blame himself for the wrongful usurpation of his father's power. Unable to identify with the authority vested in his father's position, Karl clings to his mother. " 'Take me!' " (13) he screams when she flies away, and when he later tells himself that Omar is a kidnapper and therefore no rival, he swears that one day he will kill the aeronaut and claim his mother back. As he imagines this scene, Adelaide rushes toward him, over Omar's dead body. Then, "she held me close," he says, "and when she kissed me her lips were lingering and warm" (53).
As described by Mikhail Bakhtin ( 1895-1975), the language of the carnival is that of the common folk and is generally concerned with matters crucial to survival. Erdrich references to fairy tales clearly draw upon folk tradition, and the interludes, focusing on moments of crisis, depict characters struggling to survive.
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Publication Information: Book Title: Louise Erdrich: A Critical Companion. Contributors: Lorena L. Stookey - author. Publisher: Greenwood Press. Place of Publication: Westport, CT. Publication Year: 1999. Page Number: 68.
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