Project 3 Final Draft: Take a Sad Song and Make It Better: Music As Healing in

Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobels Wabanaki Blues

Expression through art has long been known to have healing properties not just to
ones soul but to their physical health as well. Although visual art can help an individual
to express themselves, music, especially songs with written words, can help give
someone a voice. Because of how relatable this form of artist expression is, music in
junction with words can reach thousands of other individuals and unify them. Many
musicians who produce well-known songs sing about issues known by the general
population or situations that can be related to many different issues. One band that has
done incredibly well in this career path and has reached a huge fan base is the 1960s,
English band The Beatles. They have many hit songs that have been known throughout
several generations including their song Hey Jude. Although the lyrics of this song
encourages a guy to go after a girl he loves, the song has many lines of lyrics that can be
related to other situations, making them more powerful.One of the well-known lines
form this song ; take a sad song and make it better is so easily connected to other
situations that the author Melissa Tantaquidgeon Zobel uses it in her novel Wabanaki
Blues. Throughout this novel the main character, Mona, uses music and musical
references to make herself feel better and express herself. In this essay I will discuss how
the well-known song "Hey Jude" is used in Wabanaki Blues to show the idea of
acceptance and the use of song as helpful in overcoming emotional obstacles. I will also
extend the idea of music giving individuals a voice and outlet from emotional pain as
seen in the television episode 'Rebel Music Native America: 7th Generation Rises'
to Wabanaki Blues as well. Finally I will discuss how song and musical expression is

used to help in the healing process of ones soul because of the listening and audience
aspect of music. This is an idea extended from the scholarly writer Jan Johnson and their
critical essay Healing the Soul Wound in Flight and The Absolutely True Diary of A
Part-Time Indian.
In Wabanaki Blues, Mona, a spunky aborigine teenager who grows up in the
city finds herself in a murder mystery, love triangle and destiny she doesnt want,
and uses music to free herself from the emotional burden of it all. Yet these are not
the only emotional burdens she faces but also has to learn to cope with the loss of
her grandfather after strengthening their relationship from spending a summer
together. In the scene after her grandfather dies and Mona and her mother are
cleaning out his cabin, Mona starts to play Hey Jude, unifying the two women
along with their deceased relative. Mona herself describes the heart-warming scene:

I am not mad at Mom any longer, I start singing the lyrics, and Mom joins
in on the line, take a sad song and make it better We sing the rest of the
song together between sniffles.[] By the time we get to the part the goes,
Remember to let her into your heart, my voice is cracking and Moms
singing off key[] Out of the blue, our harmony improves, like a new
voice has joined our awkward duo[] we both know this new sound is
actually the voice of Grumps, singing and playing with us. We feel his
presence. (Zobel 224,225)

Zobel uses the song in this scene to make Mona and her mom connect, having them
join together in song to make bonds to their broken relationship. Mona has always
felt distant from her mother due to her mothers lack of commitment to her maternal
role, yet when she begins to play the song her anger and frustrations go away
allowing them both to share a moment together. The line from the song remember
to let her into your heart is directed in this case to both the women as they have to
be reminded to overcome their past disappointments in their relationship as mother
and daughter and to instead let each other into their hearts. Therefore, this song and
the action of singing together helped the both of them to overcome the emotional
obstacle of their estranged relationship. In addition, the song connects the two
women to their lost relative as they hear him sing[..] and play[..] (Zobel, 224)
along with them helping them to let go and accept the death of their loved one. The
song also gives them the reassurance and hope that everything will be alright in the
line take a sad song and make it better (The Beatles, Hey Jude). The two women
make a sad concept such as death better by uniting together in song. This moment is
powerful as the song allows both Mona and her mother to get in touch with their
feelings, and let the process of reconciliation and acceptance begin.
The idea of music as healing is very prevalent in the television episode 'Rebel
Music Native America: 7th Generation Rises'. In this episode, multiple indigenous
artists reach out to their communities through the use of music in order to create
change and help others battle with emotional obstacles. The singer Inez Jasper from
Chilliwack, British Columbiauses her music to create positivity [and] provide
inspiration and motivation (MTV Rebel Music) while the rapper Nataanii Means in

Chinle, Arizona tries to reach the kids who just give up [and turn to suicide] (MTV
Rebel Music). These two indigenous artists and activists use the tool (Means, MTV
Rebel Music) of music during their suicide prevention and song writing workshops
to try and connect with the indigenous youth. Much like the teenagers living on the
reservations that Inez and Nataanii visit, Mona herself also suffers from the
emotional burden of being a young indigenous teenager who has suicidal thoughts
and feelings of being an outsider. Monas suicidal thoughts and feelings of being an
outsider stem from a loss of culture and growing up in a city that is predominately
white. Mona is able to ease her feelings of a lack of connection to her peers by
finding comfort in her guitar and the music she can play from it. Mona herself states
in the novel, the whole point of song writing is to cope with lifes emotional
challenges (Zobel, 83). Through her music and creative expression, she is able to
combat the obstacles she faces and heal her emotional wounds.
Music is also seen in the Rebel Music episode as a form of communication
and a symbol of hope through the actions of Inez and Nataanii. In one of the song
writing workshops, Inez states how music is [her] outlet and that she wants to
show the students that their voice[s], thoughts [and] feelings are important and [that
music] is one way to express [them] (Jasper, MTV Rebel Music). This idea as music
as a form of communication or as an outlet is also seen in Wabanaki Blues. At one
point during the novel, Mona directly states, for some reason I cant be straight
forward and launch a protest through words [] its easier to express myself through
music (Zobel, 173). Using her art of playing music to express herself allows Mona
to get through and talk to others. Another example of how Mona uses music to

express herself is how she communicates with her best friend Lizzy by only using
lyrics from Beatles songs. The day that Mona contemplates committing suicide she
texts Lizzy Wanna die, yeah wanna die (Zobel, 13) from the Beatles Yer Blues.
Lizzy responds with take a sad song and make it better (Zobel, 13). Lizzys
reference to Hey Jude during this emotional time for Mona illustrates the songs
ability to be healing through its uplifting theme of acceptance and hope. By using
only song lyrics to talk, Mona and Lizzy show how songs can to create a powerful
connection between two individuals. Through this form of communication, Mona
and Lizzy are able to express themselves and what they want to say through song,
literally giving them both voices.
In Wabanaki Blues, both Mona and her mother are affected by the years of
historical trauma that have been faced by indigenous peoples as seen through her
mothers depression and Monas own suicidal thoughts. Jan Johnson discusses this
idea of historical trauma faced by Native Americans and argues that the soul
wound caused by the colonization of American Indians can only be healed if this
pain is recognized and acknowledged by others. I agree in this idea of needing to a
witness and a validation of ones pain from others in order to begin in the healing
process. However, unlike Johnson I believe that this process of validation can occur
through songwriting and musical expression because of the listening aspect of music.
Multiple times throughout the novel, Mona uses music to improve her emotional
state. She does this by allowing her emotions and pain to be understood by others
around her through the universality of music. When her grandfather passes away,
Mona uses music to express herself and connect with her mother. By using song to

get across her emotions, her mother is able to listen and than validate her pain by
joining in with her singing. This action is healing to both women and begins the
process of grief and acceptance.
Creative expression through music can make a powerful contribution to
healing emotional injuries because of its ability to give individuals a voice who
might not otherwise have one. Music also has healing properties because it promotes
validation of pain through the connection individuals. Well-known songs such as
Hey Jude can accomplish this as seen in Wabanaki Blues. However, music and its
ability to connect individuals is not limited to people who are alive, but rather is so
powerful because of it also has the ability to link the dead with the living.

Works Consulted
Johnson, Jan. "Healing the Soul Wound in Flight and The Absolutely True Diary of A
Part-Time Indian." Sherman Alexie: A Collection of Critical Essays. N.p.: U of
Utah, 2010. N. pag. Print.
Lennon, John, and Paul McCartney. Hey Jude. The Beatles. George Martin, 1968.
CD.
"Rebel Music Native America: 7th Generation Rises." Rebel Music. MTV. 7 May.
2015. Television.
Zobel, Melissa Tantaquidgeon. Wabanaki Blues. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.