An Analysis Of Power’s Subversion And Containment In Love Medicine From The Perspective Of New Historicism

Louise Erdrich,was one of the most prestigious and accomplished American Indian women writers.Love Medicine was a great work,which described the love and hatred between two families of the Chippewa tribe and living conditions of the marginalized race.This thesis analyzed the power’s subversion and containment from the perspective of new historicism.Indians subverted and contained mainstream power and eventually formed a dynamic balance.Erdrich interwove subversion and containment,making it embody in the text and integrating into the society.This paper is mainly divided into three parts:the introduction,the body and the conclusion.The second part is main body,which can be divided into three chapters.In chapter one,it adapted new historicism to analyze power’s subversion from two aspects,that is,American mainstream writing mode and American mainstream values.First,it combined the double narrative languages and hybrid narrative methods to subvert the writing mode.Second,it faught against patriarchy,judicial system and industrialization to subvert American mainstream values.In chapter two,it adapted new historicism to analyze power’s containment.Indians’ power suffered the containment from the American society and American history.On the one hand,the containment power came from a series of laws and regulations in American history.On the other hand,the containment power came from the American judicial system,the prejudice of social class and the suppression from Indian traditional barbaric image.The most important was that the ruling class believed that the subversion and containment existed simultaneously.It helped to promote social progress and regulated the behavior of other members in society.In chapter three,it discussed what under the process of subversion and containment,Indians realized the American mainstream society’s authority power.Indians adopted a more rational and objective view of the mainstream society and culture and achieved the self-fashion under the negotiation of American society.Therefore,this thesis mainly applied new historicism to analyze power’s subversion and containment in Love Medicine.Theoretically,it combined systematically Love Medicine with new historicism.Practically,through this paper,more and more scholars began to pay attention to marginalized groups and voices,which also showed Louise Erdrich’s writing intention.At the same time,Erdrich created a more harmonious living space for Indians and provide different ideas for integrating Indians into mainstream society and to enable more Americans to understand this ancient nation and culture.