Topic > Swamplandia as a Modern Southern Novel

Karen Russell's modern Southern novel, Swamplandia! it is informed by various works of Southern literature across different time periods. It is through the use of specific themes and motifs from Southern American literature that Swamplandia! finds its confirmation as a modern interpretation of the genre. Themes of strong family ties, storytelling styles, and the importance of names are seen in both older and contemporary Southern literature. The presence of strong family ties is evident in both Swamplandia! and As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, in Ava Bigtree and Addie Bundren's shared idolatry of their mothers and children. Storytelling is a device used as a means of conservation, in Swamdplandia! Ava uses it to protect her sense of self and sanity, while Flannery O'Connor preserves Mrs. Turpin's old way of thinking in her short story “Revelation.” Finally, character names and the naming of certain objects are a Southern genre motif that enhances a character's presence and personality and shows the importance of an object with a specific name. In Swamplandia! names show future aspirations and humor, and in Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire the names represent the glorified past and illusions. Swamplandia! uses these themes to build on the genre of Southern literature by interpreting them in a setting relevant today. Russell's writing style and topics of discussion in Swamplandia! they are modern, but in understanding the parallels of the themes with older literary works, it is evident that Russell's work in Southern Literature is in equal measure to Faulkner's work. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Use of Swamplandia! of idolizing one's family members is very similar to As I Lay Dying, and this shows its direct lineage to the Southern genre. Ava Bigtree refers to her mother, Hilola Bigtree, several times throughout the story for guidance and comfort after her death. Hilola is usually mentioned in Ava's glorified and amazing words as a world-class alligator wrestler, and her dramatic introduction to the story is evidence of Ava's wonder at her: "The trumpets blared from our big old-fashioned speakers, and from the huge The blind eye of the point to follow searched the palm fronds until it found Hilola. Just like that, she ceased to be our mother...fame settled on her like a movie..." (Russell 4) . Russell's words and tone differ from Faulkner, and thus Ava's idolatry of her mother is more indicative of her naivety and pedestalism. attributes their ideal value to parents. The fact that Ava is also the daughter and a little girl also makes her big speeches about her mother more loving and idealistic. In comparison, Faulkner's breakdown of the family hierarchy in a mother who idolizes her son creates a more depressing and less idealistic tone. “He is my cross and will be my salvation. He will save me from water and fire. Though I have given my life, he will save me” (Faulkner 113). Faulkner's dramatic allusions to the Bible give the impression that Addie Bundren holds her son Jewel closer to the ideal of a literal, Christ-like idol. While both of these stories feature characters who hold family members to high ideals, each is interpreted differently through the character's personality and the author's choice of words. Storytelling itself is an act of preservation, a means through which something can be saved. from history. It therefore seems appropriate that he is featured in Swamplandia! and “Revelation” as a way tosave yourself. Ava Bigtree tells a story in the brief moment before the scene of her sexual assault by The Bird Man. She goes back in time and recalls a nature slide show, "Kiwi made us caramel popcorn after hours... the three of us we munched loudly” before returning to his current situation, “‘Lie down, Ava,’ said the man, spreading out a green tarp for us, and I did” (Russell 260). The narrative then includes meticulously detailed descriptions of nature together to The Bird Man's assault, while Ava retreats further into an out-of-body voice in telling her story Russell uses narration here to show how Ava tries to protect herself from the assault and, ultimately, preserve her sanity mental as her young mind tries to process what is happening to her. Mrs. Turpin's narration in "Revelation" is done very differently than Ava's in Swamplandia! racist. He also alternates the narrative, referring to one audience as the white trash lady and the other as the nice lady (O'Connor 821-822) and dives into talking about his dream of eliminating the poor and blacks, before telling about the his upper farm. He concludes his agricultural escapades with “The look that Mrs. Turpin and the nice lady exchanged indicated that they both understood that you had to have certain things before you could know certain things” (O'Connor 822). The way Turpin ends his story shows how his character is insecure and tells materialistic stories to protect his illogical personal beliefs. Narration exists in both stories to preserve some form of identity and self, but the subject and situation in the story determine its meaning. Names of characters and places with specific meanings are used in the Southern genre as an enhancement. A quirk or unique personality trait is usually explained in a name analysis. Animals are a recurring motif in Bigtree and Swamplandia! is told through only two Bigtree points of view, it's fitting that both Ava and Kiwi have bird-related names. Irony is also used in the names, as the kiwi is famous for being a flightless bird, while Kiwi Bigtree saves his sister Osceola once he becomes a pilot. It is also ironic that Osceola is named after a famous Seminole leader, when she is the odd one out in her Native American family, and described as "...not a faint chamomile blonde, but pure frost, with eyes that quivered somewhere between brown and purple” (Russell 6). However, Swamplandia! and A Streetcar Named Desire similarly use object names to address other aspects of the story largely a direct observation of his thoughts during the attack (Russell 261 In A Streetcar Named Desire, the house that Blanche duBois and her sister Stella had was called “Belle Reve” which translates to “beautiful dream). ". The house is reminiscent of the old plantation days and the richer Southern aristocracy to which the women belonged, but it is also a reference to the way Blanche lives her life once the house is no longer there. She hides in the shadows and hesitates for anyone to see her true self as she tries to pretend that her life is fine, but her explanations for Belle Reve's death show Blanche's true suffering side "...I think it's wonderfully appropriate that Belle Reve should finally be this pile of old papers…” (Williams 44). The author's similar use of names comes from the knowledge that the specific meaning of certain names is the deciding factor in what becomes important to the story..