Erlen Gulley And Rose Analysis

Thomas King 's Medicine River perpetuates the cultural history of homosexual erasure through its depiction of its characters solely in heterosexual relationships. This results in a narrative that constantly depicts men and women as invariably in search of a partner of the opposite sex in order to fulfil a culturally defined model of love and happiness. Sexuality is almost exclusively portrayed in a manner that suggests its purpose is solely to fulfil the requirements of the nuclear family. However, while sexuality only appears in the heterosexual model it is also exclusively performed by female characters. Heterosexuality is enforced by the male characters throughout the text, but also reproduced in the attitudes of the women. Sexuality as a construct in this context refers to situations in which people speak either suggestively or overtly about sex and sexual situations. In the case of Erleen Gulley and Rose, speaking openly about sexuality creates an open dialogue between the two women that emulates a sort of camaraderie, a shared experience. This is most clear during their trips to the supermarket, where the two women speak freely to one another: “You eat these, Erleen Gulley, and they 'll be hanging on your hips by morning.” Erleen would pat her stomach and run her hands down her …show more content…
It seems as though sexuality can be claimed by women, but only to the effect that it serve to keep them within the boundaries of a particular form. By making an effort to defeat the established attitudes about sexuality in their society, they indicate that there are forces at work against them. Their attempts to reclaim their own sexualities are coloured by an enforced heterosexuality that is both enforced and reproduced by the community, as is made clear by the comments made to a presumably overweight woman who had not asked for any commentary on her own