Tony's Story by Leslie Marmon Silko - Summary

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This short story is summarized in bullet points for no good reason.




Events

·       It's a hot dry summer. Tony's friend Leon comes back from the army. He is drinking.
·       A state cop punches Leon in the face
·       Leon is admitted to the hospital with broken teeth and get stitches
·       Tony dreams about the cop who has white round eyes on a ceremonial black mask instead of a face
·       Leon gets better but wants revenge and Tony tries to dissuade him
·       Tony sees the cop in a gas station store and Leon says he is just as good as the cop
·       The cop follows them and they pull over. He makes them get out of the car.
·       Tony knows he can't look at the cop's eyes. He tries not to but then looks at his face, and can't find eyes behind the mirrored lenses
·       The cop tells them they transferred him to keep him away from Indians
·       Tony feels an urgency to get off the highway but Leon continues because they have a right to be there
·       Leon starts carrying a gun
·       Leon and Tony see the cop following them again
·       The cop tries to force them off the road
·       Tony says they have to kill him and burn the body
·       The cop threatens to beat Leon with a club
·       Tony kills the cop with the gun and sets the car on fire with the cop in it
·       Leon is upset at the murder but Tony comforts him that the bad thing is killed.


------------------------------------

Notes

·       The fantastic (Todorov)


How could just speaking about something make it more real? Words/language create reality

·       There's some more abstract fear that haunts Tony than the cop, something others can't see

·       Tony refers to the cop as "it"


·       Tony is sure the whites are cannibals

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