Through current literature we are exposed to both forms of communication, allowing us to see the strengths and weaknesses of the two. Oral storytelling allows for the evolution of an account, but often presents only one interpretation. Written storytelling provides a more exact account of a story, but does not easily allow room for growth.

In Storyteller, Leslie Marmon Silko provides us with tales passed down through generations of her Laguna tribe, as told to her by her aunt Susie. As in a game of telephone, these stories have undoubtedly changed over the years. The changes may not have been drastic ones, perhaps only minor to fit the growth of a people, but...