The Indian Uprising | Comanches and Civilization in Donald Barthelme’s The Indian Uprising
In the following essay, the author views ‘‘The Indian Uprising’’ within the context and formula of the Western, asserting that, rather than reflecting on the genre, Barthelme instead ‘‘directs outward, at contemporary society.’’
Donald Barthelme’s bizarre, innovative short story ‘‘The Indian Uprising’’ involves a group of sophisticates beseiged in some contemporary city by a band of wild redskins who finally triumph. How must we respond to the story? A historical interpretation might tempt many—one statement by the narrator could recall Viet Nam to some readers: ‘‘We hold the south quarter and they hold the north quarter.’’ But Barthelme published the story in 1965 before antiwar materials were at all in vogue, and he’s taken care not to limit the associations to any one conflict. Perhaps...
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