Henry Dumas short story “Ark of bones” (1974) about two young boys, Headeye and Fish-Hound who despite their differences go on a spiritual journey. Each character has a different opinions on spiritual experiences, which Dumas explores. The differences between Headeye and Fish-Hound are pronounced throughout the short story, but their banter is what makes the story intriguing. Headeye’s approach to supernatural beings differ compared to Fish-Hound as evident by their different opinions on spiritual sounds, spiritual signs and understanding of the spiritual realm. Headeye and Fish-Hound have different opinions on spiritual sounds that they hear at the river. Headeye feels connected to the sounds in a way fish-hound does not, “I heard a kind of moanin, like a lot of people. I figured it must be in the wind. Headeye, he is jumpin around like a perch with a hook in the gill” (6) . Headeye seems more comfortable with the noise even moving towards the sound as if the sound is pulling him. On the other hand Fish-hound is scared of the sound and unsure of …show more content…
Throughout the book it’s as if Headeye is chosen, “a crew of men was winding up a rope…Headeye, he looked like he knew what was going on, but when I see all this I just about popped my eyes out.” Headeye is not fazed by all that is happening on the boat in fact he has full understanding of what is happening and Fish-Hound is in shock. The reason why Dumas wrote a story ridden with spiritual happenings is still undiscovered, “While magic spirits work as forces of unity in the Southern tales… Dumas, as a committed political activist wished to offer up a blueprint for revolution, but the problem with a blueprint from a reader’s perspective is precisely its schematic”(saul). In my opinion he created two characters where each can connect to different types of audiences, people who do not have a very good grasp on spirituality and those who