Essay On Leslie Marmon Silko's Yellow Woman And A Beauty Of Spirit

In Leslie Marmon Silko's "Yellow Woman and a Beauty of Spirit", true beauty is not a physical or mental state, one separate from the other. Rather, beauty is a culmination of characteristics that include honesty, friendliness, and caring, outward behaviors with inward feelings and intentions that cause or intend harm to others. In this particular reading, beauty is evident in your relationships with nature and fellow human beings and how you relate to those around you. While I was born in the United States, where the term "beauty" is often used to describe a person's physical characteristics, I see it as coming from within as well as in how a person interacts with others in their community and world. In fact, I would agree with Merriam Webster's definition; “the quality or aggregate of qualities in a person or thing that gives pleasure to the senses or pleasurably exalts the mind or spirt.” (Merriam) This definition encompasses all of the senses that one has available to them in order to determine what beauty is to each individual.
In many cultures the word "beauty" is plastered across tabloids and televisions with little thought given to the true nature of the

person. Genuine beauty is indeed a culmination of traits and characteristics associated with genuineness, moral fortitude, caring and the ability to love one another. Silko's description of beauty as "manifested in behavior and in one's relationships with other living beings" (Silko, 313) is an in-depth look at the culture and values of the Pueblo People. It also provides the reader with an understanding of the differences that may exist in their world and the whites as well as the differences in what is valued in a person. Many cultures have obvious differences in what its people define as beauty. While one culture may find aesthetic pleasure in the land, another may find it foreboding and frightening. The same could be said about the people themselves, as some cultures in Africa may place value and find women with piercings and tattoos attractive, while in the United States or other cultures this may appear barbaric and not be admired or defined as beauty. Beauty is both socially and culturally specific.
In the United States beauty is a multi-million dollar industry with women “[spending] over $426 billion a year on beauty products.” (Adams). While this industry is at an all-time high, less effort appears to be given to self-improvement in areas such as kindness and brotherly love. Yet, when we discuss traits and characteristics we wish in friends, family and partners, we undoubtedly come across some of the same traits that Silko describes as "beauty." Many may work towards attainment of physical beauty, there is still a need to search for people to be in our lives that reflect the idea of the Pueblo's in that "a person's appearance and possessions did not matter nearly as much as a person's behavior." (Silko, 311).
The distinct differences between what is physically attractive and pleasing and what is inner beauty stand out clearly when relationships begin and end. I would wager that many a person that initially married a "beauty", divorced that person and what they perceived at the time of the divorce would not fit their initial description of this term, even though outward appearances may have altered very little. In this instance, what may have been physical beauty was not internalized, therefore the person was no longer pleasing in the eyes of their partner either physically or inwardly. Beauty from within would appear to be more critical and vital to relationships and to the well-being of people in general as in this case, physical beauty could not overcome the lack of inner beauty.
If beauty is seen only a physical characteristic, what then of people who suffer from blindness?

Obviously, it is not a term applied to outward appearance in cases such as this. From this, one must ascertain that "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart.” (Keller) So, is beauty a physical characteristic? Is it a state of mind? Each person has their own idea of what beauty is and what it entails. Each individual must measure their values of others and themselves, their ideas of what true beauty is to determine what beauty they wish to be and to bring into their worlds. While a person can be pleasing to look at, it is what they do, how they treat others, how they treat us that determine how we will continue to feel about

them.
Beauty then becomes apparent and "people who have pure intentions towards others and can serve to be role models are said to have inner beauty." (ReComparison). Those terms such as caring, friendliness, grace, honest, and reliable appear to be the best for determining true beauty of a person. Outward beauty or lack of, can be altered or dimmed by the internal or inner being. Traits that are found in the spirit of a person can influence those around us to see either a beautiful person or a person that carries little beauty. While it may be said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it appears that Silko believed it was found not in the beholder but the person themselves. This inward or inner being influenced the beholder to see either a beautiful person or one lacking in original or authentic beauty.