Faces in The Moon - Criticism

Criticism

Literary critics have commented on both the novel's structure as well as thematic content of Faces in the Moon. Below are sections taken from published criticism.

• In what seems to be an effort to capture the psychological processes of memory coupled with the dynamism of storytelling, the novel presents a series of non-chronological episodes conveyed through first- and third-person narrative perspectives. The text is frequently interrupted by italicized snippets of conversations, memories, dreams, and fanciful thoughts, all of which are presumably important aspects of Lucie's identity as it is being reconstructed; unfortunately, the relevance of these textual fragments is not always clear, and the structure of the novel alone is not enough to sustain the reader's interest in the fictional world. Characters who tell stories are expected, even welcome in a novel structured around the ritual of storytelling. However, so much exposition comes directly from the mouths of the characters, their conversations often appear implausible. Some characters seem to function merely as vehicles for imparting information, rather than interesting individuals with meaningful lives. In addition, an overreliance on trite and commonplace utterances seems an injustice to the uneducated, rural characters of the novel. Overall the narrative is hindered with explanation when drama is wanted. It is curious to note that the stories recast in the novel, stories that are central to the reconstruction of Lucie's identity, often conjure up the reified mythic image of the Native American. For example, reticence and pride, qualities that have been ascribed to the American Indian as invented by outside cultures, are given credence in such phrases as, "that, my mother said, was the Indian in her" (p. 13). As a result, Lucie's remembering, or reconstruction of her Indian identity is tainted with a sense of falsehood, of the stereotypical. But more to the point, Lucie's self-discovery and reconciliation with the traditional past, her Cherokee heritage, is ultimately undermined by the ease with which it occurs. Never is it convincingly established that she has suffered estrangement from the world as a result of her childhood experiences; never is it established that her identity is in need of reconstruction, or rearticulation. It thus remains for Bell to create a cast of characters who are worthy of the thematic concerns evinced in Faces in the Moon.

• In time Lucie learned to communicate with nature and glimpsed the healing presence of the red earth of Oklahoma. Red, the color that symbolizes power and victory to the Cherokee, appears several times in association with Lizzie's home and in conjunction with Lucie's sickness. In a matter of a few pages red is revealed in bursts of color as a gift of a red jawbreaker, a red shawl, and in the repeated phrase "To tsu hwa ha tlv we da" (Redbird, where have you been?). In a dream image her grandmother healed Lucie, but as an adult Lucie states that she remained cut off from Oklahoma, the Cherokee people, and God. At first reading, the ending seems unnecessary and detracts from the book. However, after reflection, it clearly serves the important purpose of illustrating the continuing cycle of fear and abuse, as Lucie threatens "a pink middle-aged man" at the Oklahoma Historical Society. Lucie has suffered so much throughout her life but is now in a position of power to dish out the grief, as the cycle continues.

• Told largely in flashbacks by Lucie, who has returned home following her hated mother's stroke, the novel is elegantly written in spare prose replete with meaningful details and realistic dialogue. Bell, herself a Cherokee, deeply understands the culture she writes about and conveys that understanding unobtrusively, yet with great emotional power.