| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺灣師範大學 === 英語學系 === 93 === This thesis is a study of the alternative Messiah in Leslie Marmon Silko’s Gardens in the Dunes. By focusing on the interrelationship between Christianity and tribal religions, and how Silko uses issues of religion to retell the silenced colonial history of the Ghost Dance Movement in the nineteenth century and reclaims the spiritual integrity of Native Americans through the stories of Sand Lizard girls and Hattie, I argue that they have found for themselves an “alternative Messiah” that not only fulfills the prophecy of the Second Coming, but also brings them salvation and spiritual regeneration, which is a universal need for each culture, each community, and each individual. The route might differ and the form of Messiah might vary. Traditional Christianity has become too narrow to fulfill the needs for all peoples. Everyone can and need to determine and find out what his or her own alternative Messiah is. My explorations of Hattie, Grandmother Fleet, Sister Salt and Indigo intend to demonstrate the possibility of reaching spirituality maturity by rejecting orthodoxy and engaging themselves in finding the balance and harmony in life. With the alternative Messiah presented in the novel, Gardens in the Dunes has shown everyone a possible way out of the bewilderment and puzzles in life into spiritual integrity.
This thesis contains four chapters. Chapter One is the introduction, which starts with the introduction of the historical Wounded Knee Massacre and the Ghost Dance Movement to explore the relationships between Christianity and Native American religion.
In Chapter Two, textual examination of the white characters is included. After introducing the Manichean Allegory, I will focus on Edward and Susan, who belong to materialist extreme in the polarization. The second half of this chapter will focus on Hattie. I will examine how she crosses the boundary and attains spiritual salvation at the end.
In Chapter Three, I will explore the traditions of Native spirituality and focus on Grandmother Fleet as an example. Later on I will briefly examining the history of the difficult and complicated situation of tribal religions after encountering Christianity then focus on Sister Salt and Indigo. Even though survival becomes more difficult and complicated, they still find their own “alternative Messiah.” The old gardens, both as the point of departure and the destination, symbolize the spiritual wholeness that they have finally reached in the end of the novel. Finding the balance, they have determined for themselves what life means to them. Chapter Four is the conclusion.
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