It Used to be Green Once Summary and Analysis
About the Auther.
Patricia Grace was born in 1937 in Wellington, New Zealand.
- She is a Newzlamd novelist and short story writer.
- She also contributed to children's literature.
- She is one of the prominent figures in modern Newzland literature.
- She was one of the important figures who contributed to the development of Maori fiction.
- The majority of her workes reflects the cultural diversity of the Maori people.
- She was born to a Maori father and a European mother.
- She always upholds her culture.
- She tries to give voice and recognition to Maori culture through her literary works.
- Hubert Church Memorial Award.
- Newzealand book award For Fiction in 1987.
- Newzealand government publishing award.
- Russell Clark award 1994.
- Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 2008.
Short story Collections.
- Waiariki (1975)
- The dream Sleepers and
Other Stories (1980)
- Electric City
and Other Stories (1980)
- Selected Stories (1991)
- Small Holes in Silence
(2006)
Major Novels.
- Mutuwhenua: Moon Sleeps
(1978)
- Potiki (1986)
- Cousins (1992)
- Baby no Eyes (1998)
- Dogside Story (2001)
AN INTRODUCTION TO "IT USED
TO BE GREEN ONCE"
"It Used to be Green Once,"
tells us the story of a large family living in Newland. Through narrating the
story of the family, Patricia Grace tells us about the Māori culture where
people give utmost importance to love, hospitality, relationships, and ancestors
than material possessions.
"It Used to be Green Once" is the story taken from her short story collection, The Dream Sleepers and Other Stories (1980). In the story, the narrator recalls her childhood with her mother and siblings. Mother is the central character in the story. The writer uses a hybrid language where she mixes the expressions from the Maori language with English.
It is Used to be Green Once Summary
Patricia Gracia tells us a story of a family where all children felt ashamed of their mother. Many activities of the mother create shameful situations in front of their friends and classmates. In the story, the narrator recalls all such experiences one by one. Mother had the habit of putting red stitches on their clothes. These highlighted red stitches always bring shame in front of other children and friends.
Now narrator recalls another incident. The narrator's mother cut one old swimming cloth and made two. The mother gave the top half part to her sister and the bottom half to her brother. Both Peti and Raana were not ready to wear those dresses and started to cry. Because those dresses are not suitable for both of them. Therefore Peti and Raana were not ready to go to school and sat on the road. But the mother knew how to send kids to school in such a situation. The mother started yelling loudly "Get up off that road my girl. There is nothing wrong with those togs. I didn't have any togs when I was a kid and I had to swim in my nothings. Get off your backside and get to school" The mom started to yell loudly. She knew that such a loud voice on the road would shame them a lot. Therefore they all dragged Petti into the bus before their classmates come.
Another shameful act of the mother was with over-ripened apples and pears. Their father brought over-ripened fruits from the market in those days at a cheap rate. The mother would dig out rotten areas and gave them to the children to have at their lunchtime. Kids were not noticed holy fruits first. They came to know only when one of their mates one day yelled "Hey you fullas. Who shot your pears? They did not have school bags to hide their lunch box.
"It Used to be Green Once" is a story mainly about a car and Mom and how the car became the source of shame for all children in the family. The was earlier used by their uncle Raz. He could not do maintenance work anymore. Therefore uncle gave the car to the narrator's father to use for the farmhouse activities. They used the car for shifting cream cans up to the road from the shed.
When they got the car the first time that was in red color still there are some patches here and there. Apart from that it also used to have a top as well and that could be put up and down. And the car became the symbol of their prestige. This was the situation before their mother started to drive the car to shop.
Later the situation changed. The mother started to drive the car shopping. The car doesn't have even a break. Therefore she had to honk always while driving the car and others have to give way to pass her. This act of the mother shamed them more than any other act.
She had the habit of shopping for others, especially for neighbors. People would call out the product that they wanted, and on the way back after shopping, she would through their items of grocery from the car. The kids wanted to stop mom's habit of shopping in the car. But she was not ready to stop it.
The kids hated Wednesdays because that was the day mom's shopping. During the day mother would get up early and complete all work at home. Kids always tried to be sick on Wednesday or to miss the school bus. Otherwise, they have to meet their mother on the way to school.
One day that happened what were the children afraid off. The first time their mother's car and the school bus met on the bridge. The mother's car was coming from the opposite direction. At the time children had to ask the driver to stop and give way to mom. Because her car had no break. At the time all children were ashamed in front of other children. However, she did not have any accidents so far.
After a while, they started to walk home in order to avoid a meeting of the school bus and mother's car. There was a new teacher named Mr. Hadley he also walked home and he stayed not far from where they lived.
Now the narrator recalls another incident. One day she heard the sound of honking and tooting behind her. That was horrible for her and she wanted to disappear forever from the earth. When the mother came nearby she started to smile and wave and yell. "Anyone wants a ride" "They will have to run and jump in"- she yelled.
They all turned their heads the other way and expected Mr, Hardley wouldn't notice the car. By the time he jumped into the car and sat in the back seat on the top of the shopping.
One day their father won the fifty thousand dollars in a lottery. It brought changes in the routine of the father. When she arrived home dad wore new clothes and did not do anything like getting the cow in, mending a gate, or digging a drain.
At first, they could not believe it. Then they started to dream of new shoes, and school bags. clothes, and swimming togs and proper apples and pears. They also decided to buy a new car for the mother. This really shocked and amazed them. They couldn't hide their excitement and happiness and began hooting and shouting.
Soon after this, mother bought a new big shiny green Chevrolet and father got a new modernized cowshed, and the children got new clothes shoes, togs, triangle sandwiches, crispy apples and pears, and yellow bananas.
It made a drastic change in the life of kids. They started to act like higher class people and they left the routine of ordinary people. They did not want to see the old car again, therefore, they dumped it nearby place.
All children changed except the mother and father. Mother had a new car, a couple of dresses, etc. And father had a new milking shed and a tractor, and some gadgets for the farm. But they remained the same always.
Mother still continued the habit of shopping on Wednesdays. Instead of shopping alone, she was able to take all her friends and relations with her. The mother forgot the thing that the car had the break. Therefore again she would start tooting and honking again and others would have to give way to passing her.
When she came back from the shopping the car was filled with various things. There were always ropes everywhere in the car for holding bags. Apart from that, there were shovel handles on the roof and side. Things used to drop onto the road all the time.
The car was a green one-it used to be green once- now if we have a close look at the car you can see only some patches of green paint here and there.
SOME CRITICAL NOTES.
"It Used to be Green Once" is a work that reflects Maori culture as it is. It is very obvious from the act of the mother and father. Maori way of life and culture gives primary importance to cultural values like relationships, love, and hospitality than material possessions. Here the father won fifty thousand dollars in a lottery but that did not bring any changes in their life. The mother continued the habit of shopping for others in an elaborate manner.
Another thing that we have to notice is that she was born to a Maori father and a European mother. But she did not want to hide Maori identity of her. She even retained Maori names like Raana, Peti, and Kiri instead of the Pakeha names given at school.
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