Truth and Bright Water Revision: The Individual's Pursuit of Idealism

This essay and unit meets all 5 of the learning outcomes for ELA 30-1. As an essay, it meets the outcomes for exploring thoughts, comprehending literature, managing ideas and creating text. During the unit we were also required to make chapter summaries. This amounted to a lot of long hours finding quotes we felt were appropriate to use. It really helped using the charts from other people I was sitting with to finish a lot faster. Working with others to get my work done demonstrates my ability to respect, support and collaborate with others.

My mark on this essay was a pure reflection of my problem with procrastination. I often leave essays to the last minute, giving me no time to properly proofread them myself. I can often get others to read over them, but I don't give myself enough time to get the thoughts of the essay out of my head and read it over when it seems new and fresh. Most of my marks lost on this essay were because of format or grammatical errors. I had a lot of good points in the essay, but the rush I was in to get it done and the small amount of time I had to proof read made it difficult to get the mark I wanted.

The Individual’s Pursuit of Idealism

Marcus Ramsay

            In the novel Truth and Bright Water, Thomas King uses certain characters to develop ideas about the significance of idealism and truth in an individual’s life. The main characters in the novel are searching for their own ideal lifestyle, but unfortunately these dreams cannot always be achieved. Monroe Swimmer, the famous Indian artist in the novel, has a picture of an ideal world where society respects First Nations culture and does their best to preserve it. In reality the majority of people lack interest in other cultures, even in their own, so not everyone necessarily respects his ideas and views. Elvin, Tecumsuh’s father, would have loved to have still been with Helen, Tecumsuh’s mother, but in reality they were two very different people and their personalities did not necessarily make them compatible. These are some examples from the novel of how human being’s desire a perfect life, but to have that may be violating the idealism of another individual. King demonstrates this with the relationship between Helen and Elvin throughout the novel. Elvin would have been happier if he was still with Helen, but forcing the relationship on her would have made her unhappy. The author is also trying to show the reader that idealism can distort what is necessarily true, which is even demonstrated in the title of the novel and the name of the two towns. Using the names Truth and Bright Water, King is attempting to show how the truth can often be seen differently when reflected or retold from the original source. The reader should also strongly consider the ideas of Tecumsuh throughout the novel. Tecumsuh tells the story directly how it happens, but the reader can often tell that his immaturity does not allow him to pick up on some more complicated topics throughout the novel, such as when his auntie sends him the doll and things little girls would use, because they are actually meant for her little girl. The ideas developed by Thomas King in Truth and Bright Water make us think about our own ideal life and if our dreams are realistic.

            When Monroe returns to Truth and Bright Water, he tells Tecumsuh about how he “went around the world fixing paintings.” (138) By that he means painting the First Nations people back into the picture, figuratively and literally. Monroe believes there are “Lots of great deeds to do in this world but nobody wants to do them.” (209) King used this quote to show the reader that Monroe is an idealist, he wants the world to be a perfect place but knows it is impossible for one man to make it happen. The special thing about Monroe is that he does not allow the truth to prevent him from attempting to achieve a goal. Although he knew he could not change the whole world’s view on First Nations people, perhaps his attempt to preserve the culture could influence others to do the same, especially someone like Tecumsuh. “Realism will only take you so far,” (208) but idealism is the dream that inspire human beings to do bigger and better things.

            Tecumsuh is the narrator of the novel, which gives us the story from his point of view. The author tells the reader the story through the eyes of a fifteen year old to show how much can go unnoticed, and how maturity and a deepened understanding can completely change the meaning of a symbol, like Auntie Cassie’s tattoo. At the beginning of the story, Tecumsuh thinks it says AIM, but he later realizes “It’s supposed to say AIM, but what it says in the mirror is MIA.”(246) He later pulls out the picture of a child he has found and asks her “Is this her? You know… Mia?” (259) With the little bit of maturity Tecumsuh develops over the summer, he begins to realize there is a lot more to his family’s past than he has seen on the surface. Tecumsuh has a lot of childish dreams, and as he matures he begins to learn the harsh reality of his life. His parent’s relationship is a mess, and he has to do a lot of things for himself at fifteen years old, like find his own food and find a job with no assistance. The character of Tecumsuh is also an example of an idealistic person who is forced to come to terms with the reality of his life.

            Thomas King has used Elvin to play the part of a loving father whose attempts to be there to help always fall short. He often tells Tecumsuh about how he “Started smoking when [he] was twelve,”(88) and asks what he knows about “drinking” and “sex.” (89) Elvin cares about Tecumsuh, and as much as he would love to be there for him he never truly is. Elvin feels that Tecumsuh is ready to mature and grow up but in reality Elvin hasn’t really grown up either. Elvin still tries to pull off a lot of get rich quick schemes and is constantly trying to win Tecumsuh’s mother back. To the reader he seems to be a character with a lot of potential but he is never really able commit to anything, which is why things never go quite the way he wants. Elvin often says “You know what’s wrong with this world?” (90) and blames whites, humour and women for everyone’s problems. He is unable to take responsibility for his own actions which is why he eventually accepts not getting Helen back. Elvin is an excellent example of the effects of idealism and accepting the truth in an individual’s life.

            The character who is hit hardest with the truth in the novel is Lum. The character of Lum is the lost lonely boy throughout the whole novel, and King uses Lum to show the pain that people feel when they are put down their whole lives. King uses the novel to develop ideas concerning the effects of the truth on someone’s idealism. Lum is never able to fully accept that his mother has passed away, at one point saying “She’s never coming back!” (187) and then questioning whether or not she had “come home.”(239)  Lum shows that sometimes not being able to accept the truth can have a larger impact on us than being faced with terrible news, even if it destroys dreams. Individuals must look upon bad news as something to learn from, not dwell on the past like Lum did.

            Truth and Bright Water holds many examples of idealism and how the truth can often ruin someone’s dreams. The characters that King has developed show he believes that all human beings have an ideal lifestyle or dream they are chasing and the truth can quickly ruin or upset it. If a balance between idealism and realism is achieved, individuals can learn from their past mistakes, prepare for their future and make the best life choices. While some sacrifices may be necessary, and individual can be happy without harming the happiness of others.