Linda Hogan's "Aunt Moon's Young Man"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Linda Hogan draws on her Native American heritage as she tells a tale tinted by earthy memories of her youth in her short story "Aunt Moon's Young Man". The author points out that the plot itself is relatively simple: A dark, lean, full-blooded Indian, who comes to town on an autumn day just as the annual fair is about to begin excites the women with his exotic good looks as well as the fact that the man is "alive in his whole body." The paper relates that the cyclical character of nature brings reassurance that balance will prevail; this storyteller incorporates several cycles to represent this balance such as the story begins in the autumn and ends in the autumn - the annual fair anchors the narrative at both ends.

From the Paper:

"Though Aunt Moon is obviously the central study in this story, the character of the narrator contributes to the sense of hope and renewal as well. We are told that "good Indian women" should not "learn too much from books" or "laugh too loud" or "look into the faces of men." Yet the storyteller is hopeful that she can escape such oppressive expectations. Her mother shares these great aspirations for her daughter, and college plans are made. However, with the advent of war and all the changes that it brings, the girl's education is postponed, though not ceded. She will work for a year or so in the city before returning to school, and this, too, speaks of future and hope. The cycles of nature are again invoked when the narrator's mother assures her that she's "sure as the night's going to fall" that all will work out well for her and her daughter."

More papers on Linda Hogan's "Aunt Moon's Young Man":

• Book Review # 98759 : "Aunt Moon's Young Man"

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