Embracing “Native Things” : Williams and the American Indian

Embracing “Native Things” : Williams and the American Indian

&nbsp;&nbsp;It is noteworthy to see that Williams always endeavors to adopt the Indian and “Indian-like” perspective as a central theme and motif in his works. For Williams, the American Indian represents in some way the missing aspects of the American self. The American Indian reflects the “New World” which is opposed to the Old World represented by the Puritans and their descendants, white people in modern America.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;Williams strongly believes that the white people can restore American self lost in the Puritan&quot;s prejudiced values which bring violence, conquest, separation and sterility to the New World. Significantly, Williams&quot; emphasis on Indian or “Indian-like” is firmly based on his recognition of the fertile, womanly spirit of place which he calls “supplying female.” He clearly recognizes that the “supplying female” is acquired through the marriage to the spirit of place embodied in the Indian.<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;By continually overlaying the Indian with the feminine Williams attempts to break the Western masculine authority in American history. Thus, he can have an other-oriented perspective in which multiple differences of the world co-exists and are accepted. Consequently, he was able to construct a new American poetics by using the Indians with “supplying female” as the new ground for a New World writing.