Spider Womans Granddaughters

The book "Spider Woman's Granddaughters" by Paula Gunn Allen is a book about many stories of women who have been changed due to Indian conflicts whether personally involved or indirectly affected from the sufferings felt by the Indian peoples of America. Have Paper Masters custom write a research paper that examines the themes within Spider Woman's Granddaughters or see below for how to examine the book yourself.

These stories hold one central theme throughout the completion of the book, which is the light these women follow in their individual experiences, is that of Grandmother Spider, a truly brave and wise Cherokee woman. It is this profound tradition that the author wishes to convey through the telling of the stories of some particularly strong and brave Indian women.

Some of the topics within the book are as follows:

• The Warriors
• The Casualties
• The Resistance

My first reaction to this book was that of curiosity. The usual findings in Native American literature are the stories of great Indian chiefs and warriors. This however, was a book on Indian women. To realize that Indian women also have a story to tell was a most fascinating consciousness. Why had I not read other narratives on the reactions of Indian women to their mistreatment and sufferings encountered by the Europeans that came to conquer their world.

Nonetheless, this book reveals the stories of women who like their male counterparts entered battle, suffered defeat, and endured captivity. To enter the lives of these women was a most wrenching experience. Events that they encountered made me wonder if I would have the same fortitude as they. These women never gave up hope even under the most devastating of circumstances such as losing their children, emotional and physical abuse, and even in death. Along with their hope they continued to steadfastly hold on to their dignity, their prospect of once again being happy, and the expectancy that they would at some time regain their freedom. These are the attributes of such a devotion to tradition that the Indian culture retains to this day. It is this very strength of attitude that gives Paula Gunn Allen the title of her book. These qualities of the proud Indian woman, Grandmother Spider, have been passed on to other generations of Indian women.

Although many of the stories relayed are marked with gruesome circumstances that are hard to take, they provoke a lot of thought on the struggles the Native American population has had to endure. At times I experienced feelings of frustration and severe anger directed at our nation's government for allowing such atrocities to take place. It has made me question the basis of a democratic society that can allow discriminations as well as the forceful conquering of a land that was not theirs.

This book sends a strong message to those who wish to hear it. The innocent stories of women who only desired to hold on to what was theirs have a lesson, I wish I had a tradition as powerful as the one these women held on to.