Kingsolver\'s Animal Dreams and Native Americans

¶ … Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver. Specifically it will discuss how Kingsolver portrays Native American and Hispanic people in the novel. Codi, the main character in "Animal Dreams," returns to her small hometown of Grace, Arizona, after a long absence. She learns to love her past and her family during her return, and she encounters her high school sweetheart, a Native American who wants to settle down with her. Throughout the novel, Kingsolver portrays Hispanic and Native Americans favorably, and even idealistically, but her writing style and devotion to her subjects make these idealistic portrayals succeed in the novel.

Codi and her family are Hispanics, although Kingsolver never really states this in the novel. It becomes clear as the novel progresses and the culture of Grace becomes known. Their real names are Hispanic, many of the townspeople are Hispanic, and their celebrations are all based on Hispanic celebrations, such as the Day of the Dead at the opening of the book, and the "little fiesta" Emelina organizes for Labor Day weekend. Even the pinatas the children play with are part of the Hispanic culture. Kingsolver seamlessly blends all of these elements into the book, so the reader is aware of them but not too aware of them. They seem like the elements of any American culture, things that are traditional and commonplace in any community, which is one way she manages to portray Hispanics with dignity and sympathy. They do not seem different or alien; they simply appear as "normal" everyday human beings. This is one way Kingsolver portrays the Hispanic community favorably, by not making them different, unusual, or odd in any way. Their actions and culture are natural, not forced, and so, their society seems somehow superior and admirable as a result. Kingsolver also portrays the best parts of the culture, while using gentle humor to portray some of the quirks of the society, such as the grandmother's many collections, and the gossip at the "Stitch and Bitch" club meetings. She understands the nuances of the culture, and portrays them accurately, helping them become much more sympathetic to the reader.

It is clear the author has a great respect for these cultures, and that helps her portray them favorably, as well. She understands details and minute points in both cultures, and illustrates them using the characters, who she creates with flaws, just to make them real. For example, Loyd, who becomes Codi's lover, is a Native American who has come to terms with himself and his culture. He explains to Codi, "It has to do with keeping things in balance. It's like the spirits have made a deal with us. We're on our own. The spirits have been good enough to let us live here and use the utilities, and we're saying: We know how nice you're being" (Kingsolver 239). That sums up his feelings of spirituality and connection he has with his culture, and it illustrates how Kingsolver understands the cultures and weaves them into the fiber of her characters. She manages to do this because she is a good writer who knows her characters and the story she wants them to tell. She has a way with words that make the reader stop and think about what she is saying, and what it means for her characters. For example, she writes, "Pain reaches the heart with electrical speed, but truth moves to the heart as slowly as a glacier" (Kingsolver 286). That is why it takes Codi so long to learn the truth -- that she is really a part of Grace and it is a part of her, which is one of the central themes of this novel. We are a product of our family, but also of the culture and beliefs where we were raised, and it takes Codi over a decade to find that out.

The relationship between the people and the culture is extremely complicated. Legend has it that most of the people in Grace are related to each other. Codi always believed that her family was a group of outsiders, until she learns the truth, both her parents were born and raised in Grace, and always wanted to appear to be outsiders. Once she discovers this, she feels more like she fits in, and that is the beginning of her "salvation." However, it goes deeper than that. The townspeople welcome her back as if she was never gone. In a word, they accept her, and do not seem to judge her, which is a direct referral to the culture of the place and the people. At the fiesta, Codi says, "It was like a high-school reunion. Everyone was boisterously friend and dying to be filled in on the last decade and a half" (Kingsolver 59). The people are honest, warm, and friendly, traits that endear them to the reader and show their culture and beliefs at the same time. It is this welcoming nature that finally allows Codi to feel accepted and a part of something, and that is really what makes her return to Grace after her teaching contract expires. Grace has become her home, and she has learned to care for the people there, so she as "strings" now that draw her back and that is in the end her salvation.