Making the “Queen” in Louise Erdrich’s The Beet Queen

• 발행기관: 한국영미어문학회
• 저자명: Hyung hee Kim
• 간행물 정보: 『영미어문학』영미어문학 제123호, 121~135쪽, 전체 15쪽
• 주제분류: 어문학 > 영어와문학
• 파일형태: PDF
• 발행일자: 2016.12.30

영문 초록

The Beet Queen is the product of Louise Erdrich’s hope to become not just a Native American writer but an American writer. In the novel, almost all of the characters are white and the main setting is a fictional white city, Argus. The lack of both Native Americans and their sufferings under the dominant culture brought harsh criticism from Leslie Marmon Silko. However, Erdrich’s identity as a Native American and her critical perspective on white culture never disappear, even in this novel. Her efforts to present us with a new society begin with the breakup of a white family, and are followed by her questioning the conventional, biased ideas of gender and race. Eventually, the major role in a new society is left to a mixed-blood family, based on the love of a mother-daughter relationship, harmonizing different races and genders altogether. And, as a member of the new family, the daughter, Dot, finally realizes her mother’s love and matures. Thus, in spite of her refusal to be coronated as the beet queen in a conventional sense, Dot becomes the real queen, the leader of the future society.

목차

Abstract

1. Introduction

2. The Breakup of the Conventional Family

3. Dismantling the Conventional Notions of Gender and Race

4. Alternative Gender

5. Conclusion

Works Cited

키워드

Native American family gender race mother-daughter relationship