditions. The purity of the Choctaw belief system also provides the reader with hope for the tribe members’ survival. Without the inclusion of the Choctaw belief system, the events that transpire (including the deaths of many young children) would be too difficult to grasp. The strong faith and family ties present in the novel show that the tribe members have something to live for, despite the horrendous journey ahead of them and the tragedies they endure.