The Loss And Reconstruction Of Ethnic Identity

Louise Erdrich is one of the most prolific and important writers of contemporary Native American literature. In2012, her new novel The Round House was published to the intensive attention from critics and general readership alike. The novel won the National Book Award. The Round House is centered on a rape case, telling a story of striving to survive while pursuing justice through the jungle of discrimination and despair. Erdrich draws from Ojibwe myths, storytelling technique and skillfully merge with western mainstream culture to explore themes such as subversion to colonial discourse, the loss and reconstruction of ethnic identity.In this thesis, postcolonial theory is applied to analyze the loss and reconstruction of ethnic identity of the native people and Louise Erdrich’s strategies to resist white colonial discourse. To the Natives struggling between two cultures and traditions, the loss of identity is inevitable, yet it is possible and necessary for them to reconstruct their ethnic identity. Through the novel, Erdrich shows how different characters make efforts to reconstruct ethnic identity, represent the national self-esteem and subvert the white hegemony. Through analyzing the text and the strategies of the author, the thesis suggests the way to reconstruct ethnic identity-surpass the ethnic boundary, recuperate traditional culture, embrace hybridity, mix with advanced culture of the mainstream society and make changes accordingly to gain a better ground for survival and thriving.The thesis first introduces the research background, the organization, and the significance of an interpretation of The Round House from the perspective of postcolonialism and the object of the thesis. Then it presents the critical reviews on Louise Erdrich’s works from three perspectives. Besides, it provides a brief introduction to the development and main frame of postcolonialism, among which Edward Said’s notion of "otherness", Gayatri Spivak’s notion of "subaltern" and Homi Bhabha’s notion of "hybridity" are the key terms employed in the thesis. The central part of the thesis is devoted to analyzing the loss and reconstruction of ethnic identity embodied in the lives of different characters. In the conclusion part, the thesis reveals that for people living between two cultures, neither retreating to the tradition nor yielding to the white society is a good choice. In the multicultural world, the native people should unite the community power to embrace hybridity and recuperate brilliant traditional culture. Only in this way, can they survive and reconstruct their ethnic identity successfully.