April 4, 2022
- Interpret
One of the main themes I drew from Tracks context is the theme of tradition and the new. Throughout the text there are strong presences of old Native American tribe traditions, such as that shown through Fleur, and there are strong examples of Christianity, such as shown through Pauline. Both have their own take, but more so that the old Native American tribe traditions thrive and promote growth and well-being, while when Pauline brings the new devotion to Christianity, she also brings great destruction. Through this I noticed another theme, the theme of biased/or unreliable narratives. The stories are told by Nanapush and Pauline, and both give different sides, but have underlying favor to what is important in their eyes, such as Nanapush and the importance of Native American history. The last theme I noticed was also the importance of this Native American history and their shaman, or magical beliefs represented throughout the manuscript.
- Critically Evaluate
It’s a little more of a stretch when considering Tracks and Mohanty’s “Under Western Eyes”. However, I think many of the prevalent ideas in Mohanty’s essay can connect to themes presented in Tracks such as the influx of outside influences, tradition, assimilation, and religion, as well as the gender roles mentioned in the text. Mohanty describes the image of the third-world woman “assumed to be constrained by her family, sex and tradition, often ignorant of her own subjugation, thoroughly domesticated, uneducated and victimized,” as well as the overall implicit need these third-world women need to be saved by Western feminists (337). I think this is representative of the aggressively encroaching influence of white civilization and how the characters in the text attempt to balance these two ways of life (the native tradition and the influence of White culture). This especially in regards to Pauline and the outside influence of Christianity and how this affects her and in-turn, affects those around her too.
- Questions for Class
Why is it only Pauline and Nanapush as narrators of the story? Why not have it told by another, say maybe Fleur as a critical character to the novel, tell her perspective?
I understand the magic beliefs and legends held for the lake, but how is it important to both Pauline and Fleur’s lives?
