In A Letter to America, Atwood uses a lot of allusions related to historical figures and places, political figures and literary heroes, cultural images and events. These allusions can be seen as cultural mosaic of America which builds its life and traditions. In A Letter to America, Margaret Atwood uses allusions to create a unique atmosphere and vivid images of American life style and values influenced by historical heritage and unique culture.
Atwood uses cultural images and cultural heroes such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, Huckleberry Finn, Hawkeye, Beth and Jo (in Little Mother). These images can be seen as stereotypes of good old America and its strong cultural values. These beliefs reflect the intellectual superiority of the American nation based on hard work and perseverance. Atwood uses a lot of literary figures including such poets as Walt Whiteman and Emily Dickenson, writers Hemingway and Fitzgerald, Faulkner and Sinclair Lewis, Author Miller and Marlon Brando. These allusions remind readers of importance and role of American culture and art in development of the American nation. Using allusions, Atwood underlines that these stereotypes account for the unique association between characteristics of the American history and values, and can be seen as a set of unified factors that builds American culture and history.
Also, Atwood includes historical figures and events in order to underline close relations between American heritage and European history. These allusions are: Romanized Gauls and Caesar, King Author and New England. As different worldviews and lifestyles collide, the inevitable demand for change in every facet of American life will increase. Traditional ways of doing things will no longer be adequate to deal with the diversity of the country. These allusions represent the ideals of the American nation and Atwood’s personal beliefs. The allusions underline that with the pressure to change will come clashes between competing groups as to which will have the power to make decisions that will affect how a person lives in this society. Using examples of popular singers (the Andrews sisters and Ella Fitzgerald, the Patters and Elvis), Atwood unveils importance of cultural heritage and unique talents ‘produced’ by the American land.
These allusions cannot be used in other ways because their meaning and uniqueness become apparent only in a context created by Atwood. In the Letter, the main functions of these allusions are to unveil richness and importance of the national history and deep cultural roots of the nation. Herein lies one of the biggest challenges to combating stereotypes: self-image and self-esteem are often formed from the fabric of the stereotypes the nation hold. The belief that a group (Native American, Latino American, and so forth) has specific traits is applied to all members without regard for individual variations. The purpose these allusions is to involve readers in a dialogue about such “hot topics” and to provide answers to society’s polarizing perceptions of racial, ethnic, religious, and socio-demographic differences. Atwood unveils “great spirits of the past, courage and consciousness” of the American nation (Atwood 568). Only dialogue and critical thinking, for example, will help the society distinguish between good and bad, ethical and unethical decisions, moral and immoral behavior. Part of the mechanism used to feel good about includes believing that Americans are unique and exceptional nation which deserves recognition of younger generations. Atwood appeals to young generations and portrays that Americans have a lot of historical figures and events to be proud of.
Works Cited
Atwood, M. A Letter to America. in The Presence of Others. Bedford Books; 3 edition, 1999. pp. 565-568.