Mythology becomes reality

The story that I found the most enjoyable to read was The Two Sisters. The words in this story were seamlessly chosen and put together to lay out a beautiful image of the two mountains in the opening paragraphs of Pauline Johnson’s short story. Johnson paints a picture for your imagination when she marvels at the twin peaks as “slanting rains festoon scarves of mist about their crests, and the peaks fade into shadowy outlines, melting, melting, forever melting into the distance” (12). This striking illustration sets up a mystical mood that is carried on throughout the rest of the story as the Chief tells the great Indian tale of The Two Sisters. As Dr. Ogden stated, Johnson deliberately re-mythologizes and lets her mythological writing represent everything that is real. When we hear the Chief’s story of peace and wisdom, we almost feel like young children who are hearing a fairy tale for the first time: the people and events of this legend have captivated us, taking us into their world and letting it represent all that is the truth.