Misrepresenting the Quileute Nation: An Anti-imperialist Critique of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga
Open Access
Author:
Harlow, Rae Elizabeth
Area of Honors:
English
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Carla Mulford, Thesis Supervisor Lisa Ruth Sternlieb, Thesis Honors Advisor Toni Jensen, Faculty Reader
Keywords:
Twilight Meyer Imperialism Native American
Abstract:
With the publication of Twilight in 2005, author Stephenie Meyer created a global, multimedia empire. The Twilight saga has found financial success and become a generational touchstone for its largely preteen audience, thus rendering it a powerful and influential institution. Centered around the supernatural love triangle that arises among human teenager Bella Swan, vampire Edward Cullen, and Quileute Indian-turned-shapeshifter Jacob Black, the Twilight saga does not wield its pop cultural power responsibly. Meyer employs a variety of imperialist oriented stereotypes in her portrayal of Jacob Black, all serving to render his character completely inferior to her vampires. To complicate matters further, Meyer’s Native American characters are members of the Quileute Nation, a real Native American tribe based in Washington state. The sudden recognition has complicated life for the real Quileute tribe. Many members of the Quileute Nation live in poverty; the tribe does not even profit from sales ofTwilight merchandise involving their manufactured identity. The success of the Twilight saga reveals how easy it is for powerful entities to ignore ethics and the rights of indigenous groups in a quest for profit. This project articulates and challenges these imperialist biases.
