Memory, Language, and Identity
Joseph Bruchac’s Code Talker is a fictionalized account of a group of Navajo marines who fought in World War II with a top-secret mission: using the Navajo language to transmit crucial information during battle in the South Pacific. Through a character named Ned Begay, a Navajo man who is telling his grandchildren his experiences, Bruchac conveys both the shame and triumph such marines encountered throughout their lives because of their Navajo identity. By contrasting…
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The Navajo Way and the Life of the Warrior
Throughout Code Talker, Ned Begay’s story is interwoven with many aspects of what he simply calls “the Navajo Way”—basic survival skills, personal empathy, religious beliefs, and coping strategies that prepare him for Marine service, sustain him during World War II, and help him heal afterward. In fact, because of the physical strength, wisdom, and spiritual resilience Ned gains from the Navajo way of life, he is portrayed as an ideal American warrior. By…
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Culture and Patriotism
As a Navajo person, Ned Begay’s story is filled with an understated dignity and pride, both in his people’s heritage and in their role within the United States. Because the Navajo people have suffered so much, often at the hands of the U.S. government, Ned feels a particular obligation to do what he can to improve the circumstances of his family and people. Yet that very devotion to his people, and his gratitude for…
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War, Healing, and Peace
Though Ned Begay is unwaveringly committed to the U.S. effort in World War II from beginning to end, he never glorifies war. He describes the terrors of the battlefield, the loss of friends, and most of all, the traumatic aftereffects of war in soldiers’ minds, which he believes can only be healed through an intentional effort to restore spiritual balance. As one example of the imbalance wrought by war, Ned describes his struggles to come…
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