#2 - Lullaby

Emotion is not easy to communicate. Even the most extravagant literary fabric cannot fully express the feeling an author may wish to convey. However, the sentiment that eludes the page is easily captured in a single chord. Music has the unique ability to transfer emotion because unlike cerebral methods of communication, music is felt.

Soundtracks help audiences experience the intended emotion in movies, but stories do not have the luxury of musical accompaniment. Instead it is up to the reader to fill in the emotional gaps and create his or her own experience. The following represent the emotion I experienced while reading Leslie Marmon Silko’s “Lullaby.”

“A Beautiful Soul” Marc Enfroy

When Ayah settles herself next to a cottonwood tree and begins to explore her memory, it is bittersweet. She first thinks of her son Jimmie, but the memory is painful so she turns instead to fond memories of her childhood. She finds peace in these memories, but despite her initial resistance, she cannot help but return to thoughts of her dead son. This piece expresses the sweetness of her childhood memories as well as the sadness she feels for losing Jimmie.

“Honor Him” Hans Zimmer

When Ayah thinks of Jimmie, she thinks of him as the hero that could have saved her. She believed he would have worked when Chato broke his leg and that he would have stopped her from signing her other children away. She thinks he would have prevented all the problems in her life if he had lived. This portion of the Gladiator soundtrack reflects the way Ayah idolizes Jimmie and hints at the promise of deliverance and freedom she believes he would have offered her if he had lived.

“Morning Peace” Jan Michael DeRuyter














When Ayah’s younger children were taken from her, she was crushed. Everything she saw reminded her of her children and she felt anew the pain of losing them. She had lost other children to death, but because she buried them according to Navajo custom, she felt they were still near to her. Having her living children stripped from her made her hate Chato for teaching her to sign her name, thus making her vulnerable to the white man’s law. This song reflects Ayah’s desire to return to her native roots, but the mournful essence of the pan flute confirms what she already knows; like her children, the life she knew was forever lost to her.

“The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” Ennio Morricone

I could not resist putting this one in! When Ayah walks into the bar, and everyone stops and looks at her as if they are frightened of her, this song started playing in my head. It doesn’t really fit the tone of the story, but out of context, it’s perfect!

“The Car Chase” James Horner

At the end of the story, Ayah sits with Chato and watches as the night sky crystallizes until she can smell the purity of the moon and stars. She then notices a descending stillness and recognizes death as it comes to her husband.  Ayah knows he will not suffer, but still her maternal instinct rises up and she offers him comfort. She tucks the blanket around him and sings a lullaby as if her were one of the babies she had lost. This piece from A Beautiful Mind mirrors the growing clarity Ayah experiences at this moment and speaks to the majesty of life and death, but also to her regret and the bittersweet life she has had.

Silence

As the story ends, all music and sound should stop leaving only Ayah's voice, soft with age but clear - a single, isolated thread amplified by the resonating silence.