Grass Dancer by Susan Power

¶ … Grass Dancer by Susan Power develops two forms of the female soul as represented by Lydia Wind Soldier and Anna "Mercury" Thunder. As their names would indicate, Lydia's life leads wherever fate may take it, while Anna's is spent attempting to make the universe bend to her will. The natures of the two are represented as the grass stalk -- firmly rooted to the ground -- and the grass seed -- taking hold wherever it lands. This theme plays itself out through the entire novel; Anna, though powerful, uses her power to her own ends; Lydia, less powerful, gives all of herself away for the sake of others. It is clear which one Power prefers, as Anna's actions are revealed as insidious and harmful, the more feeble forces against her must eventually prevail: fate cannot be utterly defeated. Yet, regardless of the nature of their actions, both women are deeply embroiled in the playing out of time; this dominates the role of women in the Dakota spiritual world. Women spin the thread that creates the intricate tapestry of the future. Susan Power uses Lydia and Anna as representations of the opposing spirits of generosity and selfishness -- good and evil.

The events that make up reality are greatly influenced by Anna, though not completely controlled. However much she may endeavor to arrange everything exactly to her liking, there still remain imperfections to her grand design. This could possibly be interpreted as a dualistic representation of reality within the Dakota beliefs; however, the structure of the battle between good and evil is slightly more complicated than simply God vs. The devil. The difference being that it is not the spirit world driving the individual's desire to do either good or evil, but rather the individual themselves. Anna is not bestowed the name "Mercury" by any spiritual means; she claims the name as her own because she feels that it exemplifies the type of person she is trying to be:

Mercury believed she held her life firmly in place beneath her tongue, and she didn't spit it out here and there, in bits and pieces, diffusing the power. She had even taken a new name, changing it from Anna to Mercury after her granddaughter brought home a copy of the periodic table in eighth grade and explained to her: 'An element is a substance that cannot be split into simpler substances.'" (Power 13).

It is for this reason that mercury is idealized in Anna's eyes: it does not give itself away, it is singular. Consequently, all of Anna's actions are carried out for the purpose of her own gratification and at the expense of those around her. It is important to note that the act of holding her tongue is specifically mentioned, because the power of the voice, in this novel, has the property of dispersion -- it can be given to others.

Nevertheless, it is indicated early on that Anna's abilities are not infinite. This suggests that within the Dakota's system of beliefs, evil has boundaries. To begin with, Anna is in a wheelchair. The fact that she is unable to cure her physical ailments implies that the spiritual crimes incur a cost upon her material body. Additionally, she is described as being utterly unattractive and appearing far older than her actual age. This further illustrates the boundaries set upon her manipulations of fate; she wields extraordinary influence over others, but little over herself. So, within the dualistic battle between good and evil, evil exhibits a number of obvious drawbacks for the practitioner.

Yet, perhaps the most severe drawback towards manipulating fate for personal advances, Power illustrates, is that it demands a life devoid of true happiness; or in other words, without love. She describes her relationship with men as connected with her bodily failings:

was not one to gaze long in the mirror beyond parting my hair in a straight line, and I knew the tips of my fingers were squashed-looking from so many years of beadwork, but my breath was sweet with the taste of wild plums and my eyes were black as those cut into gambling dice, and if I looked into a man I could lower a line so skillfully it would hook his heart. Then I would jerk it right out of his throat. I collected so many that I kept thinking I would get my fill of them, but I never did." (Power 164).

Although she recognizes herself as unattractive she seems to feel that this is at least somewhat compensated for by the fact that she can have almost any man she wants. But she admits that this leaves her feeling unfulfilled -- she wants something more. Unfortunately for Anna, she one man she truly lusts after is impervious to her commands. As a result, she resumes her destructive behavior with a doubling of ferocity.

Additionally, to make up for her physical shortcomings, Anna strives to make herself immortal by claiming the soul of her granddaughter; she hopes to mold in her own form. Upon learning of her daughter's pregnancy she pronounces, "You will not waste that child... A soul for a soul." (Power 135). Thus, she declares the child's spirit for herself. More than anything this demonstrates the failings of her choice to use her powers for selfish means. Anna's spiritual degradation of the physical world has taken such a toll on her body that she makes vain attempts to reclaim youth, beauty, and perhaps love.

Contrasting this life of earthly gratification is the character of Lydia Wind Soldier. Lydia gives nearly everything of herself for the sake of those around her to such an extent that she appears to be visibly disappearing: "He [Harley] reached out and hugged her then -- something he did only rarely since turning seventeen -- because as he watched her, she blurred at the edges, looked to him like a person being slowly erased by some spectral finger." (Power 18). Lydia has given of herself so much that her physical body is somehow reduced, although the manner of this reduction is quite different than Anna's physical ugliness and decrepit form. Lydia, although disappearing, is described as seeming very young -- young enough to be Harley's sister -- and also of being extraordinarily beautiful (Power 18).

Lydia's beauty seems to be connected with her actions as a good and dutiful daughter, wife, and mother. "Lydia had always been the good daughter, sweet-tempered and incurious, never dreaming of taking flight. And Evie wasn't beautiful like Lydia." (Power 103). Also, it is interesting to note that Lydia is continually measured against her twin sister, Evie, who she deeply admires but is always deemed less desirable by others. As twins they can be views as something akin to the two sides of the same coin: from many perspectives they are complete opposites, but each realizes that their positions are only made possible by the other. Evie's admiration for Lydia stems from her diligently accepting her position upon the reservation, while Lydia's admiration for Evie stems from her rejection of the standard role and her rebellious nature.

In addition to being beautiful and dutiful, Lydia marries the object of Anna's desire: Calvin Wind Soldier. She acquires him without deceit or trickery, but they join as a consequence of love. Where Anna fails with strategic planning, Lydia succeeds through happenstance. Furthermore, the relationship that Lydia enjoys with Calvin is far deeper, meaningful, and fulfilling than anything that Anna can achieve with her powers.

Perhaps the most obvious example of Lydia's self sacrifice to the spirit world is associated with the power of voice. Both Anna and Lydia feel that their voices wield power, yet Lydia gives this power up in recognition of the destructive forms it tends to take. When she tells her husband to take his son and leave the consequence is that they die in a car crash. From that point on she never speaks a word; she only sings in the powwows; it is her only chance to use her voice for spiritual means. In fact, others are haunted by the sound of her singing voice, and are certain that it is truly the incantation of her dead loved ones and ancestors.

Not only does Lydia sacrifice her voice for the spirit world, she also loses her sense of smell and taste:

The stench [of the sacrificial dog] began to fade after my husband came back to me, his eyes resuming their former intelligence, the spell shaken from him. It had finally disappeared, when I learned that Evelyn was carrying Calvin's child. The odor of singed fur did not come flooding back at the news. Instead I lost my sense of smell and the ability to taste, and these two faculties were never to return." (Power 213).

Two of her five senses stolen, her ability to communicate with the physical world given up, and her material body fading, Lydia's life appears to be a pitiful one. She has fallen victim to the forces of greed and evil possessed by Anna but counters them with personal sacrifices.

The differences between Anna and Lydia are fundamentally their relationships with the forces that define the future: fate. Anna methodically rejects the idea that anyone should hold power over her own agenda and desires. She declares,

Fate will never ride me again.... I broke that horse a long time ago and kicked it with my heels. I had to take my own spirit in hand, or it would have shriveled like gauze held to a flame, been consumed, and my mind would have been in too many pieces for me to scrape together. So I am here, working my fate, driving it, before it has the chance to drive me.... I am Providence." (Power 180).