Siobhan M. Carlson Masters Student in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of New Brunswick
Abstract
Drew Hayden Taylor’s The Night Wanderer: A Graphic Novel explores contemporary issues facing Indigenous youth. By re-shaping the role of the Indigenous monster, the Windigo, Taylor constructs a story that redefines Indigenous culture within the landscape of Canadian Gothic literature. The Windigo has been expropriated in Canadian Gothic fiction to represent the plague of the western world: capitalism. To combat the appropriation of Windigo narratives, Taylor appropriates the western literary figure of the Vampire. By creating both the story of the Windigo and Vampire through one of the protagonists, Pierre, Taylor positions his story as one of Gothic resistance. Pierre is juxtaposed by Tiffany, a lost indigenous youth, who represents the hope of the Indigenous future.