Interpretation Of Loney’s Tragedy From The Pespective Of Indian World View In Welch’s The Death Of Jim Loney

The paper carries out research on James Welch’s The Death of Jim Loney from the perspective of American Indian world view in cyclicity, connection and harmony. It aims to reveal that the death of Jim Loney is not a real tragedy, but a positive ending. The writer James Welch shows readers an Indian young man Jim Loney, who is seriously tortured. He suffers breaking the connection with family, society as well as history and the lack of harmony during his whole life. To get rid of his misery, Loney finally resorts to death. Loney commits suicide like an Indian and in this way he turns himself into a real Indian. After his death, Loney would get away from all of his predicaments and starts a new life.In the first part, Loney’s breaking of connection is discussed. Loney is a person who lacks family connection. He does not have family belonging, lives without family love and the intimacy between brother and sister. Loney also suffers from the shattering of social network. He lives without social belonging, lacks social concern and could not find out the social environment to fit into. Loney’s historical links are disrupted. He experiences the absence of family history and racial history. Through his life, Loney lives in the predicament of lacking connection and he is indeed a lonely existence.In the second part, Loney’s lack of harmony is analyzed. Living in the natural environment, Loney is absent of natural harmony. He could not make friends with animals, and the ecological environment around him does not totally suit him. Finally the Rockies, which he longs for, becomes his tomb. In the mainstream society, Loney is the “Other”. Compared with the whites, Loney does not have a good family background, nor a decent social status. Loney could not integrate into the mainstream society and he does not establish the same social ideology with the white society. As a half-breed, Loney suffers from lack of a clear ethnic identity. He is born without a racial identity and all his life he seeks it. Finally Loney makes up his mind to be an Indian.In the third part, Loney’s resorting to death as rebirth is developed. Loney excises his agency to get rid of his dilemma, but fails. He not only sticks to himself, but also shakes the fetters from others and avoids the influence of the outside world. Loney actively seeks his own path of life. To get rid of his trauma, Loney commits suicide. Loney’s death is suicidal. The death brings Loney liberation, and makes him a real Indian warrior. In the Indian world view, after his death Loney starts his new life. Loney anticipates a more agreeable environment.In conclusion, in The Death of Jim Loney, the protagonist Jim Loney, who is tortured by both the breaking of connection and the lack of harmony, fails in casting off his dilemma. Eventually he begins his new life with the help of his death and gets back hope for a bright future.