Saturday, January 29, 2011

"Be Nobody's Darling" and "Fleur"

The topic of being an outcast is a common theme in both of these written works. In "Be Nobody's Darling" by Alice Walker, being an outcast is viewed so positively it should be a goal of ours. She tells us to take our contradictions and wrap them around ourselves like a shawl. I believe that in that line she is telling us to wear what make us different proudly and not be ashamed of how society views us.

This same concept of being an outcast can be seen in Louise Erdrich's "Fleur". Fleur is a Native American woman who embraces her differences and uses them to her advantage at certain points in the story. She uses her strength to get a job at a butcher shop, and she uses her intelligence and courage to play poker with the men she works with. Playing poker in those times was strictly seen as a man's game, but that fact never bothered her and she accepted the challenge it posed.

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