솔 레빗의 『짐 쏘프, 전미대표선수』가 이룬 문학적 성과 및 극작상의 오류 고찰

Abstract

This paper aims at finding out the literary achievements and the dramaturgical errors in the dramatization of the protagonist’s entire life in Saul Levitt’s Jim Thorpe, All-American. The criticism on the play does not exist except Hua’s relatively detailed textual criticism and two stage reviews on it. However, we can find out the critical standard to evaluate the play by making critical research for some biographies on Thorpe which pay attention to his tragedies as well as his triumphs. One of the achievements of the play is that it portrays the abuses of American policy of the off-reservation education for the Native Americans’ children. Besides, the play criticizes the verbal violence based on racism of the American press. Furthermore, the play depicts the organic process of forming and disseminating the racial prejudice against the Native Americans by means of the collaboration of the American government and its press. However, Levitt commits some significant dramaturgical errors. These errors can be subdivided into those of simplification, omission, distortion, and ambiguity. Firstly, the play simplifies a few Thorpe’s unfortunate biographical facts. Secondly, it does not dramatize not only the political calculation of AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) and the class discrimination of IOC (International Olympic Committee) which caused the forfeiture of Thorpe’s two gold medals but also his participation in the production of the movie, titled Jim Thorpe, All- American (1951) whose characteristic is the significant distortion of his life as a whole. Thirdly, the play distorts Pop Warner’s egocentric aspiration for fame as well as Thorpe’s religious identity. Lastly, the play makes mistakes by casting the roles of the white Indian school teachers to the Native American chiefs and by making Thorpe give contradictory answers to the question regarding his racial and ethnic identity before and after his death. In conclusion, Saul Levitt succeeds in revealing that the assimilationist education policy for the Native Americans of the American government and the verbal violence based on racism of the American press form and disseminate the racial prejudice, but commits some significant dramatugical errors in dramatizing Jim Thorpe’s life as a whole. Nevertheless, his play paves the way for the reexamination of Jim Thorpe’s both-sided life in the historical context.