Describe symbolism in Yellow Woman by Leslie Marmon Silko

Old Grandpa represents the living history of the oral tradition.

The rancher represents the thievery of the Anglos who stole Indian lands, as well as hostility and racism.

Silko writes: "Kochininako, Yellow Woman, represents all women in the old stories. Her deeds span the spectrum of human behavior and are mostly heroic. . . . Yellow Woman is my favorite because she dares to cross traditional boundaries of ordinary behavior during times of crisis to save the Pueblo; her power lies in her courage and in her uninhibited sexuality, which the old-time Pueblo stories celebrate again and again because fertility was so highly valued."