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This 5 page paper discusses some examples of the symbolism in the book, "Spiderwoman's Granddaughters". Bibliography lists 3 sources.
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5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVSpider.rtf
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of stories is by Native American women and through the tales, we learn how they have survived and preserved their culture. This paper discusses some of the symbolism in
the book. Discussion The full title of the book is Spider Womans Granddaughters: Traditional Tales and Contemporary Writing by Native American Women, so we know that editor Paula Gunn
Allen has chosen both traditional and modern stories for inclusion in the volume. Allen says "The stories I have chosen are womens war stories or woman-warrior stories" (Allen, 1989,
p. 18). The history of Native Americans is a history of violence, loss and pain; and of a government that has broken every treaty it ever made with its indigenous
peoples. As Allen says, Native American women have endured "the experience of being in a state of war for five hundred years" (Allen, 1989, p. 1f). Now she
is giving them the chance to tell how they survived this conflict. In general, Native Americans make much greater use of symbols than do whites. We read of Coyote,
the trickster for example. Animals and animal spirits are woven throughout Native stories, usually as representations of desirable qualities; the eagle, for instance, represents courage while the wolf is
usually considered a teacher, or guide. The point is that the stories in this book use a great deal of symbolism, perhaps because it is a traditional method of
storytelling. However, the symbolism in the stories is not confined to animals; in fact, the real symbolism running throughout the book is that of the Native American woman: woman as
warrior, woman as survivor, woman as keeper of tradition, woman as nurturer, woman as mother. And sometimes, woman as much more than all of these. The story "The Woman
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