The Role Of Loss In Leslie Marmon Silko's Lullaby

In the story, “Lullaby,” by Leslie Marmon Silko, loss plays a significant role. The main character, Ayah, is barely left with anything after a series of unfortunate events unfold on her. Being a Native American in the 1900’s gives someone a very stressful time, as many things are constantly being taken away. For Ayah, loss plays a significant role because it affects Ayah mentally, puts Ayah and Chato into a poor state, and affects Ayah and Chato’s relationship. As Ayah loses more and more things, her mental state is begins to change. Her life is practically meaningless at this point, and she claims that “her life had become memories” (Silko, 41). First she loses her son, Jimmie, in a helicopter crash , then her other children to army officials,

When Chato became too old to work any longer, the rancher decides to kick the couple out, and they become forced to live on their own. If Ayah and Chato had their original home back at their tribe, none of that would have ever happened, as they would be comfortably living in their huts . Even if they didn’t have their original homes, the couple would have still been able to use Jimmie to work for the rancher. Jimmie “would have worked for his father then; he would have saddled the big bay horse and ridden the fence lines each day, with wire cutters and heavy gloves, fixing the breaks in the barbed wire and putting the stray cattle back inside again” (Silko, 42). Since Jimmie and his siblings were taken away, Ayah and Chato had no one to work for the rancher, thus, turning them into homeless people living off on the streets. Following this loss, Chato becomes overwhelmed with sadness and turns into an alcoholic. “All the wine would be gone and most of the money too, from the pale blue check that came to them once a month in a government envelope” (Silko, 45). All Ayah is left with at this point is an alcoholic husband and a lot less