Survival and Sustenance through the Polemics of Resistance and Resilience in Select Native American Novels

Abstract

Resistance and resilience are evident in Native American literature as they have defied the dominant society s ideologies and are successfully thriving despite the socio-cultural challenges in the present. The Native American cultures, traditions, and religious beliefs have resisted the dominant ideologies and have continued to the present through storytelling, and the Native American writers preserve their communities practises through their writings for survival. The study focuses on how the select writers- Diane Glancy, Louise Erdrich, and Linda Hogan represent the complexities faced by the people of their community and their relentless pursuit of preserving the remnants of their customs and traditions by retaining their cultural identity and restoring the land and the ecosystem for their survival. newlineThe study begins with the purpose of exploring various forms of resistance and resilience psychological, cultural, and ecological, to bring out how the select writers have continued to engage with their cultures and practices in their writings to celebrate the survival of the community and heritage. The study on Diane Glancy s Pushing the Bear: A Novel of Trail of Tears shows how the Cherokee Indians endured the pain and sufferings inflicted by the settlers during their removal. The concept of psychological resistance is used to identify how cultural memory helps them to survive the hardships. By being psychologically resilient, the Cherokees continue their trail with hope and determination. A study on Louise Erdrich s Tracks explores the Chippewa Indians dual identity and cultural loss due to forced assimilation in the White world. The characters strive to revive their culture and beliefs by continuing their practise in the reservation. Cultural resistance is used to show how the culture withstands the dominant ideologies through the traditional method of storytelling, myths, and symbols. The continuous practises of their customs and rituals make the native culture resilient. The revival of culture helps the Ch