The Significance of Gender Transformation in Louise Erdrich’s The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse

Abstract

The Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse is the product of Louise Erdrich’s continuous attention to the concepts of sex and gender in white culture. In the novel, Agnes’s gender transformation into Father Damien has a significant effect on her assimilation into Native American culture. Inevitably, this gender transformation is not an easy process, but Agnes overcomes it by means of her self-confidence and self-assurance. The most important factor in her successful transformation and subsequent assimilation into Native American culture is the generous acceptance of gender flexibility in Native Americans, compared to the rigid dichotomy of the Catholic Church and white culture in general. In order to demonstrate the superiority of the Native American culture in this respect, Erdrich presents the reader with a number of favorable relationships between Agnes and some memorable Native Americans. Among these, the most notable characters influencing Agnes’s transformation and assimilation are Mary Kashpaw, who represents the opposite of white femininity, and Nanapush, who represents the humorous and warm hearted side of Native Americans. Although the ending of the novel is somewhat ambiguous, Erdrich’s wish for mutual understanding and coexistence between the two cultures is strong, expressing her desire for peace and harmony between them.