The Changes And Reconstruction Of Native Americans' Survival Pattern In Tracks

Louise Erdrich is an influential Native American writer of the Renaissance of Native American literature. Her novel Tracks vividly yet faithfully depicts the survival predicament of Native Americans in the contemporary American society and exposes the serious effects of "internal colonization". Meanwhile, it reflects Erdrich's idea of how to protect Native Americans' traditional culture and how to survive and develop themselves in the changing society. This thesis tries to expose the catastrophic effects by the white settlers upon Native Americans' survival pattern, and explore the reconstruction of Native Americans' survival pattern as reflected in Erdrich's novel Tracks from the perspective of postcolonialism. This thesis is composed of three parts: the introduction, the body and the conclusion.The introductory part presents a literature review, the theoretical basis and the structure of the whole thesis.The body consists of three chapters.Chapter One analyzes Erdrich's special identity and her thematic concerns. Her hybridized identity and multicultural background influence her thinking and literary creation to a great extent. Such a vantage point also enables her to have sharper and deeper ideas about the changes and reconstruction of Native Americans' survival pattern.Chapter Two examines the changes of Native Americans' survival pattern after the white incursion. Native Americans have had their own spiritual tradition and culture since the far ancient time before the contact with the Europeans, However, the white settlers' colonization pushes the Natives to marginality, which causes the shifts of Native Americans' survival pattern and also many Natives' identity loss and psychological alienation.Chapter Three explores Erdrich's idea of reconstructing Native Americans' survival pattern through a close reading of her novel Tracks. Reconstructing Native Americans' survival pattern is a very important decolonizing strategy. According to Erdrich, to survive and develop themselves, Native Americans should first and foremost emphasize the past and inherit their positive elements. Secondly, Native Americans should make their voices heard in the white-dominated discourse. Through Nanapush's stories, Erdrich constructs a historical and cultural subjectivity of Native Americans, thus making their voices heard in the world. Lastly, Native Americans should adapt themselves to the changes and communicate with other cultures actively, basing on their own traditional culture. Through this kind of cultural communication, Native Americans can nourish themselves by absorbing the positive elements of other cultures. Only in this way can they survive and have their own discourse power in the multicultural tide.The conclusion points out that, through her novel Tracks, Erdrich tries to reconstruct the survival pattern of Native Americans. Her creation reflects her peculiar thinking towards the question of how Native Americans should survive and develop in the contemporary world. Under the more and more globalized context, her idea of reconstructing Native Americans' survival pattern is undoubtedly enlightening for Native Americans to survive.