Carr 1
Brittany Carr
Professor Christopher Shaw
English 112 Section 05
27 October 2014
Romance: What Is The True Definition?
Romance: to invent or relate romances; indulge in fanciful or extravagant stories or daydreams. Whether in a story or real life, you normally have a character looking for some type of romance. In Leslie Marmon Silko's "Yellow Woman", a young woman finds herself trying to figure out what's real and what's fantasy. When she meets a stranger and engages in numerous activities with him, Yellow Woman must decide whether to stay with him or go back to the life she once knew. The journey she takes is a romance all in itself.
In many romance novels the characters get intimate. What's a good romantic story without sex? Yellow Woman and Silva get intimate more than once. Silko writes "He undressed me slowly like the night before beside the river-kissing my face gently and running his hands up and down my belly and legs" (605).
That statement alone is very sexy and romantic, giving good imagery, and making the reader wanting more.
The way Yellow Woman listened to Silva and obeyed his commands is another good reason why this makes a very romantic story. As if she was under his spell so to speak, Silko makes statements such as "You are coming with me, remember?" (602) and "You will do what I want" (605). Silva seems very controlling, but in a way it is also very romantic. Silko draws the reader in to see if Yellow Woman actually does what Silva wants her to do.
Carr 2
The fact that Yellow Woman had still thought about Silva and missed him even after they had parted, strikes as romantic. Silko states that Yellow Woman "was still thinking about him...