| This thesis studies The Dance Partner by Glancy from the perspective of Foucault’s power theory.It analyzes Glancy’s exhibition of white colonial oppression and American Indian care of the self.Firstly,this thesis examines Glancy’s presentation of the occupation of American Indian land and the destruction of American Indian culture with textual evidence taken from The Dance Partner,revealing how white colonists manipulate power to capture American Indian land and to destroy American Indian culture,which pushes American Indians to the edge of society.Secondly,it probes into Glancy’s exhibition of American Indians’ spiritual crisis,indicating that American Indians who are under white power gradually lose their subjectivity and display the self-destructive behaviors,such as drinking,committing suicide and violence;In addition,it explores the textual evidence of the disharmonious father-child relationship,the absence of the role of mother in children’s growth and the inversion of the status of American Indian women in their families,which manifests that American Indians who are under the influence of white people’s individualism have abandoned their traditional family ethics.Finally,this thesis focuses on American Indians’ efforts to reconnect with their tradition by care of the self to gain spiritual strength.After analyzing the importance of the Ghost Dance,it reveals that by taking part in the Ghost Dance,American Indians reestablish their relationship with “the past” and get spiritual strength;then it proceeds to probe into the significance of the storytelling for American Indians,revealing that the storytelling can help American Indians know more about their tribal past,raise their sense of cultural identity and resist the oppression of mainstream society.By way of a critical analysis of white colonial oppression and American Indians’ resistance in Glancy’s The Dance Partner,this thesis manifests that Glancy not only expresses her resentment against the white,but also shows her concern about American Indians’ existence.Hence,Glancy stresses that American Indians need to focus on care of the self to enhance their spiritual strength and to resist white power. |
