The Last Report On The Miracles At Little No Horse Essay

In the novel The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Louise Erdrich, the main character, Agnes, goes through many transformations throughout the course of the novel, be that spiritual, gendered, or in the basis of identity. Agnes’s identity, both as a female and as Father Damien, is an imperfect example of syncretism, as they appear at certain times as two distinct individuals, and at others, the individual identities are indiscernible. Syncretism is a term related to the concept of hybridity, and is defined as â€Å"†¦the fusion of two distinct traditions to produce a new and distinctive whole (Ashcroft).† In this case, syncretism is being examined in the context of the combination of Agnes’s gendered identities to form one new person, distinct from what it began as. To fully become Agnes, at the beginning of the novel, the main character strips her identity as Sister Cecilia. He past experiences in some way influence her opinions and actions , but she no longer identifies as Sister Cecilia as a person. Agnes’s transformation into Father Damien is drastically different. In adopting his identity as her own, Agnes retains her feminine, drawing on both individuals at separate times when the situation calls for it, and retains both identities until right before her death. There are times during the novel when, if not for the gendered pronouns used by the author, it would be impossible to distinguish which identity has taken control, thus alluding to a single, newShow MoreRelatedThe Last Report On Miracles At The Little No Horse1065 Words   |  5 Pagestheir own. Most interestingly, identity is a controlling factor in motivating one’s behavior and actions. A common thread in shaping identity across all cultures is the role of spiritual tradition. Through the characters in The Last Report on Miracles at the Little No Horse, Louise Erdrich confronts individual and communal responses to that reality. Since tradit ion is symbolic, not material, one can not physically hold on to their tradition. In other words, an individual makes the conscious decisionRead MoreThe Last Report On The Miracles At Little No Horse2065 Words   |  9 PagesNovels and plays are two different forms of literature that are both capable of delivering similar messages. A novel is a type of literature that is meant to be read and excite the imagination as is shown in the novel â€Å"The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse.† On the other hand, a play is another form of literature that is meant to be acted and is based on conversations as is displayed in the play â€Å"fareWel.† Although both of these forms are uniquely different, they both are connected byRead MoreLast Report on the Miracles of Little No Horse Essay2005 Words   |  9 PagesLast Report On The Miracles Of No Horse: A Review of the Literature The focal character in this novel had many different characters throughout this touching narrative. Though the main focus was on the priest, Father Damien Modeste, he began and was actually a woman. Beginning as a young girl, Agnes Vogel nà ©e DeWitt, was also known as former Sister Cecilia of a convent in Wisconsin, widow of Berndt Vogel and lover of the piano and, more specifically, the Polish music composer, Chopin. I amRead MoreMy New Perception Of The World And Gender Studies Class Essay1751 Words   |  8 Pagesmathematicians and scientists and other â€Å"bread winning† professions. Examples of these gender roles and systems of oppression can be seen in nearly all of the novels that we read. Beginning the first novel of this semester, The Last Report on the Miracle at Little No Horse, Agnes who later becomes Father Damien Modeste lives her life with both gender roles and society expectations. The novel begins with her as a nun which is the epitome of the â€Å"ide al woman† a devout virgin, modest in clothing, andRead MoreThe Miracles At Little No Horse2478 Words   |  10 PagesLong ago, huge puffy white clouds glided across the vast bodies of water surrounding the land of the Native Americans. The tribes were thrilled yet shocked at the same time to see them. Little did the natives of America know that these harmless looking fluffy clouds were actually huge vessels filled with their descending doom. Western civilization took hold quickly on Native Americans and had disastrous effects on a majority of them. Some native individuals resented the colonization and fought backRead MoreEssay on A Horse and Two Goats: Detailed Summary7459 Words   |  30 PagesA Horse and Two Goats Detailed Summary A Horse and Two Goats is the story of a comical and fateful meeting between two men, neither of who speak each others language. Muni and his wife live in poverty in a remote village in India called Kritam. In his prosperous days, before pestilence took most of his cattle, Muni had 40 sheep and goats. Now, in his old age, Muni has just two goats. His usual daily routine is to take the goats to graze two miles from his home, alongside the highway, atRead More The American Education System Essay2534 Words   |  11 Pagesthe future. However, these cries for reform are so demanding that many times the reforms created to please the people are pushed through so fast that consequences are never completely considered. These latest cries for reform came after the annual report by Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) was released in December 2010 stating that 15-year-old American students ranked average in mathematics, reading, writing, and science (Duncan, 2010). â€Å"Average† might not be much of an alarm toRead More francis of assisi Essay3048 Words   |  13 Pageslife, poverty, and humilit y before God. He worked to care for the poor. Thousands were drawn to his sincerity, piety, and joy. In all his actions, Francis sought to follow fully and literally the way of life demonstrated by Christ in the Gospels. My report is going to discuss the life and contributions of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis of Assisi lived about eight hundred years ago. He was born in the city of Assisi, Italy, in 1182. He was the son of Peter Bernardone (A wealthy merchant) and MadonnaRead MoreLiberty University Bibl 323 John Module 5 Notes Essay examples11938 Words   |  48 Pagesand Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews gathered around him, saying, ‘How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.’ Jesus answered, ‘I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my handRead MoreEssay on The Global Threat of Malicious Code6210 Words   |  25 Pagesinfecting all vulnerable hosts. A Trojan horse is a program containing hidden code allowing the unauthor ized collection, falsification, or destruction of information. 1 The term Trojan horse comes from Greek mythology. During the battle for the city of Troy, the attacking Greeks struggled to find a weakness in the citys defenses. So they built a large horse and presented it to the Trojans as a gift, which the Trojans accepted. Hidden inside the gigantic horse was a small army of Greek soldiers. During