An Analytical Paragraph on Thomas King's "A Seat in the Garden" The hypocrisy, deception as well as, and mockery presented by Joe throughout this short story reveals how ignorant and stereotypical one race can be towards another. Without having been out to the farm to access the situation, the RCMP officer makes a preconceived notion about the "big Indian" in the garden: "The RCMP officer told Joe that it might be best if he stayed in this house. There was a chance, the officer said, that the big Indian might be drunk or on drugs and, if that were the case, it was better if Joe didn't antagonize him" (285). Over a telephone call with Joe, the RCMP officer assumes that the "big Indian" is under the influence of a substance. The fact that RCMP officer places judgement based on his misconstrued understanding of the situation on Joe's farm, reaffirms Joe's fictitious thoughts of having a trespasser in his garden. Which furthermore fuels his obsession with the "big Indian". Together, the RCMP officer and Joe, have portrayed an early impression to the reader of discrimination against aboriginal peoples: "The Indians showed up around noon. One man had a green knapsack. The other two pushed a grocery cart in front of them. It was full of cans and bottleshe imagined he could smell them" (286). This passage illustrates to the reader a very clichd type of displaced and, perhaps a homeless individual, attesting to the very legitimate issue in many societies today. While at least g 200, 000 Canadians experience homelessness in a given year, Aboriginal people are over-represented among the homeless in almost every urban center in Canada (CITE). Unfortunately, over the last decades, it became socially tolerable for white people to criticized as well as label, Indigenous people for their drinking habits. Due to Joe's overly aggressive and unsuccessful attempts to rid of the "big Indian" in his garden, it leads the two men to seek help from the Aboriginal group of men that appeared near a bushed area on Joes property. Red says, "'Grab a couple beers, so they know we're friendly'" (287), and it becomes clear that Red is quick to presume that the group of men are intoxicated due to a previously made interpretation about Aboriginal people. Here the most ironic point in the story occurs. Upon walking up to the group of men, Red and Joe offer the new arrivals a drink. The group of men decline Red and Joe's obviously insulting gesture and in turn, the group men offer the ignoramus men a drink of water. Lemon water. The story takes a very paradoxical turn at this point. The group of men decide to entertain the idiocy of Joe and Red's hallucinations of the "big Indian" and return to tell them that indeed there is a man and he would very much appreciate a bench to sit on. In actuality, it is the group of misplaced men that would enjoy the resting spot of a bench instead of the ground. And because it is, in fact Joe and Red that are intoxicated, they whole hearte...
