Warrior, Healer, Prophet

Fools Crow, written by the Indian novelist James Welch, is a Bildungsroman.The growth of the protagonist Fools Crow reflects the historical social background of Indian people and thus the focus of this study is the growing process of the protagonist. The novel is to be analyzed under the framework of Bildungsroman.The thesis is composed of five parts accordingly. The introduction provides a brief introduction to the author James Welch, the novel Fools Crow, the foreign and domestic literature review and the concept of Bildungsroman.Chapter One analyzes Fools Crow’s experience as a warrior. He is no longer the boy in his father’s warm lodge but grows to be a mature young man who is responsible for his people. He is a warrior who shoulders the responsibility to protect his tribe. Since he takes part in the battle against the Crow his fate has been changed, when he earns basic living necessaries. He becomes a warrior who killed the enemies. His talent is appreciated by his tribesmen. He kills the chief of the Crow in another battle. His people regard him as the hero of his tribe. As a warrior he fights for his people and he grows to be a tough, wise and brave figure.Chapter Two analyzes Fools Crow’s experience as a healer. The healer learns the Beaver Medicine and the traditional mythologies in order to save the bodies and souls of tribesmen. Fools Crow adapts himself to learning the traditional medicine. He cares more about the safety of his tribesmen and heals the patients since he becomes an apprentice healer. Additionally Fools Crow knows about Indian traditional medicine and he becomes more interested in his own culture.Actually, Fools Crow is not only a physical doctor but also a psychologist who will never act on impulse nor do stupid things with mere physical courage. As a healer his contribution is equal to his contribution as a defender of the traditionalculture.Chapter Three analyzes Fools Crow’s experience as a prophet. As a prophet,Fools Crow knows about the fate of his tribe and shoulders the responsibility to lead his people through the sufferings. Fools Crow learns the mythologies from the Above Ones, the deities of Indian people, such as Feather Woman. He foresees the future of his tribe under the guidance of Feather Woman. He sees four visions of his people. 1. The Indian people lose the war against white people; 2. The Indian people die of smallpox; 3. The Indian children attend the white school; 4. The Indian territory becomes deserted. Fools Crow wants to encourage his people to fight against the coming disasters. The Indian people cannot win in the battlefield but they can try to maintain their cultures and mythologies.The conclusion briefly summarizes the life experience of Fools Crow’s maturation process. He is familiar with Indian tribal culture and traditional medicine as well as white culture thus he shoulders great responsibility. When Indian warriors lose the battle against white men Indian people have to negotiate with white people. Fools Crow has no other choice but to bear the power rule in order to save the lives of his tribesmen, at the same time the tribesmen have to adapt themselves to the culture of other race. The unique characteristics of Indian Bildungsroman are the multiple cultural background and the postpone growth of the protagonists, which mark the differences between Indian Bildungsroman and British and American initiation novels.