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Lionel
Charlie Looking Bear, a Blackfoot Indian, is the son of the actor Portland and a prospective lover of Alberta. His main rival for Alberta’s affection is Lionel, and as a result, Charlie is constantly looking for ways to belittle Lionel. In spite of their rivalry, however, Charlie and Lionel have some things in common, including both having worked at Bill Bursum’s store and both facing accusations of acting too “white” (in Charlie’s case, because he sides with the white men like Sifton who are building a dam near Blossom against the protests of local Indians). Charlie is yet another example of how white and Indian cultures collide in the modern world, and how each person takes a different approach to navigating that divide.
Charlie Looking Bear Quotes in Green Grass, Running Water
The Green Grass, Running Water quotes below are all either spoken by Charlie Looking Bear or refer to Charlie Looking Bear. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1
Quotes
“You used to sell televisions and stereos at Bursum’s, too.”
“Yeah, and there’s the difference. I used to sell that crap. But I don’t anymore. I got out and made something of myself. Lionel’s never going to get out. Hell, another couple of years and he’ll be back on the reserve running for council. Besides, you know how I feel about you.”
“It’s one of the reasons I’m going to Blossom.”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3
Quotes
And then Portland and the rest of the Indians began to shoot back, and soldiers began falling over. Sometimes two or three soldiers would drop at once, clutching their chests or their heads or their stomachs.
John Wayne looked down and stared stupidly at the arrow in his thigh, shaking his head in amazement and disbelief as two bullets ripped through his chest and out the back of his jacket. Richard Widmark collapsed facedown in the sand, his hands clutching at an arrow buried in his throat.
“Jesus!” said Bursum, and he stabbed the remote even harder.
Charlie had his hands out of his pockets, his fists clenched, keeping time to the singing. His lips were pulled back from his teeth, and his eyes flashed as he watched his father flow through the soldiers like a flood.
“Get ’em, Dad,” he hissed.
Get the entire Green Grass, Running Water LitChart as a printable PDF.
Charlie Looking Bear Quotes in Green Grass, Running Water
The Green Grass, Running Water quotes below are all either spoken by Charlie Looking Bear or refer to Charlie Looking Bear. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1
Quotes
“You used to sell televisions and stereos at Bursum’s, too.”
“Yeah, and there’s the difference. I used to sell that crap. But I don’t anymore. I got out and made something of myself. Lionel’s never going to get out. Hell, another couple of years and he’ll be back on the reserve running for council. Besides, you know how I feel about you.”
“It’s one of the reasons I’m going to Blossom.”
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 3
Quotes
And then Portland and the rest of the Indians began to shoot back, and soldiers began falling over. Sometimes two or three soldiers would drop at once, clutching their chests or their heads or their stomachs.
John Wayne looked down and stared stupidly at the arrow in his thigh, shaking his head in amazement and disbelief as two bullets ripped through his chest and out the back of his jacket. Richard Widmark collapsed facedown in the sand, his hands clutching at an arrow buried in his throat.
“Jesus!” said Bursum, and he stabbed the remote even harder.
Charlie had his hands out of his pockets, his fists clenched, keeping time to the singing. His lips were pulled back from his teeth, and his eyes flashed as he watched his father flow through the soldiers like a flood.
“Get ’em, Dad,” he hissed.
