Yellow Woman

There is a dreamlike tone throughout the story. What does this accomplish in terms of the narrator’s identity? How does the dreamlike tone emphasize her inner conflict?

Silva and the white man are both described either by appearance or by attitude and action. Al, the narrator’s husband, is not described. What does this absence of characterization do for the overarching themes of the story?

Discuss the use of names in “Yellow Woman.” In addition to leaving the narrator’s name unknown, Silko makes specific choices about who is named, who is not, and what names are used. How do names affect the characterization of each person in the story?

At the story’s climax, it becomes clear that Silva and the narrator have been speaking in the Pueblo language until they encounter the white man. What does Silko achieve by not making it obvious until this moment that the two main characters are speaking a Pueblo language and not English?

Horses remain ever present in the story; they are ridden, seen, and felt. Where do the horses fit in literally or symbolically within the story’s larger themes?

There are several detailed paragraphs that describe the scenery at length. What is the significance of the species of trees or animals described? What role do they play in the narrator’s understanding and interpretation of nature or of herself?

Silko is Pueblo, Mexican, and white. There are elements of all three cultures in the story, and the narrator is caught between them. How does Silko weave her own perspective as a woman with a diverse racial background into the story?

A primary ambiguity in “Yellow Woman” is whether Silva is a real man, a spirit, or a figment of the narrator’s imagination. What is the purpose of this ambiguity? Which role do you think Silva fulfills, and why?