The Struggle In Today's Euro-American Pop Culture

586 Words2 Pages

Today’s Euro-American pop culture is about finding oneself, creating your own individuality and uniqueness through an array of others attempting to do the same exact thing. Native communities have an extra hard time doing this as they have the additional pressure of balancing their Indian identities with the ways of any modern person living in America. However, it can be difficult to balance between giving in and being seen as oppressed versus assimilating to survive. Love Medicine attempts to find this stability. An evident mingling of cultures is demonstrated through King’s appraisal toward his sports car. When he arrived on the reservation, there was a discernible resistance toward it because the car was not only new, but it was bought using the life insurance of King’s newly deceased mother, June. Also, uneasy feelings arise from King’s unethical purchase perhaps because of how Natives treat their elders; elder ones, even flighty parents like Jne, are respected and valued upon. So for King to “disrespect” his mother’s memory by buying something as ostentatious and invaluable as a sports car, it brought up mixed emotions when it came to their Native identities. …show more content…

Lyman Lamartine even confessed “I was the first one to drive a convertible on my reservation.” The car is seen as something to be sought after, as a reward for the worthy. Certain connotations come with owning a sports car. It expresses success, whether in wealth or happiness; it may even give the person a fulfillment in life where there is none or where there is lacking. King uses the car in this way, to fill the gap in his life where his family members have neglected him. Even the brand of the car may shout “American”, allowing any Native to assimilate even further to the Euro-American pop

Open Document