This paper examines Mark Twainʼs “A Horseʼs Tale”(1906)in terms of his recreating the Wild West. Although Twain makes use of the popularity of Buffalo Billʼs Wild West show that was well known both in America and Europe from 1883-1913, Twainʼs Wild West makes a clear contrast with that of Buffalo Billʼs jingoistic show that features spectacular reenactments of American battlefields. Twain, who used to love the pageant, comes to detest the show as it adopts Imperialistic dramatizations. This change can be reflected in “A Horseʼs Tale.” Unlike Buffalo Billʼs Wild West show, no bloody battles are described in Twainʼs Wild West where soldiers, native Americans, African Americans, and animals live in harmony. The male soldiers in the fortress, including Buffalo Bill, significantly show mother-like feminine qualities to nurture a gender-bending girl named Cathy. On the other hand, we can see Twainʼs aversion to Imperialistic violence in his depiction of a Spanish bullfight in which the audience, including a Christian family who support missionaries in China, fanatically enjoys the bloodshed. In the novellaʼs problematic ending, Cathy and her horse are gored to death in a bullfight arena to be initiated into the dream of the idyllic frontier.
抄録全体を表示