Essay on The Kiss of the Fur Queen - 1398 Words

Thomson Highway’s The Kiss of the Fur Queen has a core theme of art. In this novel, art is integrated into the lives of the characters. The modernist movement would indicate that art has the ability to plainly exist â€Å"art of arts sake†. Peter Lamarque notes â€Å"To value a work for its own sake is to value it for what it is in itself, not for the realization of some ulterior ends.† (par. 19) This commonly accepted view, that art is valued because it is great art, not for the role or function that it has in society, restricts arts impact. This perspective limits and does not allow for the surfacing of profound effects that art creates. In the Kiss of the Fur Queen, art has power it does not simply exist but has function. The observable function†¦show more content†¦Later Jeremiah stumbles on a similar scene of a bar that contains â€Å"men and women, all dark skin, of hair, of eye, like Jeremiah, all drunk and senseless, unlike Jeremiah.† (10 5). Peering into these â€Å"oozing† â€Å"filthy† (105) doorways he is reminded of the â€Å"great chart with tunnels and caves and forbidden pleasures† (105). The work of art that was viewed at a young age educated him on cultural stereotypes. Jeremiah made the association with people of color and hell that continued into adolescence. This association went far enough that as Jeremiah passed that bar he looked for the â€Å"horned creatures† (105) inside. This is a specific example that demonstrates that art can function as an educational tool. A less concert extension of this is â€Å"The Hell Hotel† (130). This image continues to associate native people with â€Å"madness [and] drinkers† (130). Again Jeremiah learned at a young age, though art, a cultural association. This image not only has the â€Å"B apparently dammed to H by mechanical malfunction† (130) but also has the First Nations people dammed to Hell from a yearly associa tion of art. In The Kiss of the Fur Queen a significant piece of art that was used as a teaching tool was the poster of heaven and hell. This art intentionally taught about Theology and inadvertently embedded damaging cultural associations towards Native Peoples. Secondly, although art can function to educate it can also function towards providing identity. Art enablesShow MoreRelatedEssay on Kiss of the Fur Queen1153 Words   |  5 PagesIn Kiss of the Fur Queen, the story begins with forty-three year old Cree hunter Abraham Okimasis winning the 1951 Millington Cup World Championship Dog Derby. (6) The victory is seen to have a significant effect on the Cree hunters Native identity, as he becomes the first-ever Indian to succeed in the Derby. As time goes by, Abraham becomes the father of two sons, Jeremiah and Gabriel. 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