Jackson 1
Michelle Jackson
Professor Armstrong
English 1302
5 August 2019
Powering through Loss and Hardship
Leslie Marmon Silko’s “Lullaby” is about an older woman named Ayah who reflects on
the painful things she went through during her past. Things have only got more harder for Ayah
after her son Jimmie sadly passes away. Ayah did not fully realize at first what dreadful things
she was about to get herself into from signing these papers the doctor’s pressure her to sign
which lead to her children having to be took away from her. Towards the ending of the story,
things start to shift as Ayah is taking care of her dying husband Chato. She then starts to
remember how much she truly loves her children by singing a song that her grandmother and
mother know. The central idea of the story “Lullaby” is that emotional loss and misfortune can
lead to finding contentment.
At the start of the story the narrator expresses about Ayah that “She was an old woman
now, and her life had become memories.” This passage shows Ayah reflecting on the good and
hard moments that she had went through. It also shows how these moments made her the type of
person she is now. As we get more into the story, there is a conflict that happens between Ayah
and the doctors. The narrator states that “They were wearing khaki uniforms and they waved
papers at her and a black ball-point pen, trying to make her understand their English words.” The
