Theme Of Lost Sister

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In 1492, Christopher Columbus discovered America and began an era of colonialization, Eurocentrism and cultural assimilation. In the following centuries, the Europeans took control of America and enforced their culture onto the Native Americans that have always lived on the continent. Dorothy M. Johnson’s “Lost Sister” tackles this assimilation through the character of Aunt Bessie, who, like many Native Americans, refused to completely adopt the colonizers’ way of life. Accordingly, the short story conveys the theme that individuals may choose to stay in the liminal stage if they are forced to undergo a rite of passage. To start, the rite of passage in the story is one that is forced upon the main character. Aunt Bessie is going through a …show more content…

Consequently, she does not acquire the characteristics of someone having an Euro-American identity and exits the rite of passage before entering the incorporation stage. Nevertheless, if Aunt Bessie had accepted to go live with her sister Mary (Johnson 66), the rite of passage would have continued. In that case, the moment she would leave the house would be considered the end of the liminal phase and the beginning of the incorporation phase, using the symbolic properties of the doorway again. Then, the moment she will arrive at her sister’s house will constitute incorporation, and at that point, she will acquire her new state of having an Euro-American …show more content…

First of all, according to Turner’s theory, liminal figures are “betwixt and between” social statuses and are both this and that and yet neither this nor that (6). In “Lost Sister”, Aunt Bessie is “betwixt and between” two statuses: having a Native American identity and having a Euro-American identity and yet having neither one nor the other. She has a Native American identity, as she speaks their language, wears moccasins, and has lived most of her life with the Native American community (Johnson 58). She also has an Euro-American identity, as she was born into an Euro- American family and has physical features that identifies her as a Caucasian female: “Beautiful blonde curls … and big blue eyes” (Johnson 55). In addition, by returning to her original family, she is physically included in an Euro-American community and wears some of their clothes, such as dresses (Johnson 58). Second, in Turner’s theory, liminal figures do not have rights nor obligations (7). Indeed, when Aunt Bessie arrives in the family, she “had no things, no baggage” (Johnson 57), indicating that she has no property or rights over property. Furthermore, she has no obligations or responsibilities, as “her skills were useless and unwanted in a civilized home” (Johnson

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